American Viticultural Area · CA
Sonoma Coast
Sonoma Coast is a federally-designated American Viticultural Area in CA, established in 1987. The map below shows its official TTB boundary alongside nearby AVAs.
The Sonoma Coast boundary is highlighted. Nearby AVAs are rendered in gray — click any of them to view that AVA's page.
At a glance
Established
1987
State
CA
Climate
Cool maritime
Signature varietals
Boundary recorded in 27 CFR Part 9 · Source: TTB
About the Sonoma Coast AVA
Sonoma Coast, designated 1987, is enormous — covering roughly 750 square miles along the western edge of Sonoma County and stretching from San Pablo Bay nearly to Mendocino County. The defining characteristic is proximity to the Pacific Ocean and the cool, foggy maritime climate that comes with it. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the signature varietals; the further west you go, the cooler and more challenging the growing conditions become.
The AVA overlaps geographically with Russian River Valley, Petaluma Gap, Fort Ross-Seaview, and Northern Sonoma, making Sonoma Coast a textbook example of why AVAs cannot be modeled as a strict hierarchy. A single vineyard in the Sebastopol Hills can be inside Sonoma Coast, Russian River Valley, and Northern Sonoma all at once — each is a legitimate labeling option for the same fruit, subject to the 85% rule.
Nearby AVAs
Other American Viticultural Areas closest to Sonoma Coast — useful when a vineyard sits inside more than one AVA at once.