Napa

Overview

Napa Valley is the apex and icon of California wine. Its wines receive the most praise and admiration and also command the highest prices of any region in California. Located in the temperate zone between California’s cool coastline and the hot Central Valley, Napa is ideal for winemaking. In Napa, vines dominate the landscape and the way of life.

History

Compared to Burgundy or Bordeaux, Napa’s history is brief. The first wines here were produced in the 1830’s, but viticulture didn’t really take off until the California gold rush in 1848. With the discovery of gold, thousands upon thousands set out for California to strike it rich, but most did not. Of these, a fair number realized that selling produce at a good price was a far more reliable way to make a living than searching riverbeds for gold nuggets. By the 1880’s Napa was producing excellent wines and the industry was booming.

But not even Napa was spared by prohibition, and the industry was absolutely devastated. The recovery moved slowly after 1933, and the region took decades to return to something akin to its former self. It wasn’t until the boom of the 1960’s and 1970’s that wine production in Napa exploded. In 1965, there were 65 wineries in Napa – today there are more than 200. And of course no history of Napa would be complete without mentioning the Paris tasting of 1976.

In this landmark event, a local wine merchant in Paris held a blind tasting of Californian and French wines. The judges were all French. To the surprise of the entire world, California took the top prize in both red and white. This tasting shattered the notion that first-class wines could only be produced in France, and helped propel Napa into the very center of the international limelight.

Today Napa’s wines are prized around the world, and the region’s fame attracts a staggering five million visitors a year from the US and abroad. If you’re planning a trip, however, you should know that wine tasting in Napa is unfortunately no longer free. To deal with tourist traffic, wineries have taken to charging visitors to sample the wine. This practice is not followed elsewhere in California, but it is necessary here to keep the valley from being overwhelmed with cars.

Despite the high volume of tourists, the land itself is still picturesque and undeveloped because of strict building regulations. These regulations make it difficult to start and expand wineries, but they have also checked the growth of urban sprawl and made sure that Napa is still beautiful and rural today.

Geography

Napa Valley is located north of San Francisco in the heart of California wine country in the temperate region between the cool coast and the warm Central Valley.

Temperature

Napa’s climate is generally mild and Mediterranean, but it is a large region with considerable variation. Toward the southern end of the valley, the San Pablo Bay exerts a significant cooling influence. For here is an everyday occurrence on what would otherwise be very warm summer afternoons. For this reason, the southern end of the valley is mostly devoted to cool-climate grapes like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Further north, the bay has less of an influence and Pinot Noir thrives in the warmer climate.

Topography

Napa ranges from sea level to 2,700 feet along mountain ridges. Higher elevations are generally associated with cooler temperatures, but in Napa the maritime influence makes the situation much more complex. A hillside vineyard above the fog will probably have cooler temperatures than a sea-level vineyard during the day. When the fog rolls in at night, however, the vineyard on the valley floor will probably be cooler. For this reason, hillside vineyards are better protected from frost.

Terroir

Like most large wine regions, Napa includes a large variety of soils. Unlike most regions, Napa’s seismic activity is responsible for much of the present soil composition. On the valley floor, the soil is heavy with clay mixed with sand and gravel that improves drainage. Along the banks of the Napa River, silt, sand, and gravel are the norm. Napa is particularly known for the soil in the “Rutherford Bench” that lies above the river floodplain, and this area produces excellent Cabernet Sauvignon.