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United States

Sonoma County

24 000 ha under vine

Soils
A patchwork of volcanic, alluvial and coastal soils across many valleys
Climate
From cool, fog-bound coastal valleys to warm inland benches

On the map

Sonoma County — 24 000 haMendoza — 150 000 haCentral Valley — 120 000 haNingxia — 40 000 haMarlborough — 29 000 haColumbia Valley — 25 000 haNapa Valley — 18 000 haPaso Robles — 16 000 haStellenbosch — 15 000 haWillamette Valley — 11 500 haBarossa Valley — 11 500 haMaipo Valley — 11 000 haSwartland — 10 000 haCanelones — 7 500 haMcLaren Vale — 7 000 haCasablanca Valley — 6 000 haMargaret River — 5 800 haNiagara Peninsula — 5 500 haClare Valley — 5 500 haCoonawarra — 5 700 haHawke's Bay — 5 000 haFinger Lakes — 4 000 haOkanagan Valley — 3 000 haHunter Valley — 2 500 haYarra Valley — 2 500 haTasmania — 2 000 haCentral Otago — 2 000 haConstantia — 450 haSonoma CountyMendozaCentral ValleyNingxiaMarlboroughColumbia ValleyNapa ValleyPaso RoblesStellenboschWillamette ValleyBarossa ValleyMaipo ValleySwartlandCanelonesMcLaren ValeCasablanca ValleyMargaret RiverNiagara PeninsulaClare ValleyCoonawarraHawke's BayFinger LakesOkanagan ValleyHunter ValleyYarra ValleyTasmaniaCentral OtagoConstantia
Blob size ≈ vineyard area · approximate locations · coastlines from Natural Earth

Napa's larger, cooler, more diverse neighbour, Sonoma runs from the fog- chilled Pacific to warm inland valleys, packing an extraordinary range of climates and grapes into one county. Cool Russian River and Sonoma Coast make some of California's finest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay; warmer Dry Creek and Alexander Valley grow Zinfandel and Cabernet.

Less glossy and more agricultural than Napa, Sonoma has quietly become California's most exciting county for cool-climate wine, with a deep bench of old-vine Zinfandel and field blends alongside its Burgundian varieties. It is the Golden State's other great wine country — and, to many, its more soulful one.

The vineyard

Indicative share of plantings

The wines

Sonoma Pinot Noir Red wine

Through time

Indicative presence index, 0–100Origins & Antiquity — 0The Monastic Middle Ages — 0Exploration & the Fortified Age — 0Classifications & the Golden Age — 15Phylloxera & the World Crises — 10The Modern & New World Era — 80Antiquity0500150017001875195080
Classifications & the Golden Age 1700 Phylloxera & the World Crises 1875 The Modern & New World Era 1950