Sonoma County · Appellation

Sonoma Mountain

Established in 1985 on the slopes of the 2,463-foot mountain it's named for, this AVA sits high enough to catch a thermal-belt effect: cold air and fog drain downhill past it rather than settling in, leaving vineyards here often warmer and clearer than the valley floors on either side. Volcanic soils and that unusual air drainage have made Cabernet Sauvignon the appellation's signature, grown on hillsides above the historic ranch where Jack London once tended vines and orchards. It's a small, quietly serious AVA, more defined by what fog it avoids than what fog it gets.