Amador County

Amador is located in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in central California, approximately 100 miles east of both San Francisco and Napa Valley and 40 miles east of the state capitol of Sacramento. Amador is old vine country; nearly 600 acres of the county’s vines are at least 60 years old, while several vineyards date to the 19th century. The majority of Amador’s 3,700 vine acres and 40 wineries are in the northern part of the county in the Shenandoah Valley, near the small town of Plymouth. Here, vines are planted on rolling, oak-studded hillsides ranging from 1,200 to 2,000 feet in elevation. Slightly to the east is the small Fiddletown appellation, which boasts even higher-elevation vineyards. Most Amador vines are planted in volcanic Sierra Series soils – primarily sandy clay loam derived from decomposed granite. The warm climate, high solar radiance and low humidity promote the full ripening of our grapes. Amador heats up early and cools in the evenings, so the diurnal temperature fluctuations are great for the vines as it helps the grapes retain the acidity essential to balanced wines.