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The Soil & Terrain of Bennett Valley’s Wine Country

Bennett Valley is north of Sonoma Mountain, east of Taylor Mountain, and west of Bennett Peak. The valley is approximately five miles long and three miles wide. Soils are moderately fertile, and made of volcanic debris, loam, and alluvium. Matanzas Creek runs through the region to the Russian River in the west. Most of the AVA is within this creek’s watershed.

The AVA encompasses 8,140 total acres and is planted with 650 of vineyards. Crane Canyon opens the region up to coastal winds from the west. The AVA is mainly in Sonoma Valley, but overlaps Sonoma Coast by just under 300 acres in the west. It overlaps the Sonoma Mountain AVA a little bit too. The city of Santa Rosa is located just north of the region.

The AVA’s elevation ranges between 250 and 1,850 feet above sea level. Most of the vineyards are planted at an elevation of about 500 feet. Soils in the hills are made of lava flows and volcanic debris while soils on the valley floor have more alluvium.

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