Sonoma County · Appellation

Sonoma Valley

Sonoma Valley is where California's wine industry effectively began — Agoston Haraszthy planted Buena Vista here in 1857 — though the AVA itself wasn't recognized until 1981, as the county's first. Bordered by the Mayacamas to the east and the Sonoma Mountains to the west, its clay loam soils and range of mesoclimates support everything from century-old, dry-farmed Zinfandel on the valley floor to structured Cabernet Sauvignon grown on its higher, volcanic-soiled slopes. Few appellations anywhere carry as much foundational weight relative to their size.