Bennett Valley AVA

Bennett Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Sonoma County, California within the Bennett Valley landform. The boundaries of this appellation are outlined entirely within the North Coast AVA, primarily overlaps Sonoma Valley AVA and partially into both Sonoma Coast AVA and Sonoma Mountain AVA. It was established on October 30, 2003, as the nation's 150^th, the state's 87th and the county's thirteenth appellation by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted by Jean L. Arnold, CEO of Matanzas Creek Winery in Santa Rosa, proposing a new viticultural area in Sonoma County known as "Bennett Valley."

Sonoma Valley's smallest viticultural area of 8,140 acres (13 sq mi) is surrounded to the south, east and west by the Sonoma Mountains, southeast of the city of Santa Rosa and approximately 45 miles (72 km) northeast of San Francisco on U.S. 101. The region receives a moderating effect on its climate from the Pacific Ocean through the cool coastal fogs and breeze that creep into the area from the southwest through Crane Canyon between Sonoma Mountain and Taylor Mountain. At the outset, its vineyards cultivated about 650 acres (260 ha) with Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Grenache, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah are the leading grape varieties. The Bennett Valley appellation is almost entirely within the Sonoma Valley viticultural area. The Sonoma Mountain viticultural area, which is totally within the larger Sonoma Valley viticultural area, overlaps 1,063 acres (430 ha) (13.1%) of the Bennett Valley. A small part, 251 acres (102 ha) (3.4%), of the Bennett Valley viticultural area overlaps into the Sonoma Coast viticultural area. The Sonoma Coast and the interior Sonoma Valley viticultural areas, both within the larger North Coast appellation, share a common boundary line along Sonoma Valley's western border. This common boundary line is the site of the boundary's small overlap into the Sonoma Coast viticultural area. The plant hardiness zone ranges from 9a to 10a.