Bell Mountain AVA

Bell Mountain is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Gillespie County, Central Texas along the southern and southwestern slopes of Bell Mountain, about 15 miles (24 km) north of Fredericksburg. The diminutive 3,200-acre (5 sq mi) area was established as the nation's 88th and initial Texan AVA on October 16, 1986, by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted by Mr. Robert P. Oberhelman. president of Oberhellmann Vineyards, on behalf of local vintners, proposing a viticultural area in Gillespie County to be named "Bell Mountain."
The AVA is on the northern rim of the Edwards Plateau, and north of its Peak is a region referred to as the "Llano Uplift". Bell Mountain, which at 1,956 feet (596 m) is the highest elevation in the locale, was first given this name by early settlers of the area in the mid and late nineteenth century. In 1991, the viticultural area became a sub-appellation set entirely within the Texas Hill Country AVA. The Peak was identified by this name on the U.S. Geological Survey map, the first such map published on the general area, in 1885. This identity has been established by the fact that it is the highest elevation of the area, and this dominance has made it a landmark. The boundaries of the "Bell Mountain" viticultural area may be found on one U.S.G.S. map, titled Willow City Quadrangle. At the outset, Bell Mountain contained two vineyards with a sole operating bonded winery. About 40 years later, there are currently four vineyards and one winery, Chateau Wright. The hardiness zone is 8b.