Napa Valley Appellations: A Guide for Vineyard Buyers
By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.
The Napa Valley appellation is the federal wine-grape region created on January 28, 1981 (27 CFR 9.23), the first American Viticultural Area (AVA) in California. It covers most of Napa County and contains 17 smaller “nested” AVAs, the newest of which, Crystal Springs of Napa Valley, took effect in November 2024. For a buyer, the nested AVA sets the fruit’s reputation and price, while Napa County’s Agricultural Preserve, Winery Definition Ordinance and hillside rules set what the land can be used for.
- Established
- January 28, 1981 (T.D. ATF-79; 27 CFR 9.23)
- Nested AVAs
- 17 (Napa Valley Vintners)
- Newest
- Crystal Springs of Napa Valley, effective November 15, 2024
- Cross the county line
- Los Carneros (into Sonoma), Wild Horse Valley (into Solano)
- 2025 average grape price
- $6,635.85 a ton (CDFA crush district 4, Napa County)
- Share of the state’s grape harvest
- About 4% (Napa Valley Vintners)
How is the Napa Valley appellation organized?
There’s one umbrella AVA and 17 nested ones. The Napa Valley AVA’s boundary follows Napa County’s lines with Lake, Solano and Sonoma counties, and TTB describes it as covering most of the county. The nested AVAs lie inside it, apart from the parts of Los Carneros and Wild Horse Valley beyond the county line, and all of them lie inside the six-county North Coast AVA, so fruit grown in a nested AVA on the Napa side can qualify for three AVA names.
For a buyer, elevation is the most useful way to sort the 17, because it tracks slope, and slope decides how hard land is to plant. The ranges are the Napa Valley Vintners’ figures.
Yountville, Stags Leap District, St. Helena, Rutherford, Oak Knoll District, Oakville and Coombsville. Mostly gentle ground: TTB puts St. Helena’s slopes mostly under 5%. Coombsville’s soils are mostly volcanic; in Oakville, Rutherford and St. Helena, gravelly soils on the west side give way to volcanic soils on the east.
Los Carneros, Calistoga, Chiles Valley and Crystal Springs of Napa Valley. A mix of valley land and hillside; Crystal Springs is all hillside.
Howell Mountain, Atlas Peak, Spring Mountain District, Mount Veeder, Diamond Mountain District and Wild Horse Valley. Volcanic or sedimentary upland soils on steep ground, where the county’s slope rules apply most often.
Every Napa Valley AVA: year, CFR section, size and elevation
Years are Treasury Decision publication dates, sizes are TTB’s, and elevations are the Napa Valley Vintners’.
| AVA | Established | 27 CFR | Total size (TTB/ATF) | Elevation (NVV) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Napa Valley | 1981 | §9.23 | Most of Napa County | Not listed |
| Los Carneros (with Sonoma) | 1983 | §9.32 | Not stated | Sea level to 700 ft |
| Howell Mountain | 1983 | §9.94 | Not stated | 1,400 to 2,600 ft |
| Wild Horse Valley (with Solano) | 1988 | §9.124 | Not stated | 850 to 2,130 ft |
| Stags Leap District | 1989 | §9.117 | Not stated | Sea level to 400 ft |
| Mt. Veeder | 1990 | §9.123 | Not stated | 500 to 2,600 ft |
| Atlas Peak | 1992 | §9.140 | Not stated | 760 to 2,600 ft |
| Spring Mountain District | 1993 | §9.143 | Not stated | 600 to 2,600 ft |
| Rutherford | 1993 | §9.133 | Not stated | 155 to 500 ft |
| Oakville | 1993 | §9.134 | Not stated | 130 to 1,000 ft |
| St. Helena | 1995 | §9.149 | Not stated | 200 to 475 ft |
| Chiles Valley | 1999 | §9.154 | Not stated | 600 to 1,200 ft |
| Yountville | 1999 | §9.160 | Not stated | 20 to 200 ft |
| Diamond Mountain District | 2001 | §9.166 | About 5,000 acres | 400 to 2,200 ft |
| Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley | 2004 | §9.161 | About 8,300 acres | Sea level to 800 ft |
| Calistoga | 2009 | §9.209 | Not stated | 300 to 1,200 ft |
| Coombsville | 2011 | §9.223 | 11,075 acres | 100 to 1,000 ft |
| Crystal Springs of Napa Valley | 2024 | §9.296 | About 4,000 acres | 400 to 1,400 ft |
| North Coast (six counties) | 1983 | §9.30 | Roughly 3 million acres | Not listed |
“Not stated” means the TTB documents we could read give no total; the CFR itself describes boundaries, not acreage.
The valley-floor AVAs
Six nested AVAs sit mostly on the valley floor, below about 1,000 feet in the Napa Valley Vintners’ figures. Several change soil type from one side of the valley to the other, so a block’s position matters as much as the name on the label.
Oakville and Rutherford
Both were approved on July 2, 1993. The Napa Valley Vintners place Oakville at 130 to 1,000 feet, with gravelly sedimentary loams on the west side, heavier volcanic soils on the east and summer temperatures commonly in the mid-90s °F. Rutherford runs from 155 to 500 feet, again gravelly in the west and volcanic in the east, and is “still marginally influenced by early morning fog.” The association lists the same four grapes for both: Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Our town guides cover Oakville and Rutherford.
St. Helena
St. Helena (1995) sits at 200 to 475 feet, with gravel-clay sedimentary soils to the south and west and deeper volcanic soils to the north and east. The association calls it warm, “due to greater protection from western hills,” and lists seven varieties led by Cabernet Sauvignon. TTB’s 2024 Crystal Springs decision trimmed the new AVA back to the St. Helena city limits to avoid an overlap. See our St. Helena real estate guide.
Yountville, Oak Knoll and Stags Leap
- Yountville (1999) lies entirely below about 200 feet, on gravelly silt loams, with a cool marine influence and morning fog. The association names Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Our Yountville guide covers the town.
- Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley (2004) covers about 8,300 acres between Yountville and the city of Napa, about 3,500 of them plantable. TTB found its soils “more uniform” than other Napa AVAs because they lie on the Dry Creek alluvial fan, and added “of Napa Valley” to the name to avoid confusion with an Oregon winery (TTB, 2004). The petitioners ranked it among the coolest parts of the valley after Los Carneros.
- Stags Leap District (1989) runs from sea level to 400 feet, with volcanic gravel-loams on the floor and rocky hillsides behind. The association credits afternoon marine winds and names Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc.
The mountain AVAs
Six nested AVAs reach above 2,000 feet; five are covered here, and Wild Horse Valley is with the eastern AVAs below. The draw is thin upland soil and vineyards above the fog. The cost is slope, access and permitting.
Diamond Mountain District
Diamond Mountain District was approved on June 1, 2001, effective July 31, 2001, at about 5,000 acres with about 450 planted (ATF, 2001). Its south and west edges follow the Napa-Sonoma county line and its lower edge the 400-foot contour. The decision found the soils derived “entirely” from volcanic parent material and said valley temperature inversions give the hillsides lower highs and higher lows than nearby valley-floor sites. The slopes face mainly northeast. Spring Mountain District, to the south, shares that aspect but has sedimentary soils. The Napa Valley Vintners name Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.
Spring Mountain, Mount Veeder, Howell Mountain and Atlas Peak
- Spring Mountain District (1993) runs along the Napa-Sonoma line at 600 to 2,600 feet on weathered sandstone and shale, “cool to moderate depending on elevation and aspect,” in the association’s words.
- Mount Veeder (1990), also on the Sonoma line, spans 500 to 2,600 feet on shallow soils from a former seabed, with most vineyards above the fog line; its listed grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot and Zinfandel.
- Howell Mountain (1983) is the oldest nested AVA after Los Carneros, at 1,400 to 2,600 feet on shallow volcanic soils, “above the fog line on the eastern side of the valley.”
- Atlas Peak (1992) spans 760 to 2,600 feet on shallow volcanic soils. The association says it runs about 10 to 15 °F cooler than the valley floor in summer and gets some of the valley’s lowest rainfall.
On mountain land, plantable acreage is a permit question before it’s a farming one. Napa County requires an agricultural erosion control plan for earthmoving on slopes over 5%, treats work on 30 to 50% slopes as an exception needing a use permit, and in the Agricultural Watershed zone requires projects in mapped forest and oak woodland to keep 70% of the canopy that existed on June 16, 2016.
Calistoga, Crystal Springs and the eastern and southern AVAs
Calistoga and Crystal Springs of Napa Valley
TTB approved Calistoga on December 8, 2009, effective January 7, 2010, and found it underlain entirely by volcanic bedrock, with loams and cobbly loams “often with boulders,” mostly in Winkler Region III, summer peaks near 100 °F and night lows often about 50 °F. Rainfall reaches 60-plus inches in its mountains (TTB, 2009). The association lists Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Syrah and Petite Sirah. See our Calistoga guide.
Crystal Springs of Napa Valley, approved October 16, 2024 and effective November 15, 2024, covers about 4,000 acres of what the petition called “all hillside” land: slopes of 15 to 40%, facing mostly west to southwest, at 400 to 1,400 feet, with about 230 vineyard acres in roughly 30 vineyards (TTB, 2024). TTB moved Calistoga’s boundary at the same time so the Crystal Springs Vineyard, about 11 acres of which had been in Calistoga, sits wholly in the new AVA.
Coombsville, Chiles Valley and Wild Horse Valley
- Coombsville (approved December 14, 2011, effective January 13, 2012) covers 11,075 acres in a horseshoe of the Vaca Range that the petition traced to an ancient caldera collapse. It had 1,360 vineyard acres in 26 vineyards, about 2,550 growing degree days (Winkler Region II), 19.14 inches of average rain and mostly volcanic soils (TTB, 2011). The association’s list starts with Cabernet Sauvignon and includes Pinot Noir.
- Chiles Valley (1999) lies at 600 to 1,200 feet on silty clay and clay-loam soils of marine origin. The association names Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Zinfandel.
- Wild Horse Valley (1988) crosses into Solano County. TTB described it in 2011 as an isolated valley with steep, rugged terrain at high elevation; the association calls it “the coolest of all the Napa Valley AVAs,” planted mainly to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Los Carneros
Los Carneros (1983) is the oldest nested AVA and the only one shared with Sonoma County. TTB’s Coombsville decision put it at about 2,435 growing degree days (Winkler Region I), on low rolling hills and flatlands, with later harvests than Coombsville. The association describes shallow clay over a hard claypan and names Chardonnay, Merlot and Pinot Noir. On the Sonoma side, Sonoma County’s rules apply; our Sonoma County appellations guide covers them.
How do Napa labelling rules work?
Two federal thresholds and one state rule decide which names a Napa wine can use, and why one vineyard can sell fruit under more than one name.
| Rule | What it requires | Example |
|---|---|---|
| AVA name (federal) | At least 85% of the wine from grapes grown in the AVA | “Rutherford” or “Napa Valley” |
| County name (federal) | At least 75% from grapes grown in the county | “Napa County” |
| Conjunctive labelling (California) | A wine labelled with a nested AVA must also show “Napa Valley” | “Oakville, Napa Valley” |
Sources: TTB and the AB 1798 analysis, which applied the same idea to Sonoma County from 2014.
Don’t confuse these with the county’s own 75% rule. The Winery Definition Ordinance requires a winery approved or expanded after January 23, 1990 to source at least 75% of its grapes from Napa County, whatever the label says. Brand names matter too: when TTB created the Calistoga AVA, existing “Calistoga” brand labels got three years, after which non-qualifying wine couldn’t use them.
The Agricultural Preserve and the Winery Definition Ordinance
Napa’s land-use rules predate its AVAs by more than a decade. Napa County adopted the Agricultural Preserve, Ordinance 274, on April 9, 1968; the 2014–15 Napa County Grand Jury called it “the first Agricultural Preserve in the United States” and said it set minimum lot sizes that kept parcels from being split up (Napa County Grand Jury, 2015).
The Winery Definition Ordinance (Ordinance 947) followed on January 23, 1990. According to the same report:
- a new winery needs a parcel of at least 10 acres;
- wineries new or expanded after January 23, 1990 must source at least 75% of their grapes from Napa County;
- accessory structures must be 40% or less of the area used for wine production;
- wineries that legally existed before July 31, 1974 could continue without a use permit, but expanding beyond that level requires one;
- a 2010 amendment (Ordinance 1340) addressed marketing and food and wine pairings as part of tours and tastings.
The Grand Jury also found audited non-compliance among sampled wineries rising from 29% in 2011 to 40% in 2013. Compare the use permit with what the winery actually does, from production to visitors and events. A buyer inherits the permit, not the previous owner’s habits.
Water across the appellations
Rainfall varies widely across the AVAs. TTB’s decisions record about 19 inches a year in Coombsville, 28 to 30 inches in a normal year in Oak Knoll and 60-plus inches in Calistoga’s mountains. Valley wells may draw on the Napa Valley Subbasin, under a state-approved groundwater sustainability plan since January 2023 (California Natural Resources Agency). Ask for well logs, pump tests and the frost-protection water source, and price a mountain parcel’s water storage separately.
What do Napa grapes sell for?
There’s no official figure for each nested AVA. The state reports Napa County as crush District 4, where grapes averaged $6,635.85 a ton in 2025, down 4.5% from 2024, in the final 2025 Grape Crush Report (April 30, 2026).
$6,635.85
Per ton, 2025 crop, CDFA final report
144,807
Napa County, 2025 crop, CDFA final report
That’s about 2.4 times the Sonoma and Marin average of $2,762.88. A specific block’s price comes from its contracts, so treat the district figure as context and ask for the contracts. Our guide to how vineyards are valued explains how contracts, vines, water and permits combine, and the Napa County vineyards for sale guide covers the current market.
How Diamond Real Estate Group helps Napa vineyard buyers
We read a Napa vineyard from the permit file outward: the nested AVA against the CFR boundary, the parcel size and zoning against the Winery Definition Ordinance, slope and canopy rules for any planned planting, the use permit against actual operations, and the wells against the subbasin plan. Only then do we price the fruit contracts. See how buying a vineyard works, our vineyard due diligence checklist, the Napa and Sonoma vineyards and wineries guide and our Napa County real estate guide.
Napa Valley appellation FAQs
How many AVAs are in Napa Valley?
The Napa Valley AVA plus 17 nested AVAs, according to the Napa Valley Vintners, from Los Carneros (1983) to Crystal Springs of Napa Valley (2024). All of them also sit inside the North Coast AVA.
When was the Napa Valley AVA established?
Treasury Decision ATF-79 was published on January 28, 1981; the boundary is in 27 CFR 9.23. The Napa Valley Vintners describe it as California’s first AVA and the second in the United States.
What is the Diamond Mountain District AVA known for?
Volcanic hillside soils and mountain Cabernet. The 2001 federal decision describes about 5,000 acres along the Napa-Sonoma line above the 400-foot contour, about 450 of them planted, with mainly northeast-facing slopes. The Napa Valley Vintners name Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.
Is all of Napa County inside the Napa Valley AVA?
Not quite. TTB describes the AVA as covering most of the county, so check a parcel near the edges against the boundary in 27 CFR 9.23.
Which Napa AVAs extend outside Napa County?
Los Carneros, also in Sonoma County, and Wild Horse Valley, also in Solano County. Each parcel follows the rules of the county it’s in.
What is conjunctive labelling?
California’s requirement that a wine labelled with a nested AVA, such as Oakville or Howell Mountain, also show “Napa Valley.” It sits on top of the federal rule that 85% of the wine must come from the named AVA.
Can I build a winery on a small Napa vineyard?
Not a new one on less than 10 acres. A new winery needs at least 10 acres and a use permit, and must source at least 75% of its grapes from Napa County. Tasting, visitors and events are set by the permit.
Can I plant a hillside vineyard in Napa?
Often, with conditions: an erosion control plan on slopes over 5%, a use-permit exception for 30 to 50% slopes, and 70% canopy retention in mapped forest and oak woodland in the Agricultural Watershed zone.
What is the Napa Agricultural Preserve?
A county ordinance adopted on April 9, 1968, described by the Napa County Grand Jury as the first agricultural preserve in the United States. It set minimum lot sizes to keep farmland in larger parcels.
Sources & notes
- 27 CFR Part 9, Subpart C: §9.23 Napa Valley and each nested AVA’s section on the eCFR (read October 2026)
- TTB and ATF final rules: Crystal Springs of Napa Valley (Oct. 16, 2024), Coombsville (Dec. 14, 2011), Calistoga (Dec. 8, 2009), Oak Knoll (Feb. 25, 2004) and Diamond Mountain District (June 1, 2001)
- Napa Valley Vintners: nested AVAs, climates and varieties and about Napa Valley (accessed October 2026)
- Napa County Grand Jury: wineries report (May 12, 2015); Napa County conservation regulations
- Final 2025 Grape Crush Report (April 30, 2026); Napa Valley Register: 2025 crop report (July 28, 2026)
This is general information, not legal, labelling or land-use advice; confirm a parcel’s AVA against the CFR boundary and its permits with Napa County. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
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