We visit the Carneros region often for the purpose of wine tasting. There are several excellent wineries there, one of which is featured in this issue. If you go, we urge you to look around and enjoy Carneros for more than just the wine.
Carneros cuts across the southern end of both Napa Valley and Sonoma County. Actually, it is a bit of a misnomer to say that it’s in Napa Valley. There are rolling hills but for the most part it’s flat, with the mountains to the north. The main road across Carneros is Route 12, also known as the Sonoma Highway on the Napa side and the Carneros Highway once it enters Sonoma. Just to confuse things, it is also Route 121 over much of its length.
Unlike other crossings between Napa Valley and Sonoma County, there are no hairpin turns and switchbacks. What there is, is a lot of traffic. If you get off the main drag to visit a winery or just to take in the scenery, you’ll find it difficult to make a right turn and left turns are death defying.
Nonetheless, we recommend that you do get off the highway. In lots of ways, Carneros is different than the rest of both Napa and Sonoma. It’s a great deal more rustic, with fewer wineries or any other businesses, for that matter. There are fewer shady lanes, such as the Oakville Cross in Napa Valley or River Road in Russian River. But there are open vistas, with the best views coming from the hilltop winery, Artesia. We suggest that, in addition to tasting wine, you drive around and take in the atmosphere of Carneros.
And somehow, the air feels different. That’s because much of Carneros is so close to the northern end of the Bay Area, San Pablo Bay. The Carneros region gets cool, maritime breezes and overnight fog plus abundant sunshine. These make ideal conditions for certain grapes: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Chardonnay is grown everywhere in both counties, but with rare exception, Napa Pinot Noirs come from Carneros. We find that Carneros Pinot Noirs have a unique combination of power and subtlety. That’s why we so open many bottles from there. There is one winery situated in Napa Valley, Etude, that grows its grapes down the road in Sonoma County. Is it a Napa wine or a Sonoma one? They get around by simply labeling their bottles as Carneros.
There aren’t many places to eat in Carneros. The Carneros resort has two restaurants, the Boon Fly Café and Farm. The former is casual and there’s always a crowd waiting to get in. Farm is an upscale restaurant, better suited to a fine meal than a snack between tastings. The Stanly Lane Smokehouse is a deli just off the Sonoma Highway, and is good for sandwiches. Bloom Carneros is a casual place for lunch on the Sonoma side.
Carneros is more laid back than much of the rest of Napa Valley. In some ways, it brings a Sonoma vibe to Napa. Once you get off Route 12 on the Sonoma side, the roads are small and winding; it’s easy to get lost. But you’re never that far from the town of Sonoma and there are a lot of signs that point the way.
So if you’d like to put the country in Wine Country, we recommend a few hours spent in Carneros.