Leona Valley AVA

Leona Valley AVA is in the process of being recognized as an American Viticultural Area in southern California. A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking has been issued by the United States Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to create the AVA, with a comment period open through January 22, 2008. Pending consideration of any comments received from the public, federal regulators may designate Leona Valley as an AVA.

Geography

Leona Valley is a long, narrow valley in the northeastern corner of Los Angeles County, about convert|50|mi|km inland from the Pacific Ocean and north of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. This valley is separated from the Pacific Ocean by the San Gabriel Mountains to the south and the Los Padres National Forest to the west. Portal Ridge on the northeast divides Leona Valley from the Antelope Valley. The proposed AVA includes the valley known as Leona Valley plus the adjacent hillsides along the edges of the valley floor as well as projecting and isolated hills. This results in a total of convert|8600|acre|km2 for the proposed viticulture area.

Geology

The geology of the area is very young alluvium surrounded by very old parent rock. These old rocks have weatherd to clay, which is incorporated in the alluvial soils of the valley. This clay component is releasing valuable mineral nutrients that contribute to the complexity of the wines.Fact|date=January 2008

Viniculture

Leona Valley is currently home to several growers and one cult winery, [http://www.leonavalleywinery.com Leona Valley Winery] . They are growing Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Petite Verdot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Malbec covering the French, Rhône, and Burgundy regions of grape varieties. Many grape varietals thrive thanks to the regions soil and balanced temperatures.

History

The first wineries in California were established in and around the Leona Valley. Once flourishing, Prohibition shut them all down. When federal regulators came to break up the wine barrels so they could no longer be used, it was said the creeks ran red. Many old-timers in the wine industry from Napa and Sonoma still remember and speak of the Leona Valley for its outstanding wines from the pre-prohibition days, from the History of the Antelope Valley 1978. Many of the vineyards planted so long ago are still growing and producing useable grapes, that will one day go into wine production in the region, through [http://leonavalleywinery.com Leona Valley Winery] and other vineyards.

References

*TTB Recogniation [http://www.ttb.gov/press/fy08/establish_leona_valley.pdf]
*TTB Information [http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-22697.pdf]
*Wines and Vines Article [http://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?section=new&content=51572]
*Leona Valley Winery [http://www.leonavalleywinery.com]