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List
of Wineries "The book is noted
on the cover as a 'food and wine lover's guide' and it delivers. The
tone is personal but informative, and the authors recommend specific
wines to try and menu items to order." |
Napa Valley-Land of Golden Vines, 3rd Edition Below is part of our description of the Carneros Region in our Hill Guide to the Napa Valley. Carneros straddles the "border" between Sonoma and Napa counties and valleys, and produces some of the finest wines in the United States. Carneros is also the most sumptuous wine region on the West Coast, with rolling hills, soft fog, and valleys full of vineyards and flowers. Los Carneros, a world-famous wine region, runs from the southern part of Sonoma Valley across the hills to the southern end of Napa Valley. Less formally known as Carneros, it also has its own appellation. The Carneros region is cooler than most other parts of the Napa and Sonoma valleys due to the cool breezes and summer fog from the San Francisco Bay. These elements also provide for the slow maturation of the grapes - enhancing their flavor, color, and character - and are the ideal conditions for growing and producing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Merlot. In 1846 General Mariano Vallejo granted 18,000 acres of what is now known as Carneros to his brother-in-law, Jacob Leese. At that time, the land was called Rancho Huichica; a nearby, smaller grant of 2,500 acres known as Rincon de los Carneros gave its name to the region. In the mid-1850s many farmers planted grapes on their parcels of land in Carneros. A stagecoach ran between the farms and Sonoma along what is now Highway 12/121, known locally as the Carneros Highway. In 1870 the first winery in the region opened (first known as Winter Winery and subsequently as Talcoa Vineyards). In the late 1800s, the first wave of phylloxera, a devastating disease of grape plants spread by the phylloxera louse, struck. Then Prohibition in the 1920s temporarily eliminated wine production in the the Carneros. After the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, a winery named Garetto began making wine again. Louis Martini and Beaulieu both planted in the Carneros from the 1940s to the 1960s. In the 1970s Carneros Creek, Saintsbury, and Acacia all achieved recognition as a new breed of winery.
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