Centered around the town of St. Helena, this appellation covers 9,000 acres along the flat narrow land towards the northern end of the valley. The region´s soils are a mix, beginning on the south and west borders with a more sedimentary, gravel-clay, with lower fertility and moderate water retention. Further north and to the east soils are prevalently volcanic in origin and are deeper and more fertile. This area is narrow and is almost entirely the product of river erosion.
