arneros is a truly exceptional winegrowing appellation. Straddling the southernmost tips of Sonoma and Napa counties. Wind and fog sweep in every afternoon from San Pablo Bay to cool the vines and extend the growing season. Subjected daily to dense foggy mornings, low rainfall, rocky well–drained soil and the constant cooling winds from the adjacent San Francisco Bay, Carneros vines enjoy an unusually long growing season. These vines produce some of the most intensely flavored fruit in the Northern California. The star varietals of the region are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but the diverse soils and cooler climate produce intensely rich Merlot and Syrah.
CARNEROS
APPELLATION
Carneros is one of the regions in California able to bring such grapes as Chardonnay and the finicky Pinot Noir to proper maturity. Its position at the top of San Pablo Bay makes Carneros – along with the Russian River Valley, coastal Sonoma and the Central Coast – a prime area for the production of wines with graceful elegance and specific regional character.
Most of California’s wine appellations have their boundaries drawn using a combination of political, geographical and climate considerations. Carneros is one of a tiny handful of California Appellations whose boundaries are drawn according only to geographical and climate conditions, even crossing over the political boundaries of Sonoma and Napa counties. Buena Vista Winery was one of the first wineries to invest in the Carneros region in 1969.
RAMAL
VINEYARD
Set along a south-facing hillside overlooking the San Francisco Bay, this breathtaking property is one of the most significant in all of Carneros. Produced in limited quantities, each Ramal Vineyard wine reflects the complex interplay between grape, terroir and the seasonal weather patterns of vintage.
One of the most significant attributes of the Ramal Vineyard is the extraordinary number and range of sites. This rolling windswept landscape boasts more than 100 separate vineyard blocks based upon topography, geology and microclimates. In addition to the usual clay and sand soils one typically finds in the region, there are blocks at the western edge of the property that are completely inundated with rocks, a rarity in Carneros.
PINOT NOIR
MERLOT
SYRAH
