Sonoma

Sonoma is located just east of the Pacific Ocean

Key Grapes

Chardonnay

  • Sonoma Chardonnay wines can tend to be full-bodied, with low acidity. Many Chardonnays experience oak treatment and malolactic fermentation.

    Due to Sonoma’s closer proximity to the Pacific Ocean, grapes may not be as ripe as Napa grapes.

  • Oaked Chardonnay wines tend to have hazelnut, peach, banana, and pineapple.

Pinot Noir

  • Sonoma Pinot Noir is much more common than Napa Pinot Noir. Sonoma has a cooler climate than Napa, so Pinot Noir has a home in California.

  • Sonoma Pinot Noir tends to have ripe red fruit such as cherry and strawberry. Sweet spice is present via oak maturation.

Cabernet Sauvignon

  • Sonoma County is known to have a cooler climate than Napa, but Cabernet Sauvignon is still a factor in the region.

  • Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma tends to be calmer than the robust power that comes from Napa wines.

  • Location: Northeast corner of Sonoma County

    Climate: warm Mediterranean

    Moderators: Pacific Ocean, San Pablo Bay, Russian River, Mayacamas Mountains

    Aspect: mainly flat land

    Most Valuable Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon

    Notable Producers: Alexander Valley Vineyards

  • Location: sits just north of San Francisco.

    Cool Fact: the only AVA in both Napa & Sonoma

    Climate: warm days & cool nights

    Moderators: include the San Pablo Bay & Mayacamas Mountains.

    Aspect: mainly flat land

    Soil: deep alluvial

    Most Valuable Grape: Chardonnay & Pinot Noir

    Grape Growing & Winemaking Techniques: sparkling wines using the traditional method

    Notable Producers: Domaine Carneros

  • Location: to the west of Alexander Valley across the Russian River

    Climate: warm Mediterranean; wetter and warmer than surrounding areas

    Moderators: Pacific Ocean, San Pablo Bay, Russian River

    Most Valuable Grape: Zinfandel & Sauvignon Blanc

  • Location: to the east of Alexander Valley

    Climate: cool Mediterranean

    Moderators: Pacific Ocean, San Pablo Bay, Mount St Helena

    Aspect: higher altitude than surrounding Sonoma AVAs

    Most Valuable Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon

    Soil: rocky and gravelly soil

    Grape-Growing & Winemaking: cooler growing season than neighboring areas

    Notable Producers: Knights Bridge

  • Location: Northeast corner of Sonoma County

    Climate: warm Mediterranean

    Moderators: Pacific Ocean, San Pablo Bay, Russian River, Mayacamas Mountains, early morning

    Aspect: mainly flat land

    Most Valuable Grape: Pinot Noir & Chardonnay

    Grape-Growing & Winemaking: cooler growing season than neighboring areas

    Notable Producers: Kendall-Jackson

  • Location: Area directly inland from the Pacific Ocean, covers the Mendocino southern border to the San Pablo Bay.

    Climate: significantly cooler than other Sonoma AVAs and deals with persistent fog

    Moderators: Pacific Ocean, San Pablo Bay, Coast Ranges

    Most Valuable Grape: Chardonnay & Pinot Noir

Notable

AVAs

Notable Vineyards

  • Alexander Valley Vineyards

    Alexander Valley

  • Knights Bridge

    Knights Bridge Valley

  • Walt

    Sonoma Coast

  • Kendall-Jackson

    Russian River Valley

 FAQs

  • An American Viticultural Area, or AVA, is a specific type of appellation of origin used on wine labels. An AVA is a delimited grape-growing region.

  • Sonoma is about 45 miles north of San Francisco & over 400 miles north of Los Angeles.

  • A moderator is a physical element of a region that impacts the growing conditions.

  • The diurnal range is the difference between the daily daytime temperature and the nighttime temperature.