Next to Napa Valley, Sonoma is the most famous and certainly one of the best wine growing regions in California. And it is - in complete contrast to the legendary tourist magnet Napa - a tranquil and quiet region, in which only a little of the busy hustle and bustle of its neighbour can be felt. Sonoma adjoins Napa Valley directly to the west and is thus even closer to the Pacific Ocean. Some experts therefore believe that Sonoma, in principle, surpasses Napa Valley as a wine growing region because it has much more interesting microclimates, due to the cold influences of the Pacific Ocean. In fact, the fog and cold air currents of San Pablo Bay push far into the valley, most noticeably, of course, in Carneros at the entrance to the valley that stretches from Napa Valley to here. It's so cool here that excellent Burgundy style wines are made, primarily from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Only further up the valley does it get a bit warmer, so Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel also grow here. Sonoma is divided into several sub-areas, called American Viticulture Areas (AVA), the best known of which are Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Russian River Valley. Of these, the Russian River Valley is the most interesting. On the one hand, the valley is located in the north of Sonoma; on the other hand, it is wide open to the Pacific, so that cold air can penetrate here unhindered. It is much cooler here than in the rest of Sonoma, with the exception of Carnerso. For this reason, first-class Pinots Noir and Chardonnay grow here, but also Pinot Blanc, Riesling and Gewürztraminer. The producer structure is determined by very dedicated and high-quality wineries.
