A Business Incentive
One big reason vintners want the new AVA, though, is simple economics. Because of the climate, yields are only 1 ton to 2 tons of grapes per acre, half of what inland vineyards are capable of generating. Out here on the edge, you can’t make wines on a big scale, and prices for the best bits and pieces of vineyard land have now hit about $200,000 for a planted acre. Yet prices for West Sonoma Coast wines aren’t necessarily higher.

“Mother Nature is on our side for quality, but we can’t play the low-cost game,” says Kemp. “Farming is expensive.” Not to mention the roving wild boar that love to nibble grapes, and the labor shortage, now that marijuana growers pay higher wages.

Back in 2011, Lemon, Peay, Kemp, and three other vintners founded the West Sonoma Coast Vintners organization. (It now has 25 members.) From the beginning, says Lemon, “we had our eye on creating an AVA of our own.”

The review process required climate data, soil surveys, and geographical indications proving the region was unique, and the proposed name had to be known historically. Consulting geographer Patrick Shabram, who wrote the AVA petition and filed it in May 2015, explains that the group had to adjust the original boundaries because of a regulation change.

A few hurdles remain. The TTB recommended approval in late July, and the Treasury Department is now reviewing the petition to see if the measure could cause economic harm. After that will come a 60-day review for public comment.

From a business perspective, having their own AVA has only upside, giving the vintners a clearer, more marketable identity. The group has been holding tasting events, including a regular West of West festival, to highlight the special character of the wines.

It’s not clear yet if a West Sonoma Coast label will persuade wine lovers to pay more, but it’s not the first area to attempt to bring order and meaning to the Sonoma Coast. Last year, Petaluma Gap, a region in the southern part of the Sonoma Coast appellation, won its own successful AVA status.

The Best of the West Sonoma Coast

2016 Ceritas Heintz Vineyard Chardonnay

John Raytek is one of California’s hottest chardonnay makers, and this bottling comes from one of the coast’s oldest chardonnay vineyards. It has richness, briny minerality, and a lush, lemon character. $70