 Where rivers, creeks and property lines usually define an American Viticultural Area (AVA), the Howell Mountain boundaries are defined by a 1,400 foot elevation contour line. Upon review of requests and evidence of the boundaries and elevation of the region, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) ruled that Howell Mountain was, indeed, worthy of one of the few AVAs granted in the early 1980's. And so, in 1983, the Howell Mountain Appellation was officially designated as an AVA—making it the first AVA within the greater Napa Valley AVA. And the rest, as they say, is history. |
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