The Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley AVA is an

American Viticultural Area An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States, providing an official appellation for the mutual benefit of winery, wineries and consumers. Winemakers frequently want their consumers to know abo ...

located within

Napa Valley AVA Napa Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Napa County in California's Wine Country. It was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) on January 27, 1981. Napa Valley is considered one of the premier ...

at the southern end of the valley floor. The

appellation An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...

's close proximity to

San Pablo Bay San Pablo Bay is a tidal estuary that forms the northern extension of San Francisco Bay in the East Bay and North Bay regions of the San Francisco Bay Area in northern California. Most of the Bay is shallow; however, there is a deep water ch ...

results in a climate that is cooler and more moderate than any region in Napa Valley other than the

Los Carneros AVA Los Carneros AVA (also known as Carneros AVA) is an American Viticultural Area which includes parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties in California, U.S.A. It is located north of San Pablo Bay. The proximity to the cool fog and breezes from th ...

. The AVA has more vines planted to it than any other wholly contained appellation within the Napa Valley. A wide variety of wine

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...

s do well in this climate, including varieties not widely grown in other parts of Napa Valley, such as

Riesling Riesling (, ; ) is a white grape variety that originated in the Rhine region. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling wh ...

and

Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...

. The district is planted largely to Merlot, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, in that order. Oak Knoll District Chardonnay has a reputation for a restrained, delicate style. The appellation was officially designated an appellation within the Napa Valley AVA on April 26, 2004.

Vineyards in Oak Knoll District

Behrens Family Vineyards, Bengier Family Vineyards,

Blackbird Vineyards Blackbird Vineyards is a Napa Valley based winery. It is part of the Bespoke Collection. Founder Michael Polenske wanted to create a winery that focused on producing wines from Merlot grapes, which fits with the name "Blackbird", as ''merlot'' m ...

, Fortunati Vineyards, Corley Family/Monticello Vineyards, Kelly Family Vineyards, Lobos Wines, O'Brien Estate, Padis Vineyards, Robert Biale Vineyards, Silenus Winery Trefethen Family Vineyards, Whitehall Lane Vineyards, Cunat Family Vineyards, O'Connell Family Vineyards, Boyd Family Vineyards, Bartlett Bear Vineyard, Robert Mueller Vineyards (McKenzie-Mueller Vineyards) Meadowbrook Farm Vineyard Cliff Family Winery, Valle di Sotto Vineyard

References

American Viticultural Areas of the San Francisco Bay Area Napa Valley Geography of Napa County, California 2004 establishments in California American Viticultural Areas {{wine-region-stub