Oak Knoll District

Wines to know in Oak Knoll District

In the widest part of the valley, sitting directly north of the city of Napa sits Oak Knoll District. This region is the workhorse of Napa Valley wine with the most vineyard area.

The most important grapes in the area are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot.

The bay cloud cover keeps Oak Knoll cool during the day which allows Cabernet Sauvignon to have a long hang time. Red wines from Oak Knoll still have great tannin and structure as with all of the Napa Valley, but often with more delicate herbal and floral aromas.

A few of the larger producers here that you may have seen are Trefethen, farming nearly 400 acres of vineyards, and William Hill with around 200 acres.

Smaller producers in the region include Robert Biale (famed for Zinfandel) and progressive wineries like Ashes & Diamonds.

At Trefethen, in order to produce such a wide diversity of grape varieties (from cooler climate Riesling to warm climate Cabernet) they try to position their vineyard blocks on the soil that the variety performs best. There are at least 20 different soil types here.

Oak Knoll District AVA Facts

• Oak Knoll District AVA was established in 2004.
• Oak Knoll is 8,300 acres in size with nearly 4,200 acres under vine.
• By the late-1960s, Oak Knoll’s wine production had nearly collapsed completely, until a few families began rehabilitating the land. Those families still produce grapes and wine to this day.
• Oak Knoll has more vines planted to it than any other wholly contained appellation.