Cinnabar Growing Regions

Santa Cruz Mountains

A renowned source of chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir since the late 1800s, the Santa Cruz Mountains region is one of the first AVAs to be defined by geophysical and climatic factors. The official appellation lies mostly within Santa Cruz County, but also extends into parts of Monterey, Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. The east and west boundaries are defined by elevation: down to 800 feet in the east and 400 feet in the west.

Monterey County

Monterey County offers a range of soil and climate combinations that rivals the diversity of any California wine region. Chilled air masses gush off the deep waters of Monterey Bay each afternoon to engender an extensive marine layer that provides relief to warm inland vineyards. Grapes fully ripen under perpetual sunny skies, but retain optimum acidity with the help of cool overnight temperatures and intermittent patterns of morning fog.

Monterey

Monterey is the largest AVA within Monterey County, stretching almost the entire length of the county from east of Monterey Bay to just north of Paso Robles. Exposure to the bay’s maritime influence is the determining factor in grape selection: northern vineyards experience cool temperatures, afternoon breezes and frequent morning fog (favoring chardonnay and pinot noir) while those in south have warmer temperatures and dryer conditions with increased distance from the bay (excellent for cabernet sauvignon).

Santa Lucia Highlands

Overlooking the fertile Salinas Valley, the east-facing Santa Lucia Highlands appellation is often likened to Burgundy’s Côte d’Or. This compact, elevated region was planted with wine grapes in the 1790s by Franciscan missionaries, but not sanctioned as an official AVA until 1991. The sloping geological benches (ideal for pinot noir and chardonnay) present a variety of well-drained soils and warm sunny days that are tempered by cool afternoon breezes from Monterey Bay and the Pacific Ocean.

Paso Robles

Situated 20 miles from the Pacific Ocean, the Salinas River divides the Paso Robles appellation into two major sub-regions — the western mountains with their lean calcareous soils, and the dryer, slightly warmer eastern plateau. A break in the coastal range called the Templeton Gap allows a marine layer to move inland and lower temperatures each afternoon, providing the cool nights common to all superior wine regions. Paso Robles is especially suitable to syrah, zinfandel and Rhône wines.

Lodi

The Lodi winegrowing region is located at the heart of California’s Central Valley, and includes parts of southern Sacramento County and northern San Joaquin County. Ideal for growing a spectrum of wine grapes, Lodi has a warm Mediterranean climate that is tempered by a marine layer that first passes through San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento River Delta. Soils vary dramatically within the AVA, but mostly consist of deep loams that are sometimes covered with large rocks.

Clements Hills

The Clements Hills AVA is situated in the southeast portion of the larger Lodi AVA. With an outstanding reputation for producing well-balanced red wines, this small region is characterized by Sierra foothills reaching up to 400 feet in elevation; a variety of loam, clay loam and clay soils; and the Mokelumne and the Calaveras Rivers that help modify several distinct microclimates.

Lake County

Clear Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake in California, is the focal point of the Lake County wine region. Several mountain ranges removed from the coast, Lake County is warmer and dryer than the neighboring counties of Sonoma or Napa, providing textbook conditions for sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon, malbec and zinfandel. Vineyards are planted throughout the county — from a fertile valley near 1,400 feet of elevation, to the rocky red volcanic soils around Mt. Konocti and Cobb Mountain.

Red Hills

The Red Hills district is located entirely within the Clear Lake AVA, a region that completely surrounds Clear Lake. Situated at the foot of the dormant volcano Mount Konocti, the rolling volcanic terrain of the Red Hills strikes a dramatic contrast to the wider valleys and higher elevations of Lake County’s other wine regions. The signature red soils and long hot summers provide an excellent backdrop to warm-living varieties such as zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon and malbec.

Sonoma County

As the “battleground of low and high pressure”, Sonoma County boasts the greatest number of well-known sub-appellations in California: Los Carneros, Sonoma Valley, Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley and Dry Creek Valley. The region’s position along the North Coast, in concert with superb soils from a complex system of coastal hills and valleys, provides each area with a unique rendition of “natural air conditioning” that is a function of proximity to the Pacific Ocean and/or San Pablo Bay.

Dry Creek Valley

The warm, dry Mediterranean climate of Dry Creek Valley is ideal for most red varieties, providing vines with long sunny days for much of the growing season. Fruit slowly develops deeply tinted skins with intense flavors and soft tannins. The predominant soil type is a rocky bronze-red clay-loam with excellent drainage. The combination of soil and climate produces low-yielding, rugged vines that bear intensely flavored berries of superior structure and balance.

Alexander Valley

Located in northern Sonoma County, Alexander Valley is a majestic wine region — 22 miles in length, but only two to seven miles wide. The AVA includes the valley floor as well as the eastern and western slopes, encompassing approximately 76,900 acres with more than 15,000 currently planted to premium wine grapes. Alexander Valley is the source of numerous critically acclaimed wines, but is probably best known for its lush and well-structured cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel.