About Los Carneros
Los Carneros is California's most southerly major wine appellation, straddling the border between Napa and Sonoma counties at the northern tip of San Pablo Bay. The region's cool, wind-swept climate — shaped by persistent bay breezes and morning fog — makes it one of California's premier sources for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and sparkling wine.
The name 'Carneros' comes from the Spanish word for rams — a reference to the sheep that once grazed these rolling hills before viticulture took hold in the late 19th century. The appellation's defining characteristic is its climate: cool temperatures, persistent winds from San Pablo Bay, and morning fog that burns off by midday create a long, slow growing season ideal for cool-climate varieties. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay dominate production, with both Napa and Sonoma sides of the appellation producing wines of remarkable elegance and precision. Carneros is also California's most important sparkling wine region, with Domaine Carneros and Gloria Ferrer producing méthode champenoise wines of genuine distinction.