Mendocino Ridge is a coastal, cool climate and high altitude American Viticultural Area (AVA) located entirely within the coastal zone of

Mendocino County Mendocino County (; ''Mendocino'', Spanish language, Spanish for "of Antonio de Mendoza, Mendoza") is a County (United States), county located on the North Coast (California), North Coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United S ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The viticultural area was established on October 27, 1997 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF),

Treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry; in a business context, corporate treasury. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be ...

after reviewing the petition submitted by Mr. Steve Alden on behalf of the Mendocino Ridge Quality Alliance proposing a viticultural area named "Mendocino Ridge." The boundaries of the AVA encompass the coastal ridges at or above in elevation adjacent to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

that reach inland toward the

Anderson Valley Anderson Valley is a sparsely populated region in western Mendocino County in Northern California. Located approximately north of San Francisco, the name "Anderson Valley" applies broadly to several rural, unincorporated communities in or nea ...

. Roughly of the southernmost portion of the Mendocino coastline forms the AVA western border, with the

Sonoma County Sonoma County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 488,863. Its seat of government and largest city is Santa Rosa. Sonoma County comprises the Santa Rosa-Petaluma ...

line as the southern boundary, the

Navarro River The Navarro River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 9, 2011 river in Mendocino County, California, United States. It flows northwest through the California Coas ...

is the northern boundary and

outlines the inland boundary running northwest–southeast. Mendocino Ridge is essentially a northern extension of the

Sonoma Coast Sonoma Coast is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Sonoma County, California encompassing approximately , mostly along the coastline of the Pacific Ocean, but also includes inland areas extending from San Pablo Bay to the Mendocino County bo ...

viticultural area. Mendocino Ridge AVA designation is unique by its elevation where vineyards lie at or above . This means Mendocino Ridge is the only non-contiguous AVA in the United States. The Mendocino Ridge AVA has been nicknamed "Islands in the Sky," because the thick fog moving inland from the Pacific Ocean blankets the coast and the valleys between the ridge tops, making the tops of the mountains, where the vinyards lay, look like islands protruding from a sea of fog. Mendocino Ridge AVA lies above the Anderson Valley and Mendocino

appellations An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the ingredients of a food or beverage originated, most often used for the origin of wine grapes. Restrictions other than geographical boundaries, ...

. The Mendocino Ridge viticultural area contains approximately , about 2% of the total acreage, that are suitable for vineyards. The local hillsides are very steep (often above 70%) and covered with timber, making them unfit for viticulture. Estimates of planted acres range from 233 to 410, which accounts for about 0.3% of the total area. The average high temperature is and the average low temperature is . The diurnal variation during the growing season is significantly less than the Anderson Valley (20 degrees versus 40-50 degrees in Anderson Valley), and daytime high temperatures are often 10 degrees cooler than in the Anderson Valley. The soil composition is of the "timber" type, shallow and with good drainage due to the ridge top locations. Average annual rainfall average is , leaving sufficient groundwater to dry farm vineyards. While Mendocino Ridge was only approved as an AVA in 1997, it has some of the oldest vineyards in the region. Italian immigrants in the late 1800s planted on Greenwood Ridge and surrounding areas, preferring zinfandel which remains a popular varietal in the AVA, although Pinot noir has become the most common grape in the region since the 1990s. Other plantings (ordered by decreasing representation in total acres) include Chardonnay, Syrah, Merlot, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Primitivo, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Grüner Veltliner. Much of the non-planted land is covered by

Redwood Sequoioideae, commonly referred to as redwoods, is a subfamily of Pinophyta, coniferous trees within the family (biology), family Cupressaceae, that range in the Northern Hemisphere, northern hemisphere. It includes the List of superlative tree ...

and

Douglas Fir The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is the tallest tree in the Pinaceae family. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Or ...

trees. In January 2024, a petition was submitted by the Mendocino Ridge AVA Board of Directors to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB),

for review proposing to rename the established Mendocino Ridge AVA to Mendocino Coast Ridge. The petition was signed by representatives of six vineyards and wineries within the AVA.

References

External links

Mendocino WinegrowersTTB AVA Map
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mendocino Ridge Ava American Viticultural Areas of Mendocino County, California 1997 establishments in California