California: Feds approve Moon Mountain AVA in Sonoma Valley

(PressDemocrat) - Farming on hillsides and high elevations is a tricky business, but winemakers have been harvesting grapes from the slopes of Moon Mountain in the Mayacmas range for generations.

Now, after more than a decade of attempts, the grape growers and wineries that farm on the mountain's slopes have been approved for a new American Viticultural Area.

The new “Moon Mountain District Sonoma County” east of Highway 12 spans 17,663 acres and includes 1,500 acres of commercial vineyards planted at elevations from 400 to 2,200 feet.

The designation, which was approved by federal regulators at the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, allows vintners to describe the origin of their wines on the label while giving consumers information to identify where a wine comes from.

The new appellation is located within the Sonoma Valley AVA, but the mountain vintners have long wanted to differentiate their wines on the labels.

“Because it was part of Sonoma Valley, it's been hard to get any story about mountain-grown wines and how they're special,” said Christian Borcher, co-founder of Repris Wines, who pushed for the designation. “Wines that are grown on the hills and the top of the mountain are distinctly different and usually a higher quality than what you can grow on the valley floor.”

Hillside vines produce smaller berries, so there's more skin to impart flavor on the juice from the grapes, Borcher said.

More than 40 vineyards and 11 bonded wineries grow grapes in the region. Some of the oldest cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir vines in the state are grown in the Moon Mountain region, Borcher said. The Monte Rosso Vineyard, originally planted in the late 1800s, is among the historic vineyards located in the new AVA.

The new AVA is the 16th in Sonoma County and the fourth located within the Sonoma Valley AVA.