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The Santa Maria Valley AVA
Over the past two decades the Santa Maria Valley has developed a reputation as one of the best places to grow Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah in California. The AVA, established in 1981, contains 80,000 total acres of which roughly 7,500 are planted to vines. Each year Santa Maria Valley's grapes fetch some of the highest prices in California, a testament to their high quality and strong character. The Santa Maria Valley is part of California's only east/west running valleys. It was formed during the Pleistocene Ice Age, which began 1.8 million years ago and ended approximately 11,000 years ago. Topographically, the valley is framed by the San Rafael Mountains to the north and the Solomon Hills to the south. These ranges act as a funnel channeling the cold maritime breezes from the Pacific Ocean eastward through the valley. These breezes are one of the reasons the Santa Maria Valley is so successful with cold-climate varieties.