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The Napa Valley AVA now joins the ONLINE ranks with The Mendocino County AVA and The Sierra Foothills AVA pages! Click on the links in the navigation bar to visit those pages. Explore Pinot Noir |
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This page is all about Pinot Noir - the places the grape is grown and the wine is made in California. Pinot Noir's diverse growing range includes the cool regions of California: Sonoma County: Alexander Valley AVA, Russian River AVA and Los Carneros AVA. Napa's Los Carneros AVA is a prime Pinot Noir region. Much of the Central Coast AVA features excellent Pinot Noir. The microclimates of many of these regions are perfect for creating world class Pinot Noir: the relatively cool Marin and Solono regions; the moderating quality of the fog in the Russian River Valley, or the highly varied microclimates created by sunny mountain tops. All of these factors create unique Pinot Noir wine by region. These tours are about discovering that uniqueness.
Click on the links in the navigation bar on the left to learn more. Each area is a tour of its own and each offers unique highlights of history and topography: mountains, valleys, rugged coast and unique soils that contribute to the character of the wine.
California American Viticultural Areas (AVAs)
American Viticultural Areas are unique, legally designated grape growing areas that are defined by the ATF. These regions are most often defined by their topography, soil types, climate and sometimes they are defined by their historical relevance.
| North Coast | Mendocino County, Lake County, Sonoma County, Napa Valley, Marin County and Solono County |
| Sierra Foothills | North Yuba, El Dorado, Fair Play, CA Shenandoah Valley, Fiddletown |
| Inland | Yolo County, Madera County, Sacramento County, |
| Delta | San Joaquin County, Siskiyou County, Stanislaus County |
| Central Coast | Alameda, Contra Costa, Monterey, San Benito, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara Santa Cruz |
| South Coast | Los Angeles County, Riverside & San Bernardino, San Diego County |
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The Mendocino County AVA is located in the California North Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA). This is a spectacular region that includes the high, rocky, Pacific Ocean wave pounded bluffs in the west and the Coastal Ranges which form the eastern border of the County. Mendocino County is where the San Andreas fault veers off into the ocean. Most of the wine grapes are grown in the Coastal Ranges where the vineyards are sheltered in the interior valleys that protect the warmth loving vines from cool ocean breezes. There are 56 wineries in Mendocino County and 250 growers. This is a very beautiful and interesting region and well worth the trek to explore. In the pages under development, we hope to provide information to help you to narrow your focus in this large area.
The Mendocino County AVA Pinot Noir page is NOW ONLINE! Click on the logo to go to the Mendocino Pinot Noir page for detailed information about each sub-AVA including lists of wineries. There are additional links to food and lodging opportunities in Mendocino County.
| Mendocino Ridge | Mendocino |
| Anderson Valley | Redwood Valley |
| Potter Valley | Cole Ranch |
| McDowell Valley | Yorkville Highlands |
| Dos Rios |
The Lake County AVA surrounds Clear Lake, California's biggest natural lake. Lake County is next door to and east of Mendocino. This is a growing viticultural area. There are fourteen wineries that produce mostly Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. Topographically, the elevation is between 1,370 feet at the valley floor and the 2,000 foot extinct volcano, Mount Konocti. The soil is rich alluvial sediment in the valley and red volcanic soil is found at the higher elevations.
The pages about these locations are under development.
| Benmore Valley | Clear Lake |
| Guenoc Valley | High Valley |
| Red Hills-California |
The Sonoma County AVA is located in the California North Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA). Sonoma is Mendocino's southern neighbor and Napa Valley's western neighbor. Like Mendocino, Sonoma's western border is formed by rugged, Pacific Ocean wave pounded bluffs. The Mayacamas Mountain Ranges form Sonoma County's eastern border. Coastal regions are cooled by the cold waters, fog and breezes from the Pacific Ocean. Inland, the days are warm but the nights cool as breezes and fog from the ocean filter through the Petaluma Gap and Russian River. Route 12 runs the length of the Valley from Santa Rosa to Glen Ellen.
Sonoma County was part of an inland sea until plate tectonics pushed up the coastal ranges. Volcanoes laid down ash and lava creating a mosaic of soil types in the region. There are 260 wineries in the County.
Pinot Noir is among the most widely planted grape varietals in Sonoma County especially in the regions along the Russian River: Los Carneros, Russian River Valley as well as the Sonoma Coast. Other AVAs in Sonoma County include microclimates that are well suited for Pinot Noir.
Please check back since the Sonoma County AVA is in the works and will be available soon!!!
| Alexander Valley | Chalk Hill |
| Dry Creek | Knights Valley |
| Los Carneros | Northern Sonoma |
| Russian River Valley | Sonoma Coast |
| Sonoma Green Valley | Sonoma Mountain |
| Sonoma Valley |
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The Napa Valley AVA is next in our journey south in the California North Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA). This is a region is nestled between the Mayacamas Mountains to the west and the Vaca mountains in the east. The 4,343 foot Mt. St. Helena and the town of Calistoga mark its northern border. Surprisingly, this northern region of Napa is the warmest because it is sheltered from ocean influences. South, is the city of Napa and San Pablo Bay which connects to San Francisco Bay. The bays are condiuits for cool air from the ocean which moderates the temperatures in this southern portion of Napa. Evenings and mornings bring fog filtering its way from the ocean, through the bays up to the furthest reaches of the valley.
This is 30 mile stretch of complicated geologic history was developed over millions of years by tectonic plates which collided causing volcanic activity spewing lava and ash. During that time ocean levels rose and fell and water infiltrated from the bays to lay down layers of ocean soils. This has contributed to more than 30 different soils making up the ground of Napa. Once again, terroir is created by the variety of soils and combined with the numerous microclimates. These contribute to the success of just about any varietal of grape in Napa, among them is Pinot Noir.
There are more than 400 wineries in Napa Valley. This is an exceedingly diverse area and there are several little known regions that are well worth the effort to explore. We will bring you specific information about Pinot Noir and the regions of Napa where its unique qualities are best highlighted.
| Howell Mountain | St. Helena |
| Chiles Valley | Spring Mountain |
| Rutherford | Oakville |
| Mt. Veeder | Yountville |
| Stags Leap | Atlas Peak |
| Oak Knoll | Los Carneros |
The Sierra Foothills AVA is on the Western slopes of the Sierra Nevada. There are 5 sub-AVAs (listed below) that make up the Foothills. The vineyards in the Sierra Foothills are relatively remote and are found at elevations between 1,200 to 3,600 feet above sea level which is well above the fog line. This makes for long, sunny summer days. The soils from 1,200 to about 2,000 foot levels are made of decomposed granite and at elevations above the 3,000 foot level there is crushed volcanic rock. Both soil types provide good drainage but lack many nutrients.
Overall the climate of the Sierra Foothills is too warm for Pinot Noir to find much success in the region. There are no Pinot Noir vineyards in the Sierra Foothills.
| North Yuba | El Dorado |
| Fair Play | Fiddletown |
| CA Shenandoah Valley |
The Inland region is not an AVA but it is a region located east of San Francisco Bay and the Coastal Ranges and west of the Sierra Nevada Foothills. The town of Red Bluff is on the northern end and Sacramento, the state capital, marks the southern border. This 120 mile long valley is protected from ocean breezes and fogs by the Coastal Ranges. Chardonnay and Zinfandel are the most widely grown grapes. Many of the sub-AVAs in this region are one vineyard enterprises so they have been grouped together under the county heading.
Stay tuned for more information about these regions including lists of wineries and specific terroir information per AVA as well as links for area food, lodging and points of interest.
| Yolo County | Madera County |
| Sacramento County |
The Delta region is not an AVA but we have collected the following counties geographically into this category. This is an area that contains some of the most fertile soils in the world. The Delta region is located east of San Francisco Bay and the Coastal Ranges and west of the Sierra Nevada Foothills in the west. The San Joaquin Valley is cooled by ocean breezes and fogs filtering through the San Francisco and San Pablo Bays. Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are the most widely grown grapes.
Stay tuned for information about these sub-AVAs.
| San Joaquin County | Siskiyou County |
| Stanislaus County |
The Bay Area AVA is marked by great diversity in geography and microclimates influenced by mountains, by the ocean and by valleys. Each region produces equal diversity in the character of the wines. The upper elevations of of the Santa Cruz Mountains, combined with the cool ocean breezes create dense, spicy fruitful wines. Valley regions have climates moderated by ocean fog that is blown into them.
Stay tuned for more information about the Bay Area Avas.
| Ben Lamond Mountain | Livermore |
| San Francisco Bay | San Ysidro District |
| Santa Clara Valley | Santa Cruz Mountains |
The Central Coast AVA is one of the largest and stretches from San Francisco County south to Santa Barbara County. That is 250 miles long and 25 miles wide. This region mostly features Pinot Noir, Merlot, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon all of which favor the cooling influence of the Pacific Ocean, San Francisco Bay and Monterey Bay. Paso Robles is distinct within the region being 20 miles inland which allows for warm days but the topography brings ocean filtered air to cool the nights. This is an area of diverse topography creating the magical microclimates that allow for a diversity of varietals to thrive.
These pages will be available soon.
| Alameda | Contra Costa |
| Monterey | San Benito |
| San Francisco | San Luis Obispo |
| San Mateo | Santa Barbara |
| Santa Clara | Santa Cruz |
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