Russian River Valley
Sub-AVA · Sonoma County · District 3
27 CFR 9.66 · established 1983-10-21 · last amended 2024-11-06
Heat class II · 1991-2020 normals
Climate normals in three numbers
, Apr 1 – Oct 31
58 GridMET cells cover this region
season rain, Apr 1 – Oct 31
55 mm of it in the , Sep 1 – Oct 31
Warm and cool vintages since 1980
loading vintages…
Rain across the season, and at harvest
loading vintages…
The boundary
Hovering a shaded region names it; a click opens its page.
Measured vineyard area
loading crop mapping…
Drought categories, year by year
Sonoma County — not Russian River Valley
loading drought monitor…
What's in the ground
6.0
pH, 1:1 water
17.8cm
, whole profile
129cm
to
Well drained
, dominant condition
Distribution across 181 · mean ◆, median │, p10–p90 bar
Dominant
- 14.5%
- 13.5%
- 8.6%
- 8.3%
- 6.3%
181 map units · soil described over 96.9% of the region’s area · 2.8% is water, rock outcrop or other non-soil · 60% of the described area has a restrictive layer within the profile.
Sand, silt and clay, against every other appellation
Loam
45% sand · 33% silt · 23% clay
Sandier than 62% of California appellations and clayier than 55%. Each grey point is one appellation’s topsoil; appellations nest, so this is a distribution of places rather than of land.
Plus 13% rock fragments by volume, which the triangle does not describe — the three fractions are of the fine-earth material only.
Elevation, slope and aspect
loading terrain…
Producers
A curated roster, not a census — only source-verified entries appear, 2772 published across the atlas.
Bearing acreage by variety
Sonoma County · District 3
loading acreage…
Price per ton
Sonoma County · District 3
loading crush report…
The appellation in federal law
The boundary, in the government’s own words (1,110 words)
(c) Boundaries. The Russian River Valley viticultural area is located in Sonoma County, California. (1) Starting point Healdsburg map-Healdsburg Avenue Bridge over the Russian River at Healdsburg. Proceed south along Russian River to the point where Russian River and Dry Creek converge, from this point proceed west in a straight line to Forman Lane. (2) Proceed west along Foreman Lane to where it crosses Westside Road and becomes Felta School Road. (3) Proceed west on Felta School Road to the point where it crosses Felta Creek. (4) Proceed 18000′ up Felta Creek to its headwaters as shown on the Guerneville, map as “Springs.” (5) Proceed southwest in a straight line 58 degrees W 27000′ to an intersection with Hulbert Creek on the Cazadero map. (6) Proceed south and southeast along Hulbert Creek to the point where it intersects California Hwy 116 on the Duncan Mills map. (7) Proceed in a westerly direction along California Hwy 116 to Monte Rio where it intersects the Bohemian Hwy. (8) Proceed southeast along the Bohemian Highway, crossing over the Camp Meeker map, to the town of Freestone, where the highway intersects at BM 214 with an unnamed medium-duty road (known locally as Bodega Road, section 12, T6N, R10W, on the Valley Ford map). (9) Proceed 0.9 mile northeast on Bodega Road to its intersection, at BM 486, with Jonvive Road to the north and an unnamed light duty road to the south, (known locally as Barnett Valley Road, T6N, R9W, on the Camp Meeker map). (10) Proceed 2.2 miles south, and then east, on Barnett Valley Road, crossing over the Valley Ford map, to its intersection with Burnside Road in section 17, T6N, R9W, on the Two Rock map. (11) Proceed 3.3 miles southeast on Burnside Road to its intersection with an unnamed medium duty road at BM 375, T6N, R9W, on the Two Rock map. (12) Proceed 0.6 mile straight southeast to an unnamed 610-foot elevation peak, 1.5 miles southwest of Canfield School, T6N, R9W, on the Two Rock map. (13) Proceed 0.75 mile straight east-southeast to an unnamed 641-foot elevation peak, 1.4 miles south-southwest of Canfield School, T6N, R9W, on the Two Rock map. (14) Proceed 0.85 mile straight northeast to the intersection with an unnamed intermittent stream and Canfield Road; continue 0.3 mile straight in the same northeast line of direction to its intersection with the common boundary of Ranges 8 and 9, just west of an unnamed unimproved dirt road, T6N, on the Two Rock map. (15) Proceed southeast 0.5 mile, crossing over the end of an unnamed, unimproved dirt road to an unnamed 524-foot elevation peak, T6N, R8W, on the Two Rock map. (16) Proceed southeast 0.75 mile in a straight line to the intersection of an unnamed unimproved dirt road (leading to four barn-like structures) and an unnamed medium-duty road (known locally as Roblar Road), T6N, R8W, on the Two Rock map. (17) Proceed south 0.5 mile to an unnamed 678-foot elevation peak just slightly north of the intersection of T5N and T6N, R8W, on the Two Rock map. (18) Proceed east-southeast 0.8 mile to an unnamed peak with a 599-foot elevation, T5N, R8W, on the Two Rock map. (19) Proceed east-southeast 0.7 mile to an unnamed peak with a 604-foot elevation, T5N, R8W, on the Two Rock map. (20) Proceed east-southeast 0.9 mile to the intersection of a short, unnamed light-duty road leading past a group of barn-like structures and a medium duty road known locally as Meacham Road, and cross on to the Cotati map T5N, R8W. (21) Proceed north-northeast 0.75 mile to the intersection of Meacham and Stony Point Roads, T5N, R8W, on the Cotati map. (22) Proceed southeast 1.1 miles along Stony Point Road to the point where the 200-foot elevation contour line intersects Stony Point Road, T5N, R8W, on the Cotati map. (23) Proceed north-northeast 0.5 mile to the point where an unnamed intermittent stream intersects U.S. 101, T5N, R8W, on the Cotati map. (24) Proceed north 4.25 miles along U.S. 101 to the point where Santa Rosa Avenue exits U.S. 101 (approximately 0.5 mile north of the Wilfred Avenue overpass) T6N, R8W, on the Cotati map. (25) Proceed north 1.1 miles along Santa Rosa Avenue to its intersection with Todd Road, crossing on to the Santa Rosa map, T6N, R8W, on the Santa Rosa map. (26) Proceed 5.8 miles generally north along Santa Rosa Avenue, which becomes Mendocino Avenue, to its intersection with an unnamed secondary road, known locally as Bicentennial Way, 0.3 mile north-northwest of BM 161 on Mendocino Avenue, section 11, T7N, R8W, on the Santa Rosa map. (27) Proceed 2.5 miles straight north, crossing over the 906-foot elevation peak in section 35 of the Santa Rosa map, to its intersection with Mark West Springs Road and the meandering 280-foot elevation in section 26, T8N, R8W, of the Mark West Springs map. (28) Proceed 4.8 miles north-northwest along Mark West Springs Road, which becomes Porter Creek Road, to its intersection with Franz Valley Road, a light-duty road to the north of Porter Creek Road, in section 12, T8N, R8W, on the Mark West Springs map. (29) Proceed in a northerly direction along Franz Valley Road to the northerly most crossing of Franz Creek. (30) Proceed west along Franz Creek until it intersects the line separating Section 21 and Section 22. (31) Proceed south on this line separating Section 21 and 22 to the corner common to Section 21 and 22 and Section 27 and 28. (32) Proceed west from the common corner of Section 21 and 22 and 27 and 28 and in a straight line to the peak of Chalk Hill on the Healdsburg map. (33) Proceed west from the peak of Chalk Hill in a straight line to the point where Brooks Creek joins the Russian River. (34) Proceed north west in a straight line 8000′ to a peak marked 772′ elv. on the Jimtown map. (35) Proceed north west in a straight line from hill top 772′ elv. to hill top 596′ elv. (36) Proceed north west in a straight line from hill top 596′ elv. to hill top 516′ elv. (37) Proceed north west in a straight line from hill top 516′ elv. to hill top 530′ elv. (38) Proceed west in a straight line from hill top 530′ elv. to hill top 447′ elv. (39) Proceed west in a straight line from hill top 447′ elv. to the point where Alexander Valley Road meets Healdsburg Avenue. (40) Proceed south along Healdsburg Avenue through the city of Healdsburg on the Healdsburg map to the point where it crosses the Russian River at the point of beginning.