What is the difference between napa county and napa valley

Sometimes they decide to try both on a visit. If not, stick to one of these areas a vacation. Consider these ideas on deciding to visit Napa Valley or Sonoma wine country.

The Napa Valley runs north and south for 30 miles. To the south is the city of Napa, and at the northern end is the town of Calistoga. At its widest point, the Napa Valley is five miles.

However, the Sonoma wine region is much larger than the Napa Valley. The Napa Valley has four tourist destination towns. These are Napa, Yountville, St.

Helena, and Calistoga. All of which are fun wine towns. Looking down Lincoln Avenue in Calistoga. Napa Valley wineries make many varieties of wine. Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon have the greatest vineyard acreage and production. Sonoma has more varieties of wine. The large geographic area of Sonoma lends itself to growing many types of grapes. The Napa Valley wineries are close to one another and are easy to find and visit. Drive along Highway 29 or the Silverado Trail, and there are many wineries to visit.

Sonoma wineries are more spread out. There are many more secluded backroads in Sonoma. There is much more traffic and congestion in the Napa Valley. Sonoma is larger, so there are more roads to travel to wineries. Napa Valley tasting rooms can be very crowded with tourists. Young Napa Cabernet Sauvignons can be smooth and potent; they can also age into profoundly elegant wines.

An ancient grape descended from Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc, Chardonnay is known for its exceptional ability to take on the characteristics of its terroir.

It thrives in the calcium-rich soils and cooler climates at the southern end of the valley, where it yields a broad spectrum of wines that range in style from rich, round, and opulent to lean, crisp, and zippy. Napa Valley has developed a reputation for turning out complex, age-worthy Chardonnays. Other styles may yield lighter wines with brighter acidity.

They may also show more citrus, peach, pear, or apple notes with hints of caramel, vanilla, brioche, or hazelnut. Since the s, Merlot has traditionally been used as a blending wine in Napa Valley.

Its soft tannins, juicy cherry flavors, and herbaceous notes make it an ideal partner for Cabernet Sauvignon. However, Merlot gained recognition as a monovarietal wine in the s and remained extremely popular for about a decade.

No longer as trendy, Merlot still holds its own in Napa. Its best expressions result in wines that are deep in color with soft, velvety tannins and notes of black cherry, black currant, plum, dark chocolate, cedar, and espresso.

This aromatic parent grape of Cabernet Sauvignon is increasing in popularity. Wines from northern areas of the valley typically show melon and other tropical fruit notes, while those from the south are more likely to exhibit grassy and herbaceous flavors.

In general, Sauvignon Blanc tends to give light- to medium-bodied wines with vibrant acidity. In a rebranding effort in , Robert Mondavi created a double-identity for Sauvignon Blanc. The wines are brightly acidic with fine tannins and mixed red and black fruit flavors. Some styles show violet or cedar notes and a spicy character. These days, 9 percent of Napa County is under vine. The region is home to wineries and 95 percent of them are family-owned.

Producers remain devoted to their signature Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay wines. They continue to create many of the highest quality and most collectible wines in America. But Napa also has a long history of being a hotbed for experimentation.

Napa Valley is also a leader in environmental efforts to protect its land through sustainable agricultural practices, conservation easements and other land preservation programs, and green business practices in the wineries. Nearly 90 percent of Napa County is under protection from development. Rainfall: 38 inches 96 cm annually. Soils: Volcanic in origin, with basaltic red color, shallow with limited water retention, so irrigation is often essential.

Chardonnay: Crisp, floral, aromatic, with distinctive pear-mineral flavors and bright acidity. Elevation: to feet 92 to m Rainfall: up to 60 inches With colder winters and spring, as well as strong winds, harvest comes later than on valley floor at Oakville. Elevation: to feet to m. Rainfall: 35 inches 88 cm annually. Soils: On the valley floor, primarily alluvial soils with silty-clay composition of marine origin, with good fertility.

Hillsides show more clay-loam and stony-clay composition, mostly marine in origin, with some volcanic outcropping, and less fertility. Merlot typically has vibrant black cherry flavors mixed with a touch of cocoa. Daily average high temperatures can be as much as 10 degrees cooler during the hot months than most other AVAs, and heat spikes tend to be less severe. Elevation: feet m Rainfall: 25 inches 65 cm annually Soils: Primarily weathered volcanic rock and alluvial deposits from the Vaca Range that surrounds the region Principal varieties: Dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon on the hillsides with Merlot, Chardonnay, Syrah and Pinot Noir in the lower, cooler sites Diamond Mountain District AVA Climate: Moderately warm temperatures with lower maximum temperatures and higher minimum temperatures than the valley floor, due to topography and altitude.

Elevation: to feet to m Rainfall: 40 to 55 inches cm annually. Soils: Residual uplifted soils of volcanic origin, often reddish and very fine-grained, even gritty in texture, composed of both weathered sedimentary and volcanic origin. Less supple and fleshy than valley or benchland wines, with good aging potential. Rainfall: 40 to 50 inches cm annually. Soils: Predominantly volcanic, shallow and infertile.

Drainage is high, fertility low. Chardonnay, Viognier: Sinewy, firm and not as fruity as those of the valley floor, revealing more citrus and stone fruit flavors. Elevation: Sea level to feet 0 to m Rainfall: Lowest in Napa Valley: up to 24 inches 10 cm annually. Soils: Clay dominated, very shallow in general, with more loam and hillside alluvials in the northern section. Yields typically are restrained by the hard claypan subsoil, which prevents deep-rooting. Merlot: sinewy and lightly herbal, with fine tannins and sleek structure.

Pinot Noir: ripe cherry-cinnamon spice flavors with earthy notes. Mount Veeder AVA Climate: Cool to moderate, with most vineyards above the fog-line, meaning warmer nights and cooler days and less diurnal range than the valley floor. Rainfall: 35 inches Soils: Sedimentary based, former seabed, shallow and generally well drained, as well as more acidic, with low fertility. Most have a sandy or sandy-loam texture.