Fort Ross Estate Tasting Room
Enjoy their 90-minute seated wine and food tasting experience held on their beautiful Estate overloo
Fort Ross-Seaview is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located within the larger Sonoma Coast AVA in Sonoma County, California. This viticultural region is known for its cool, coastal climate and is particularly renowned for the production of quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines.
The area was established as an AVA in 2011, following a petition sparked by a group of local winegrowers who wanted to distinguish their vineyards and terroirs from the broader Sonoma Coast AVA. The region is named after the historic Fort Ross, a 19th-century Russian fur trading outpost, and the nearby seaside town of Seaview.
The Fort Ross-Seaview AVA covers a total area of approximately 27,500 acres, with vineyards planted on various sites along the coastal ridges, with some vineyards sitting at elevations of 1,200 to 1,800 feet above sea level. Thanks to its high elevations and proximity to the Pacific Ocean, the region enjoys a cool, maritime climate, with plenty of fog and wind, allowing the grapes to ripen slowly and maintain their natural acidity levels, which is ideal for the production of balanced, elegant wines with fresh fruit flavors.
Regarding the topography, the region is primarily composed of steep, rugged terrain, with vineyards planted on hillsides with well-drained, rocky soils, which further help to limit vine vigor and reduce grape yields, leading to more concentrated, expressive wines. Most of the vineyards in Fort Ross-Seaview are small, family-owned operations, with a focus on sustainable, low intervention viticulture and winemaking practices.
