The Guenoc Valley AVA is an

American Viticultural Area An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States, providing an official appellation for the mutual benefit of wineries and consumers. Winemakers frequently want their consumers to know about th ...

in Lake County,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, United States, about north of the town of Calistoga. Guenoc Valley AVA was the first American Viticultural Area designation granted to an area with just a single winery. Guenoc Valley is a small inland

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

comprising an

alluvial Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Al ...

fan of Arroyo Seco and

Conejo Loam Conejo may refer to: *Conejo, California Conejo (Spanish for "Rabbit") is an unincorporated community in Fresno County, California. It is located west-southwest of Selma, at an elevation of 262 feet (80 m). A post office operated at Conejo ...

series

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former ...

s isolated from surrounding areas by rocky ridges. Its geographical location also affects the climate. Guenoc Valley has slightly less

rainfall Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water ...

than the nearby Middletown area. Guenoc Valley receives approximately to of rain per year, while Middletown receives approximately per year. Guenoc Valley also experiences slightly greater seasonal temperature extremes, being warmer in the summer and colder in the winter. Also, due to the surrounding ridges, fog is generally less severe than in Middletown. For these reasons, the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, statutorily named the Tax and Trade Bureau and frequently shortened to TTB, is a bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury, which regulates and collects taxes on trade and imports of alcoh ...

determined that Guenoc Valley possesses geographical features which distinguish the area viticulturally.

History

Guenoc Valley has a long tradition of viticulture and wine production. In 1888, Victorian actress

Lillie Langtry Emilie Charlotte, Lady de Bathe (née Le Breton, formerly Langtry; 13 October 1853 – 12 February 1929), known as Lillie (or Lily) Langtry and nicknamed "The Jersey Lily", was a British socialite, stage actress and producer. Born on the isl ...

established a wine estate in the Guenoc Valley, at the southern end of the county in the 1800s. It wasn't until the late 1960s and the 1970s that farmers who wanted to diversify started planting grapes again, mostly in nearby Big Valley. On the site of Lillie Langtry's old estate, Guenoc and

Langtry Estate Vineyards Langtry may refer to: *Langtry (surname) Langtry''Dictionary of American Family Names'', Oxford University Press, is an English surname of habitational origin which derives from three settlements in Devon, Oxfordshire, and Lancashire called Langtr ...

was revived by the Magoon family at about the same time. The now-deceased longtime winery president Orville Magoon sold his interest in the company in 2003 and retired to San Francisco with his wife, Karen Magoon. The winery and the it sits on is owned by Malulani Investments Ltd., a real estate group that since 1964 has been the only shareholder and stockholder of Guenoc.

Climate

Guenoc Valley is a small inland valley of about , extending from upper

Napa County Napa County () is a county north of San Pablo Bay located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 138,019. The county seat is the City of Napa. Napa County was one of the original c ...

. The wine appellation is defined by the rocky ridge surrounding it and is entirely contained within the boundaries of Lake County. The Guenoc vineyards sit at elevation. These vineyards are the first in the area to be harvested, as extremely hot days are common and over-ripening is a concern. The area also has very cool nights, preserving acidity and producing rich wines with elegant structure, making it a Climate Region III.

Viniculture

There are now of vines surrounding the Guenoc estate. The winery works with Semillon,

Sauvignon blanc is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in ...

and

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new ...

, as well as

Malbec Malbec () is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are n ...

and

Petite Sirah Durif is a variety of red wine grape primarily grown in Australia, California, France, and Israel. Since the end of the 20th century, wineries located in Washington's Yakima River Valley, Maryland, Arizona, Texas, West Virginia, Chile, Mexic ...

from the estate vineyards.

is the leading red grape in the appellation, followed by

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Leban ...

Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to t ...

Petit Verdot Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen it adds tannin, ...

, Carmenère,

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being use ...

and

. Among whites, Langtry grows

, Semillon,

Marsanne Marsanne is a white wine grape, most commonly found in the Northern Rhône region. It is often blended with Roussanne. In Savoie the grape is known as ''grosse roussette''. Outside France it is also grown in Switzerland (where it is known as ' ...

and

Viognier Viognier () is a white wine grape variety. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu in the Rhône Valley.J. Robinson ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 754 Oxford University Press 2006 Outside of the Rh ...

. Langtry also has the distinction of having some of the oldest vines in California, as a couple of

Syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeus ...

vines dating back to the 1850s still grow at the Tephra Ridge Vineyard.

References

External links

Langtry Farms Vineyard and Winery

History

Climate

Viniculture

References

External links

Further reading