Wine region | |
Type | American Viticultural Area |
---|---|
Year established | 2010[1] |
Years of wine industry | 1995-present [2] |
Country | United States |
Part of | California |
Sub-regions | Sierra Pelona Mountains, Los Angeles County |
Climate region | Arid |
Total area | 9.7 square miles (25 km2) [2] |
Size of planted vineyards | 96 acres (39 ha) [2] |
No. of wineries | 1 [3] |
The Sierra Pelona Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in a valley of the Sierra Pelona Mountains, located in northwestern Los Angeles County, California.
The valley is a part of the High Desert region on the southwestern edge of the Antelope Valley and Mojave Desert. The AVA is northwest of Metropolitan Los Angeles in Southern California.
The Sierra Pelona Valley features a diurnal temperature variation of 40 to 50 °F, and annual rainfall of less than 12 inches (30 cm), most of which is concentrated in the winter. Additionally, air movement along the valley helps to reduce the risk of frost, leaf fungus, and insect pests. [2]
The soil is primarily alluvial, well-drained, and up to 60 inches (150 cm) deep. The appellation's altitude ranges from 2,400 feet (730 m) to 3,400 feet (1,000 m) above sea level. [2]
Acton is an unincorporated census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, near the Antelope Valley. According to the 2010 census, Acton had a population of 7,596.
Palmdale is a city in northern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. The city lies in the Antelope Valley of Southern California. The San Gabriel Mountains separate Palmdale from the Los Angeles Basin to the south.
State Route 14 (SR 14) is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California that connects Los Angeles to the northern Mojave Desert. The southern portion of the highway is signed as the Antelope Valley Freeway. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 5 in the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Granada Hills and Sylmar just immediately to the south of the border of the city of Santa Clarita. SR 14's northern terminus is at U.S. Route 395 (US 395) near Inyokern. Legislatively, the route extends south of I-5 to SR 1 in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles; however, the portion south of the junction with I-5 has not been constructed. The southern part of the constructed route is a busy commuter freeway serving and connecting the cities of Santa Clarita, Palmdale, and Lancaster to the rest of the Greater Los Angeles area. The northern portion, from Vincent to US 395, is legislatively named the Aerospace Highway, as the highway serves Edwards Air Force Base, once one of the primary landing strips for NASA's Space Shuttle, as well as the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake that supports military aerospace research, development and testing. This section is rural, following the line between the hot Mojave desert and the forming Sierra Nevada mountain range. Most of SR 14 is loosely paralleled by a rail line originally built by the Southern Pacific Railroad, and was once the primary rail link between Los Angeles and Northern California. While no longer a primary rail line, the southern half of this line is now used for the Antelope Valley Line of the Metrolink commuter rail system.
Neenach is an agricultural settlement in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, with a population of about 800. It is facing a massive change with the proposed construction of a 23,000-home planned community to its north called Centennial.
Leona Valley is a census-designated place located in the geographic Leona Valley of northern Los Angeles County, California, in the transition between the Sierra Pelona Mountains and Mojave Desert, just west of Palmdale and the Antelope Valley. The population was 1,607 at the 2010 census.
Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park is a 932-acre (377-hectare) park located in the Sierra Pelona in northern Los Angeles County, California. It is known for its rock formations, the result of sedimentary layering and later seismic uplift. It is located near the town of Agua Dulce, between the cities of Santa Clarita and Palmdale. The area is visible from the Antelope Valley Freeway. Its location approximately 25 miles (40 km) from downtown Los Angeles places it within Hollywood's "studio zone" and makes it a popular filming location for films and television programs.
Lake Hughes is an unincorporated community in northern Los Angeles County, California. It is in the Sierra Pelona Mountains, northwest of Palmdale and north of the Santa Clarita Valley, in the Angeles National Forest. It is on the sag pond waters of Lake Hughes and Elizabeth Lake. The community is rural in character, with a population of 649 in 2010, but also has a strong recreational element centered on the three lakes in the vicinity. The community of Elizabeth Lake is located just east of Lake Hughes, sharing the same ZIP code.
The Ramona Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located 28 miles (45 km) northeast of the city of San Diego in San Diego County, California, centered on the community of Ramona. It was designated the 162nd American Viticultural Area in January, 2006 by the United States Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which recognized the area for its distinctive microclimate, elevation, and soil attributes. Approximately 89,000 acres (360 km2) in area, it is 14.5 miles (23.3 km) long and 9.5 miles (15.3 km) wide. Geographically, the Ramona Valley is described as being a broad, flat valley ringed by hills and mountains that isolate it from the surrounding areas. The valley has an average vineyard elevation of 1,400 feet (430 m) and an annual average rainfall of 16.5 inches (41.9 cm).
The Sierra Pelona, also known as the Sierra Pelona Ridge or the Sierra Pelona Mountains, is a mountain ridge in the Transverse Ranges in Southern California. Located in northwest Los Angeles County, the ridge is bordered on the north by the San Andreas fault and lies within and is surrounded by the Angeles National Forest.
Elizabeth Lake is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community on Elizabeth Lake (lake), in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,756.
Santa Maria Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) which straddles the boundary of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties in California's multi-county Central Coast AVA. It was established on August 5, 1981, by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as California's second oldest AVA. A portion of the AVA crosses the Cuyama River into the southernmost corner of San Luis Obispo County. The east–west orientation of the 152.3 square miles with a wide, open valley and rolling hills means cool winds and fog flow in freely from the Pacific Ocean, settling most noticeably in lower-lying areas. The result is a mild Mediterranean climate that lengthens the growing season and contributes to the eventual sugar/acid balance in the grapes from Santa Maria Valley's 7,500 acres (3,000 ha) cultivated vineyards. On January 28, 2011, the AVA was granted an 29.4 square miles expansion to its southern boundary.
Sierra Foothills is a vast American Viticultural Area (AVA) encompassing the foothill "belt" of the Sierra Nevada in north-central California, United States. It was established on December 18, 1987 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury after evaluating the petition filed by the Sierra Foothills Winery Association of Somerset, California for the establishment of a "Sierra Foothills" viticultural area in portions of Yuba, Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne and Mariposa Counties. Wine grapes were introduced to the area in the nineteenth century during the California Gold Rush. Over 280 vineyards/wineries are located within its boundaries.
Leona Valley AVA is an American Viticulture Area (AVA) in northeastern Los Angeles County, California. It is located in Leona Valley within the Sierra Pelona Mountains of Southern California.
North Yuba is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Yuba County, California, United States about 70 miles (113 km) north of Sacramento. It was established on August 30, 1985 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Treasury after approving the submitted petition by Karl Werner and James R. Bryant, officers of Renaissance Vineyard and Winery, Inc. in Oregon House. They petitioned ATF for the establishment of a viticultural area to be named "North Yuba.”
The Malibu-Newton Canyon Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Los Angeles County, California. The boundaries of the AVA include Newton Canyon, located about 4 miles (6 km) from the Pacific Ocean within the city limits of Malibu. George Rosenthal planted the first vineyards planted in the area since Prohibition in 1987, and was successful in his petition for the creation of the AVA in 1996. The canyon varies in elevation from 1,400 feet (427 m) to 2,800 feet (853 m) above sea level. Coastal fog and wind can influence the microclimate of the canyon, providing a cooler climate than the surrounding areas.
The Saddle Rock-Malibu AVA is an American Viticultural Area in the Santa Monica Mountains, within western Los Angeles County, California.
Rancho La Liebre was a 48,800-acre (197 km2) Mexican land grant in present-day Kern County, California and Los Angeles County, given in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to José María Flores. Liebre means "Hare" in Spanish and the rancho was named as such because of the abundance of jack rabbits in the area.
The Antelope Valley of the California High Desert AVA is an American Viticultural Area north of Los Angeles. The AVA is near the Sierra Pelona Valley AVA and the Leona Valley AVA.
Peace Valley is a valley in the northwestern corner of Los Angeles County, California, running northeast−southeast along the San Andreas Fault and a section of Interstate 5 near Tejon Pass. The unincorporated community of Gorman is located within the valley.
Centennial, California is a proposed 12,323-acre (49.87 km2) master-planned community on Tejon Ranch in northwestern Los Angeles County between Bakersfield and Los Angeles. It is situated in the far western Antelope Valley at the foothills of the Sierra Pelona and Tehachapi Mountains. It would be built along California State Route 138 east of Interstate 5 and northeast of Quail Lake.