River Junction AVA
River Junction is an American Viticultural Area located in southern San Joaquin County, California west of the city of Modesto. The area is located at the confluence of the San Joaquin and the Stanislaus Rivers about south of Lodi, around the city of Ripon. The wine appellation was established as the nation's 149th, the state's 85th and the county's second AVA on May 9, 2001, by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted by Mr. Ronald W. McManis, owner of McManis Family Vineyards, proposing a new viticultural area in San Joaquin County to be known as "River Junction."
At the outset, the nation's smallest AVA was established on behalf of the McManis Family Vineyards, the only commercial winery in the appellation. River Junction viticultural area is cooler than surrounding areas of the Central Valley, and is the only place in the valley where high concentrations of fine sandy loam are found. 90% of the viticultural area is planted with Chardonnay grapes. The plant hardiness zones are 9a and 9b.
Name Evidence
The origin of the name, "River Junction," refers to the junction of the Stanislaus River with the San Joaquin River. Mr. McManis states, "The name is in prominent use within the AVA, undoubtedly because of the significant prehistoric, historic, and ongoing influence of the rivers' confluence on the immediate area." The petitioner owns a vineyard in the AVA. The property, purchased in the early 1990s, was previously known as "River Junction Vineyards." A vineyard block map of his ranch shows the historical ownership of the vineyards by the designation "R" for "River Junction Vineyards" located within the AVA. The name "River Junction" is also used for River Junction Reclamation District No. 2064, a State of California Special District dating from at least 1925. River Junction Reclamation District includes Bret Harte Gardens subdivision, filed October 11, 1922. Since this subdivision assumes reclamation within the District, it seemslikely that "River Junction," as a District name, dates at least to 1922. The name
is also used for River Junction Farms subdivision no. 2 within the River
Junction Reclamation District.
History
The Delta is a distinctive estuarine environment where freshwater and tidal ocean water meet. Based on tidal influence, geomorphology, and native vegetation, the Delta is an inland coastal environment. Estuaries are among the richest, most productive ecosystems on Earth and include diverse natural habitats and micro-environments. The tremendous fertility of Delta Estuary soils was recognized early in the settlement of California. Historically, the Delta was a vast marshland with adjacent uplands that underwent periodic flooding from winter rains and spring snow melt. Since 1850 over 90 percent of those wetlands have been reclaimed for agriculture, and have been administered by a variety of private individuals, public agencies, and Reclamation Districts.Native Americans utilized the Delta area for at least 10,000 years, prior to the Spanish colonization. Local archeological sites are at least 5,000 years old. As late as the 1800s the Stanislaus - San Joaquin confluence area was inhabited by the Miwok. In 1810 Spanish armies explored the southern delta, and by 1820 British and French fur trappers had arrived. In 1832 the Hudson Bay Company established local camps. Following secularization of the Spanish Missions during the Mexican Period , large local land grants were given to Mexican citizens. In 1841, the first band of eastern overland immigrants crossed the Sierras, journeyed down the Stanislaus River, and headed north to Sutter's Fort. In the 1840s local land use, among land grant recipients and homesteaders, was primarily cattle grazing on upland grasslands, and the marshes were avoided. River commerce developed, by 1847 steamboats appeared on the Delta, and the Stanislaus River had regularly scheduled steamboat service.
Following U.S. acquisition of California from Mexico, the presence of gold was announced in 1848, resulting in an enormous influx of miners and settlers. Settlers soon realized that feeding the gold miners was more profitable than gold mining, for instance, locally-grown watermelons sold for $5 each, in gold-based 1849 dollars. Wheat was grown by 1850, and local agriculture increased to meet regional demands. Truck crops and orchards became extremely profitable.
Following the Federal Swamp and Overflow Act of 1850, wetlands title was transferred to the State of California with provision that proceeds from land sale would finance reclamation. Early reclamation efforts in the Delta consisted of artificial levees created with hand tools, and were less than successful. Farming was difficult, but high yields encouraged further reclamation efforts.
By the 1860s over 160,000 people, about half the state population, lived within the Delta drainage, and by the 1880s much wheat was grown locally. By the turn of the century power dredges were available and reclamation districts appeared, leading to permanent local land-use for agriculture. In the 1960s the Army Corps of Engineers began major levee improvements and reclamation. As of 1992, in San Joaquin County were used for irrigated crops and pasture, of which about 132,000 acres were in use for fruit and nut crops. In recent years fruits, including wine grapes and table grapes, have become major local crops.
The earliest settlement in San Joaquin County was located just outside River Junction Viticultural Area, approximately north of the mouth of the Stanislaus River, just north of Division Road. It was the Valley's first known agricultural site, the historic New Hope Agricultural Colony, established in 1846 by twenty Mormon pioneers who arrived from Brooklyn by ship.
The historic site, San Joaquin City, was established in 1849, west of San Joaquin River and about SSW of the northwest corner of the River Junction area. It was founded on the west bank of San Joaquin River as a riverboat terminal, between two ferry crossings, but due to a shift in the location of the river since then, this site is no longer at the river's edge.
The northwest corner of the area was also the site of Durham Ferry where gold miners crossed the San Joaquin en route to the Sierras. As might be expected from its slightly higher topography, Airport Way apparently was a historic road or trail striking northeast from Durham Ferry.
Following the Federal Swampland Act of 1850, reclamation of wetlands was begun. The area was designated as a State Reclamation District, River Junction Reclamation District No. 2064. Subdivision survey maps were filed in 1922 for Bret Harte Gardens subdivision, and 1925 for River Junction Farms subdivision no's. 2 and 3. Since reclamation, use of the River Junction area has been primarily agricultural. Recent crops have included asparagus, tomatoes, almonds, alfalfa, corn, and wine grapes. The area was also used for limited livestock grazing and dairying.
Present agricultural use of the area is primarily of Chardonnay grapes. An additional are planted to Cabernet grapes. Corn, alfalfa, and tomatoes are also grown. Aside from wine grapes, the only other permanent crop in the area is a single almond orchard. The large vineyard, owned by RJM Enterprises, has riparian water rights and currently pumps from the San Joaquin. As of 1996, permanent crops grown north of Division Road, outside the River Junction area, include about of almonds and walnuts, and of grapes located a mile to the northeast.
Terroir
Topography
The petitioner supplied the following topographical evidence to show that the area is distinct from surrounding areas:Climate
The River Junction viticultural area is shown on a Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta map submitted by the petitioner and is within the boundaries of the aforementioned d elta, at the southeastern most tip. The petitioner claims that the southernmost edge of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is more modified by inland weather patterns than other parts of the Delta. This part of the Delta experiences more extreme high and low temperatures, although still receiving maritime influence. The River Junction viticultural area is at the boundary between coastal and continental weather influence. It is subject to little rainfall, per year, and at its southernmost part lies within therain shadow of the coast ranges to the west. This is the driest part of the Delta
and can be considered as arid to semiarid with coastal influence. The petitioner states that, as would be expected of a topographical depression, the local microclimate of the River Junction viticultural area is singular. The viticultural area is distinctively cooler than the immediate surrounding areas of Modesto, Stockton, Tracy Carbona, Tracy Pumping Plant and Rivercrest Vineyards in Ripon. Temperature data from 1995 and 1996 were recorded by a weather station located near the center of the River Junction viticultural area, at Rivercrest Vineyards. The monthly-averaged data, provided by the petitioner, show that minimum temperatures are consistently slightly cooler than elsewhere in the region, especially in summer. Average high temperatures are similar to Antioch and Lodi, which are significantly closer to the Suisun and San Francisco Bays and would be expected to experience more coastal cooling. According to the
petitioner, average low temperatures are generally the coolest among Tracy Carbona and Tracy Pumping Plant. Significantly, minimum August temperatures are 2 to 5 degrees cooler than Tracy, Stockton, and Modesto. Grapes grown here are also subject to seasonally late frosts.