ALEXANDER VALLEY        

This AVA sits at the top of Sonoma County with about 15,000 acres planted to grape vines out of a total 76,000 acres of available territory.

An alluvial floodplain with gravelly terrain surrounds the Russian River and rocky soils characterize the surrounding mountainside vineyards. A variety of microclimates occupy the area.

Cabernet Sauvignon reigns supreme; Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Merlot and Sauvignon follow, along with Gewurztraminer and Riesling grown in the cool shadow of Mendocino County.

Alexander Valley is named for the scout and settler Cyrus Alexander who explored the area and established a ranch here in 1840 under the auspices of Captain Henry Delano Fitch.