Sonoma County · Appellation

Chalk Hill

Despite its name, there's no chalk in Chalk Hill — the pale hillsides that gave the 1983 AVA its title are volcanic ash deposited by eruptions near Mount St. Helena, weathered into fine, white, well-draining soil. Tucked into the northeastern corner of Russian River Valley but shielded from the coldest fog, Chalk Hill runs warmer than its neighbor, favoring Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc with a distinct mineral snap alongside increasingly serious Cabernet Sauvignon. It's an appellation of contrasts: a warm-climate AVA best known for cool-climate-leaning whites.