Replace the vineyards with grass, throw in a few more cows, and Carneros would probably look a lot like it did 100 years ago. In Spanish, Carneros means sheep or ram and grazing has been the mainstay of this region for hundreds of years. In fact, it has more of a Wild West feel to it than much of the region and was home to the annual Sonoma Rodeo until 1950.

In addition to the grazing land, there were once fruit orchards growing every type of soft fruit. The first vineyards were thought to have been planted in 1830s, and by the end of the 1800s the advent of the ferries and railroad had made Carneros a veritable fruit and wine basket.

Phylloxera and Prohibition wiped out the small wine industry in Carneros, and it didn’t get back on its feet again until the 1960s. By then, the fruit growers had moved elsewhere and the march of the vineyards across the pastureland began.

Today, the western part of Carneros primarily resembles grazing land, and huge marshes still merge at the edge of the bay with the low-lying flatlands. Drive east, and hills are now covered with vineyards as far as the eye can see, a sign that cows will probably not return here anytime soon.

The Wines

The 39,000-acre Carneros appellation borders San Pablo Bay and straddles the county line dividing Napa and Sonoma Counties, though the majority of its vineyards are actually on the Sonoma side of that line, hence it’s included in this chapter and not in the Napa Valley chapter although both regions claim it as their own. The cool winds that blow off the bay and the murky cloud cover that often takes half the morning to burn off in the summer help make this one of the coolest appellations in California, ideal for creating crisp, acidic pinot noir and chardonnay grapes.

Not surprisingly, those two varietals fill 85 percent of the vineyards, but more winemakers are now discovering that very distinctive wines can be made from syrah and merlot grapes grown here. Carneros is about as cool as it can be for merlot to ripen completely, and the resulting wines have a greater softness and subtlety than their hot-climate cousins.

Despite its cool, damp appearance, Carneros actually gets less annual rainfall than any other part of Napa or Sonoma County. In addition, the fertile-looking topsoil is usually only a few feet deep and sits on top of a layer of dense, cold clay that is unforgiving to vines.

There are far fewer wineries in the Carneros region than its size might suggest. Its prized, cool growing conditions mean that most of the vineyards seen from the road are either owned by, or sell their grapes to, wineries based outside the area. Those that are open range from international champagne houses to tiny, family-owned businesses where you’re more likely to experience informative (and free) tasting sessions that used to be the norm in Napa and Sonoma.

Finding some of the wineries can be a test, best taken when sober. Plenty of big, white signs mark the vineyard owners, but they’re of absolutely no help in actually finding a winery, so a sharp eye is needed to spot the tiny signs tied to trees and posts. Most of the bigger wineries are fairly obvious from the main road, however.

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