Growing Regions

Whereas Napa’s AVAs* are generally similar in size, conceptually defined by towns or recognizable geographic features and mutually exclusive, Sonoma’s AVAs are a patchwork quilt, vary considerably in size and overlap irregularly. This is due in part to the wide diversity of climate and soil types found there.

The county lies between the Mayacamas Mountain border with Napa and the Pacific Ocean. To the southeast is San Pablo Bay, and on the southwest is Marin County which forms the northern peninsula of the Golden Gate. Mendocino and Lake Counties lie to the north and northeast.

*An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States distinguishable by geographic features, with boundaries defined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), United States Department of the Treasury