Anderson Valley AVA

The AVA

The Anderson Valley section was added to 27 CFR part 9 by Treasury Decision ATF-139 (48 FR 37370) on 18 August 1983.¹ The area lies in western Mendocino County.¹

The AVA defines geography only: it does not set grape varieties, method or time on the lees for sparkling wine.¹ Those choices are made by each producer.

Notable houses

Roederer Estate is the Anderson Valley property of Champagne Louis Roederer. According to the house, its history runs as follows:²

The house reports about 580 acres of estate vineyards in Anderson Valley.²

In context

Roederer Estate was one of several European sparkling houses that set up in California in the 1970s and 1980s; the others covered on this site are Chandon in Napa Valley and Domaine Carneros and Gloria Ferrer in Los Carneros.^3,4,5 For the method these houses use, see traditional method.

Two AVAs, one day

Anderson Valley and Los Carneros were both established on 18 August 1983, by separate Treasury Decisions (ATF-139 and ATF-142).^1,6 The Los Carneros section was later amended in 1987 and 2006.⁶