About Fog Crest Vineyard

The Fog Crest Vineyard

Fog Crest Vineyard was established in 1998 in the Russian River Valley American viticultural area of Sonoma County, California. The estate has a long tradition in agriculture, formally raising hops, apples, and now wine grapes just north of the town of Sebastopol. The rolling hills with a south/east exposure provide for both excellent drainage and the full morning sun so necessary in the cool Russian River Valley. The vineyard soils are dominated by the Wilson Grove formation, a sandstone ridge that used to be beachfront property 3 - 5 million years ago. This fine-grained, marine sandstone yields the locally famous Goldridge - Sebastopol sandy loam soils long favored by the area’s agricultural community. These influences combine to create a classic terroir in the Russian River Valley. Our vineyard is planted with two carefully selected Dijon clones of chardonnay, and a combination of three Dijon clones and two heritage clones of pinot noir.

Shallow seas - Wilson Grove Formation^*

"In west-central Sonoma County, the landscape opens to rolling hills and relatively gentle slopes near Sebastopol. This topography is typical of the Wilson Grove Formation, a fine-grained, shallow marine sandstone that formed in an embayment of the ocean three to five million years ago. It sits on top of Franciscan rocks and can be 1,000 feet thick. Fossil clam shells demonstrate marine origin and show up in wells and outcrops.

"The sandy loam soils of the apple-growing region of Gold Ridge - Sebastopol form as a direct result of breakdown of Wilson Grove rock. The low ridge running from Forestville to Sebastopol and south to Cotati is the classic terroir of this association, now being recognized as prime land and climate for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

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Russian River Valley
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir