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Located in the western Santa Ynez Valley, the Santa Rita Hills AVA is an ideal environment for growing intensely flavored full-bodied Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The AVA is distinguished by the very cool and long growing season created by a convergence of unusual geography in this part of California. Our southerly latitude means that frost danger is usually behind us in February of most years.
This leads to early bud break, which can start the growing season as much as a month earlier than growing regions to our North.
During the summer, heat rising from the Mojave Desert 90 miles inland and the eastern boundary of our unique east-west system of mountains and valleys draws in cold air from the Pacific Ocean 15 miles to our West.
This guarantees cool days and chilly nights during the long growing season of the nine-mile length of the Santa Rita Hills AVA. |
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Lafond Vineyards Pinot Noir
Growth cycle for 2008. Latest photo first.
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For an enlarged view Click the Slideshow image
 
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Click image above to see a larger slideshow of the seasons progress from this vantage point in the vineyard
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