Sonoma County · Appellation

Knights Valley

Sonoma County's warmest and most secluded AVA, Knights Valley sits pressed against Mount St. Helena and the Mayacamas range, shielded from the coastal fog that defines so much of the rest of the county. Established in 1983, its volcanic-ash and clay soils and pronounced diurnal swing — hot days, genuinely cold nights — have made it reliable Cabernet Sauvignon country since Beringer and, later, Peter Michael staked claims here. With only a handful of wineries and little through-traffic, it remains the least visited of Sonoma's sub-AVAs, known more by the label than the tasting room.