The Antelope Valley of the California High Desert AVA is located, as its long-winded name suggests, in California High Desert – the dry, inland area to the north of Los Angeles. One of several AVAs to be created in this area in the past few years, it was signed off as an official title in May 2011. Its neighbors, also new additions to the AVA roster, are Sierra Pelona Valley AVA and Leona Valley AVA.
The wider Antelope Valley region is a wedge-shaped area in the western Mojave Desert. Its northern and western sides border the Tehachapi Mountains, while the southern side is marked by the San Gabriel Mountains, the Sierra Pelona Mountains and Portal Ridge. To the east of the valley are the hot, dry expanses of the Mojave Desert. When initially proposed to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, the Antelope Valley AVA covered a substantial 665 square miles (1722 square km) of the California High Desert in Los Angeles and Kern counties; that equates to 425,600 acres (172,250ha). At the time of writing the boundaries remain unconfirmed (even though the title has been granted), as are those of the Tehachapi-Cummings Valley AVA just across the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County. Assuming the AVA retains its proposed boundaries, it will be among California’s largest AVAs, smaller only than Lodi, Paso Robles, Sonoma Coast and the state’s regional AVAs North Coast, Sierra Foothills, San Francisco Bay and Central Coast.
© Wikimedia/Rennett Stowe
Antelope Valley lies 70 miles (110km) inland from the Pacific coastline; Los Angeles’ famous Venice Beach, on the city’s western fringes, is the nearest point on the coast. The Sierra Pelona Mountains prevent maritime influences reaching the valley and its vineyards, which rely on irrigation to combat the heat and dryness of the Mojave. The valley is definitively continental: summers are hot and dry, winters are cold and without snow. Annual rainfall rarely rises above 8 inches (20cm), making irrigation essential for all Antelope Valley vineyards.
The land in the AVA’s northern corner is famously dry, and is not well known for its viticulture. Its higher-profile industries include aeronautical engineering and space-flight research – Edwards Air Force Base (home of NASA’s shuttle carrier aircraft and Dryden Flight Research Center) abuts the AVA’s northern boundary. A large salt pan to the east provides a naturally hard surface to use as a natural extension of the Edwards runways. Clearly, this part of the AVA is far from suitable for agriculture of any kind – not even the hardiest grape vines could bear fruit here. What little Antelope Valley wine there is comes from vineyards in the AVA’s south and west, around Palmdale and Lancaster towns.
Altitude is an important factor in the Antelope Valley terroir. Without the cooler temperatures found at increased elevation, the climate would probably never have been granted AVA status. Among the handful of wineries producing Antelope Valley wines is Golden Star Vineyards, a self-styled ‘high-altitude micro vineyard’ located at almost 3000ft (915m). Diurnal temperature variation is high here, allowing the wines to retain a certain degree of balance and freshness on the palate. Similarly, Triassic Legacy Vineyards (in the hills just west of Tehachapi town) benefit from their 4030ft (1230m) of elevation above sea level.
Tempranillo, Zinfandel, Syrah and Viognier are the most successful wine-grape varieties in this warm, dry terroir. Oenologists with an interest in warm-climate viticulture will be keeping a close eye on how these varieties perform, and how the Antelope Valley style develops in coming years.
