Upper Lake Valley

Upper Lake Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Lake County, California, established in June 2022 and encompassing 17,360 acres (70.3 km²).^[1] The appellation lies between 1,326 feet (404 m) and 2,820 feet (860 m)^[3] in a series of valleys north of the unincorporated towns of Upper Lake and south of the Mendocino National Forest (Bachelor Valley, Middle Creek Valley, Clover Valley), and a stretch of Clear Lake's north shore which extends from Upper Lake in the west to the unincorporated community of Nice to the east. The Elk Mountain Valley AVA designation was originally suggested,^[4] but after consultation with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), it was abandoned in 2018 for the more encompassing Upper Lake Valley appellation.

Situated within the Clear Lake AVA (which boundaries were slightly modified in order to fully encompass the proposed AVA), the Upper Lake Valley appellation lies in the Upper Lake Groundwater Basin on four water-bearing formations: Quaternary alluvium, Pleistocene terrace deposits, Pleistocene lake and floodplain deposits, and Plio-Pleistocene cache creek. The petition mentions that the basin "contains high levels of ammonia, phosphorous, chloride, iron, boron, and manganese". 56 percent of the area are made out of loam soil variations: Millsholm–Skyhigh-Bressa, Still–Lupoyoma, and Tulelake–Fluvaquentic–Haplawuolls.^[1]

Constant, gentle winds keep grapes and leaf canopies cool and dry, and reduce the risk of mildew. Vineyards in the appellations are mostly planted on gentle slopes, favoring drainage.^[1]

Only one bonded winery is contained within the Upper Lake Valley AVA, the Nice Wine Co., which was acquired in 2018 by Shannon Family of Wines.^[5]

One of the earliest viticulturists in the area was Serranus Clinton Hastings, who reportedly farmed 125 acres (51 ha) of vineyards (including 60 acres of Zinfandel)^[6] and had a 150,000 U.S. gallons (570,000 L) capacity winery and distillery in 1886. He and his brothers eventually acquired more acreage in the region, but the winery ceased operation in 1900.^[7][8]

In 1884, Charles M. Hammond, along with his brother Gardiner Jr., acquired 1,234 acres (499 ha) in the "East Upper Lake precinct" and subsequently planted on his Mat Tel Vineyards estate 25 acres of grapes, including "Black Burgundy", Mourvèdre, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, "Sauvignon Vert" (probably Sauvignonasse) and Sémillon. Hammond had previously worked for Gustave Niebaum as a vineyard hand in Napa Valley for about a year. Charles Hammond's winery and distillery reportedly operated until 1915.^[6] His brother Gardiner G. Hammond, Jr. sold his 640-acre share in 1885 to viticulturist and orchardist William O. Edmonds.^[9]

The local winegrower community mobilized in 1912 to fight a county-wide dry ordinance.^[10] When Prohibition was passed, most vineyards were abandoned or replanted with orchards, notably walnuts, which remain a key crop in the area.

It's only in the 1970s that vineyards were replanted in the Upper Lake area, around the time Lake County started slowly reemerging as a winegrowing region.

At the time of the filing with the TTB, there were 16 winegrowers in the area, representing 300 acres (120 ha). One of the largest vineyards in the area is the organically-farmed Elk Mountain Vineyard, planted with 30 acres of Sauvignon blanc as well as 1 acre of Portuguese varieties.^[4]

39°09′22″N 122°54′50″W / 39.1562°N 122.9138°W / 39.1562; -122.9138