The Carneros District

As you approach the Wine Country from the south, you must pass through the Carneros District, a cool, wind-swept region that borders the San Pablo Bay and marks the entrance to both Napa and Sonoma valleys. Until the latter part of the 20th century, this mixture of marsh, sloughs, and hills was mainly used as sheep pasture (carneros means "sheep" in Spanish). After experimental plantings yielded slow-growing yet high-quality grapes -- particularly chardonnay and pinot noir -- several Napa and Sonoma wineries expanded here, eventually establishing the Carneros District as an American Viticultural Appellation.