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Santa Ynez Valley AVA
Wine region
	Sunstone Vineyards
Type	American Viticultural Area
Year established	1983
Country	United States
Part of	California, Central Coast AVA, Santa Barbara County
Other regions in California, Central Coast AVA, Santa Barbara County	Alisos Canyon AVA, Santa Maria Valley AVA
Sub-regions	Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA, Sta. Rita Hills AVA, Ballard Canyon AVA, Los Olivos District AVA
Total area	67 square miles (42,880 acres)
Grapes produced	Albarino, Arneis, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Cinsault, Counoise, Grenache, Grenache blanc, Lagrein, Malbec, Malvasia, Marsanne, Merlot, Mourvedre, Muscat Canelli, Nebbiolo, Negrette, Petit Verdot, Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, Pinot noir, Riesling, Roussanne, Sangiovese, Sauvignon blanc, Semillon, Syrah, Tempranillo, Tocai Friulano, Viognier, Zinfandel

The Santa Ynez Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Santa Barbara County, California established on May 16, 1983 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury after approving a petition submitted by Firestone Vineyard, a bounded winery in Los Olivos, California.^[1]^[4] It is part of the larger Central Coast AVA, and contains the greatest concentration of wineries in Santa Barbara County. The valley is formed by the Purisima Hills and San Rafael Mountains to the north and the Santa Ynez Mountains to the south creating a long, east-west corridor with very cool temperatures on the coast that become progressively warmer inland.^[5] The Santa Ynez River flows east to west on the valley floor toward the Pacific Ocean. As of 2021, the Santa Ynez Valley contains four other established viticultural areas: Sta. Rita Hills on its western boundary; Ballard Canyon and Los Olivos District occupying the center region; and Happy Canyon on the eastern border. Chardonnay is the most planted grape variety in the cooler, western portion of the valley while Rhône varieties thrive in the eastern locales.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b "Santa Ynez Valley Viticultural Area" (27 CFR Part 9 [T.D. ATF-132; Reference Notice No. 435] Final Rule). Federal Register. 48 (74). Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury: 16250–16253. April 15, 1983. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ "American Viticultural Areas by State". Wine Institute. 2008. Archived from the original on January 27, 2008.
^ ^a ^b "Santa Ynez Valley (AVA): Appellation Profile". Appellation America. 2007. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
^ Firestone Winery (September 1, 1981). "Petition". TTB. Alcohol and Tobacco, Tax and Trade Bureau, Treasury. Retrieved August 20, 2024. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ Mowery, Lauren (May 9, 2024). "How Santa Ynez Valley Quietly Stole The Spotlight From California's Prestige Wine Regions". Forbes. Retrieved May 13, 2024.