Los Carneros
Los Carneros AVA is an American Viticultural Area that spans across parts of Napa Valley and Sonoma. Los Carneros is known for its relatively cooler temperatures due to the marine fog and breezes coming in off the San Pablo Bay. Carneros is unique among American appellations in that it spans both Napa and Sonoma counties; because of this, it is not technically a “nested” AVA of Napa Valley, and the Napa part of the area is referred to as “Los Carneros.
Carneros is composed of a series of low rolling hills that sit above the San Pablo Bay and beneath Mount Veeder. The soils are predominately sandy loam over clay. Because of the cooling influence of the Bay and regular fog and ocean breezes, Carneros is widely considered to be “Napa’s Burgundy,” as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay thrive here. That said, it might be more accurate to call it, “Napa’s Champagne” because multiple sparkling houses have set up shop here and produce truly world-class sparkling wine. Carneros has also been gaining attention recently for its Merlot, which loves the clay soils and excels in the warmer pockets of the region.
The relatively cooler climate of Los Carneros makes it suitable for varietals such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Carneros may be cooler than Napa Valley proper, but it is considerably warmer than the Sonoma Coast, so the Pinot Noirs tends to be comparatively ripe, round, and rich with an intense core of cherry fruit. The Chardonnays can be both powerful and bright with pronounced minerality. Los Carneros AVA was officially recognized as an American Viticultural Area in 1983 and was the first AVA to be purely defined by climate characteristics instead of geographical characteristics.
