Unlike the wine labels in the Old World, the ones in the New world are easier to read (mainly because it’s mostly in English) But there are more names to the famous regions of Napa and Sonoma. Within those big regions, there are quite a few sub-regions, or appellations, and they are called Approved Viticultural Areas (AVAs)
For GINI 13, there were two from Napa Valley; Stag’s Leap and Sterling. Stag’s Leap is actually also name of the AVAs (Stag’s Leap District). Sterling is in an area called “Calistoga”, which is not yet classified as AVA (maybe that’s why is not on the label). The most famous sub-AVA in Napa is probably the Carneros, where all the famous Chardonnay are from. There is a map of the AVAs in Napa Valley http://www.13appellations.com/13appellations/page/newmap.jsp
The third Californian Cabernet Sauvignon we had, Ernest & Julio Gallo, is from Sonoma. The AVA in this case is Dry Creek Valley, which is actually better known for Zinfandel.
Finally, the Australian Cabernet Sauvignon, Leeuwin Estate, is from Margaret River, which is in Western Australia. The climate there is similar to Mediterranean, even though it is widely thought as having cool climate. This region became Australia’s first Appellation in 1978.
