Book Excerpt: Common Ground – Charting the Future of Napa Valley
BY RICHARD MENDELSON |
Vineyard Registry
I spent a large part of my career working with growers and vintners to capture in our federally recognized American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) the essence of what makes Napa Valley a unique and world-class winegrowing region. Defining those AVA boundaries was often contentious. And the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and later its successor, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) had a bias in the early years—and perhaps still— toward enlarging proposed appellations to ensure that neighboring lands whose owners wanted to be included were allowed in.
Over time, we have come to recognize some of the viticultural distinctions that were overlooked. I think back to the appellation battles of the 1990s over the proposed Rutherford, Oakville, Rutherford Bench, and Oakville Bench AVAs. Growers and vintners whose vines were included in the communal AVAs but not in the Bench AVAs felt slighted, as if their vineyards had been declassified. But the terroir differences between the eastern and western foothills and the river-fronting valley floor sites are real and are increasingly acknowledged.
I do not expect these AVA boundaries to change. The community-named AVAs—Yountville, Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena, and Calistoga—are easy for consumers and the trade to understand. They bring together in one organization significant segments of the grower and vintner community, with some clout in the marketplace.
Few people know Napa Valley better than Richard Mendelson. A practicing attorney based in Napa Valley, Mendelson has played a critical role in helping many appellations submit successful petitions for official recognition as AVAs (American Viticultural Areas). In his latest book, Common Ground – Charting the Future of Napa Valley, Mendelson shares his views on the importance of safeguarding Napa Valley’s historic vineyard sites. Common Ground is an essential read for wine lovers who want to delve further into some of the critical issues that are shaping Napa Valley today.
