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Vineyards in the Russian River Valley vary in size, from small family-owned wineries, with fewer than 25 acres, to larger farms. Winegrowers include both direct descendents of the Italian-American growers who established farms more than a hundred years ago, as well as many of the leading innovators responsible for the rebirth of premium winemaking in the 1970s and 1980s. Vineyards continue to share the land with farms devoted to sheep, cattle, apples, berries, market gardens, nursery products, Christmas trees, and other animals and crops.
Regions
The Russian River Valley is comprised of three different regions, each with unique climate and soil characteristics that determine the stylistic nature of the primary grapes grown in the area. The result is a diverse nature within each of the grape varieties, depending on the region in which the grapes were cultivated.
The closest to the ocean and coolest of the three regions, Green Valley is home to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and the production of sparkling wine. Predominately fine, sandy, Gold Ridge loam soils create favorable conditions for these later-ripening varieties.
The full effects of the fog are very evident in the Laguna Ridge and Santa Rosa Plain region. Although it usually burns off by mid-to-late morning, giving the grapes sufficient daylight hours to fully ripen, the fog brings in enough cold to maintain high levels of acidity, even at elevated maturity levels. Soils are thick with high clay content.
The farthest region from the source of the cooling fog, the days begin to warm up earlier as the fog retreats to the coast. Although the Russian River Valley is generally a very cool growing region, these north and northeast portions of the appellation have a warmer climate and soils with high volcanic ash.
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