Climate
Overall, premium wine grapes do best with warm sunny days during the growing season with cooler nights. Warm for sugar development, cool for maintaining good acidity. Not hot, not humid, not rainy, not late spring or early autumn hard frosts. So yeah, great grapes are kind of particular.
Looking at coastal California (this includes Napa and Sonoma Counties) you find abundant sunshine with temperatures moderated by a cool Pacific Ocean. Growing grapes near water not only moderates summer temperatures, but helps with avoiding those killing frosts. This is why you find northern vines growing in places like along the Finger Lakes and Lake Michigan.
Microclimates are small regions with their own unique weather patterns. In coastal California this can vary from vineyard to vineyard. Visitors usually remark on the microclimates of Sonoma County as one part of the county can be cold while another quite warm. Or they get surprised by the chilly night air even in the middle of summer.
Some grapes like it cooler, such as chardonnay and pinot noir, but if you want cabernet sauvignon to ripen you'll want somewhere warmer. Sonoma County is unique in that you can grow these different grapes within a few miles of each other.
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| Cool marine air off the Pacific is a common sight in coastal California |
Soil
Sonoma County has many different soils types, more than all of Western Europe. We have hills, valleys, rivers, bays, ancient volcano activity, the ocean and earthquake fault lines that all contribute to the diversity. Different soils will produce different wines. One might give lower acidity, another lower tannins, and another more aromatics. So just like with climate some grapes do better in different soil types.
Mostly it's important to have well-drained soil and one that's not too rich in nutrients. That's right, you don't want to promote too much vine growth as you want the energy and nutrients to go into the grapes.
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| Yes, they don't need the most fertile soil |
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