Alexander Valley

The Alexander Valley AVA sits at the northern tip of Sonoma Valley with about 15,000 acres of prized vineyards. One of the first AVA’s established in Sonoma County (designated in 1988), this area is know for ultra rich Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, but it is so diverse that a veritable encyclopedia of grapes can – and do – thrive here.

Within its 76,000 total acres are a variety of microclimates supporting a substantial range of grape varieties (see below). While Cabernet Sauvignon reigns supreme on the gravelly terrain of the valley floor, this AVA also produces succulent Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc.

Even some cooler-climate varieties, like Gewürztraminer and Riesling, find microclimate niche vineyards here where they thrive in the shadow of Mendocino County’s mountainous terrain to the north. All together, vineyards in this versatile AVA produce an astonishingly diverse number of grape varieties, including Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Carignane, Grenache, Malbec, Mourvèdre/Mataro, Muscat Canelli, Sangiovese, Semillon Syrah/Shiraz, Petit Verdot, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Petite Sirah, Tempranillo/Valdepenas and Viognier.
The Russian River runs through the southern part of this AVA and just enough coastal fog finds its way up from the Russian River Valley to create cool evening and morning conditions. This, however, gives way to hot mid-day temperatures in this relatively warm growing area.

Originally, the AVA was designated for the alluvial floodplain vineyards on both banks of the Russian River. These boundaries were then expanded to include mountainside vineyards.