Fort Ross-Seaview AVA

Fort Ross-Seaview is a 27,500-acre sub-appellation on the far north-western end of the Sonoma Coast AVA. Defined as a distinct appellation in 2011, the extreme landscape is often deemed “the true Sonoma Coast” as it overlooks the Pacific beaches and receives the cool wind and fog from the frigid California Current flowing down the coast. The entire appellation resides above the fog line at and elevation of 800 feet and higher – above the fog line, allowing ample sunshine for ripening. Situated on a jagged portion of the San Andreas Fault, most of the acreage is unfarmable due its dramatic terrain. A majority of the vineyards are planted on rounded summits cloistered by thick redwood forests along the AVA’s first and second coastal ridges. Access to the sites is slow and treacherous on winding mountain roads. A combination of bountiful sunshine, cooling ocean air and fog, and a variety of shallow top soils with underlying rock define the appellation’s extraordinary fruit character.