American Viticultural Area · CA
Sta. Rita Hills
Sta. Rita Hills is a federally-designated American Viticultural Area in CA, established in 2001. The map below shows its official TTB boundary alongside nearby AVAs.
The Sta. Rita Hills boundary is highlighted. Nearby AVAs are rendered in gray — click any of them to view that AVA's page.
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Established
2001
Size
~35,800
acres
State
CA
Climate
Cool maritime
Signature varietals
Boundary recorded in 27 CFR Part 9 · Source: TTB
About the Sta. Rita Hills AVA
Sta. Rita Hills, designated 2001, sits in the cool western end of Santa Ynez Valley. The AVA's name was originally Santa Rita Hills, but the Chilean producer Viña Santa Rita objected to the trademark conflict and the TTB amended the name to "Sta. Rita Hills" in 2005. The shortened form is now the official AVA name — a permanent reminder of an international trademark dispute baked into US wine law.
Sta. Rita Hills is one of California's premier cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay regions. The valley runs east–west, funneling Pacific air directly inland, and limestone-rich soils give the wines a distinctive mineral character compared to other California Pinot regions. Sea Smoke, Sanford, and Brewer-Clifton are among the producers who built the AVA's modern reputation.
Nearby AVAs
Other American Viticultural Areas closest to Sta. Rita Hills — useful when a vineyard sits inside more than one AVA at once.
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Free for wineries, regional associations, and wine-education sites — the interactive Sta. Rita Hills boundary map above, in a single iframe.
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