The most prestigious wine region in the U.S. just announced its first new American Viticulture Area (AVA) in 13 years. Napa Valley, already home to 17 distinct AVAs, officially added Crystal Springs to its list on Wednesday.
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) took over four years to approve the AVA proposal, which its author, Steve Burgess, has supposedly been working on since 2005. The last sub-region approved in Napa Valley was Coombsville in 2011.
Crystal Springs is located on the border of St. Helena and Calistoga in the foothills of Howell Mountain. Prior to this new ruling, winemakers in the area would have to label their wines under the general Napa Valley AVA, but since the broader Napa Valley label signifies the wine could be from anywhere within the region’s 120,000 acres of vines, producers were eager to get their specific region recognized for its unique qualities.
Now that brands in this area — which include Bremer, Viader, and former race car driver Danica Patrick’s wine estate — will be able to boast the Crystal Springs name on their labels, winemakers are hopeful that it will increase the status, and prices, of their bottles. Like other areas in the valley, Crystal Springs is primarily planted to Cabernet Sauvignon. Burgess shares that the wines offer “extremely dark, complex flavors and rich aromatics,” according to an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle.
So, the next time you’re browsing the Napa aisle, keep an eye out for the Crystal
