Sonoma County Wine

The extensive Sonoma County AVA stretches north from San Pablo Bay to the Alexander Valley. It runs parallel with the Napa Valley wine region on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. The topography from one end of the Valley to the other is markedly different. To this end the region has divided and re-divided itself into AVAs and sub-AVAs.

The main climatic influence is the cooling Pacific Ocean. In summer the cold inshore waters cause a fogbank just off the coast. As the inland air warms and rises, cold fog is sucked in to fill the space. Cool ocean winds are also funneled some distance into coastal valleys.

The sub regions closer to the Pacific are generally cooler and better suited to cool climate varieties like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Further inland Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel thrives with the hot dry growing conditions. Sonoma’s AVAs grow a wide range of grape varieties.