The beauty of Dry Creek Valley is greater than that which meets the eye. The lush vineyards that extend from the valley floor to the hills signal the real allure of the region: a deft blend of climate, soil and exposure that produces grapes of singular quality and character.

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Sonoma County

Sonoma County AVA

Overview: Sonoma County is to be found adjacent to the Pacific coast, just north of San Francisco and west of the Napa Valley. The region has over 170 wineries spread over an area of 17 thousand hectares. The wine industry in Sonoma is generally on a smaller scale than that of the Napa wine region, with its top producers concentrating on producing prime grapes for the premium segment of the market. Sonoma boasts the highest value grapes in the whole of California

Slightly cooler than the Napa, its climate also varies dramatically depending on each appellation. Offshore breezes and fogs keep temperatures cool for ocean-side vineyards, close to gaps in the coastal mountain ranges and to the south of the region near Carneros. There are several AVAs in Sonoma County:

Alexander Valley: The Alexander Valley AVA is the largest and most densely planted of all of Sonoma County's AVAs. Located among the Russian River watershed, the boundary of this appellation extends north of Healdsburg up to Mendocino County north of Cloverdale.

Bennett Valley: The Bennett Valley AVA is one of Sonoma County's newest AVAs. The appellation crosses over into three other AVAs-Sonoma Valley, Sonoma Coast and Sonoma Mountain.

Carneros: The Carneros AVA spans across the last, low hill of the Mayacamas Mountains dividing both Napa and Sonoma Valleys just north of San Pablo Bay.

Knights Valley: The Knights Valley AVA occupies the boundaries between the southern end of the Alexander Valley and the northern end of Napa Valley.

Northern Sonoma: The Northern Sonoma AVA is an all encompassing appellation that covers all of Sonoma County with the exception of the Sonoma Valley and some areas of the Petaluma River watershed.

Dry Creek Valley: Dry Creek Valley's history of grape growing and winemaking is among the longest in California. Dry Creek Valley was among the first regions to receive formal recognition as an American Viticulture Area in 1983.

Rockpile: The Rockpile AVA is situated at the northwest point of the Dry Creek Valley AVA, past Healdsburg, California. Many of today's vineyards were formally occupied by a reservoir created by the Warm Springs Dam on the Russian River.

Chalk Hill: The Chalk Hill AVA is a sub appellation of the Russian River Valley located near the town of Windsor, California along the foothills at the southern end of Alexander Valley and along the Santa Rosa plain.

Green Valley of Russian River Valley AVA: Green Valley is one of the smallest appellations in Sonoma County. It lies in the southwestern part of the Russian River Valley, bounded by the towns of Sebastopol, Forestville and Occidental.

Sonoma Coast AVA: The Sonoma Coast appellation is largely based in Sonoma County but also extends south into Marin county. Sonoma Coast includes the following sub appellations: Chalk Hill, Green Valley, Los Carneros, Russian River Valley, Sonoma Mountain and Sonoma Valley.

Sonoma Valley AVA: Climate and geography determine all the great grape-growing regions of the world, including the Sonoma Valley. With an average of 29 inches of rainfall a year, it is one the driest areas in Sonoma County. The mountain ranges on either side isolate the Valley, allowing in just enough coastal fog to cool the vineyards on summer nights.

Sonoma Mountain AVA: Sonoma Mountain AVA rises above the town of Glen Ellen at the western edge of the Valley of the Moon. There are isolated patches of high-altitude, steep-sloped vineyards up the eastern side of 2,463-foot Sonoma Mountain.

Wine Regions Represented by MDM

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