# Howell Mountain AVA

Howell Mountain is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Napa County, California and the first sub-AVA within the internationally-acclaimed Napa Valley. The 14,080 acres (22 sq mi) region was effectively recognized on January 30, 1984 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted by members of the grape-growing and wine-producing industries in the area proposing to establish a viticultural area named "Howell Mountain."
The area is located in the Howell Mountains within the Vaca Range on the northeast side of valley around the town of Angwin and overlooks the town of St. Helena. The boundaries of the AVA are dictated by vineyards located at elevations at and above 1,400 feet (430 m).

## History

Among the early vineyards established in the Howell Mountain region was by two experienced French winemakers, Brun and Chaix, in 1877. They started a successful wine enterprise contributing to the industry boom in the 1880s. Their winery had a capacity of 150,000 US gal (567,812 L). The most famous vintner to move to Howell Mountain in the 1880s was Charles Krug who planted about 100 acres (40 ha) there by 1884. Vineyards on Howell Mountain developed an excellent reputation for their wines by the end of the decade and the J. Thomas Winery in St. Helena was producing 25,000 US gal (94,635 L) sourced from Howell Mountain grapes in 1889. The man who made Howell Mountain wines world renowned was W. S. Keyes, son of General E.D. Keyes, who set out his Lapairita Vineyards in 1880 and later built a stone winery that still stands on Los Posadas Road. By 1891, he had 600–700 acres (243–283 ha) of wine grapes on "the Mountain." He made excellent wines and entered two vintages in the 1899 Paris Exposition winning gold and bronze medals for a claret and a Blanco, respectively. Keyes repeated his Paris triumph at the 1904 St. Louis Exposition with the claret winning the grand prize. Keyes' victories was widely carried in the California press as the Howell Mountain claret established a long-standing reputation for Howell Mountain red wines especially its Zinfandel. Prohibition effectively ended wine production in the United States and the market for Howell Mountain's superior wines collapsed and its vineyards were either abandoned or ripped out. Although Prohibition ended with the Repeal in 1933, the damage was already done and efforts to revive the few remaining vineyards did not last. In the 1960s, the second wine revolution began in California and several old properties had been purchased by pioneering vintners interested in revitalizing and reestablishing the Howell Mountain reputation for premium wines. Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon became the dominant grape variety which was no surprise to those who knew the literature of California wine history three quarters of a century earlier. Bottled Zinfandel under the Howell Mountain designation was a symbolic reunion of the ties established by the 1900 Paris victories by the Keyes winery.

## Terroir

The petition for the Howell Mountain AVA designation was predominantly done by Bill Smith formerly of La Jota and later W. H. Smith Wines. Howell Mountain was the 3rd appellation established in Napa Valley and the 2nd sub-AVA a few months after Los Carneros. The vineyards in Howell Mountain are planted between 1,400 and 2,200 ft (430–670 m) elevations well above the fog level in Napa Valley that are most affected by the cool fog and winds from San Pablo Bay while Howell Mountain, at the same time, is exposed to sunlight receiving larger amounts of solar radiation. The mountain does get cool breezes directly from the Pacific Ocean, and the relatively high elevations result in a cooler climate than on the valley floor. The soil in the appellation is volcanic with excellent drainage.