Carneros to Coombsville: bay clay and volcanic rim
Along the top of San Pablo Bay: over the windy clay hills of Carneros, across the Napa River and the West Napa fault, and up into the volcanic bowl of Coombsville. Tap a layer to read it.
Swipe the plate sideways to see the whole section.
Schematic. The line runs WSW to ENE for 28 km from the southern flank of the Sonoma hills to Mount George. Hudson, Hyde and Overline lie 1–2 km south of the line, Shadybrook and Caldwell about 3 km north. Wildcat Mountain is placed by its published 500–750 ft, not by our map pin. Whether the Coombsville bowl is a true caldera is debated. Contacts and the West Napa fault trace are simplified from the USGS Napa map (Graymer and others, 2007) and 2014 earthquake mapping, and have not been field-checked. Heights from AWS terrain data.
7 layers, youngest at the top
Single vineyards we pour from. Tap one on the plate.
Why Carneros is cool and Coombsville is different
- Carneros sits on the bay: afternoon wind and fog come straight off San Pablo Bay, making it the coolest corner of Napa.
- Shallow clay over a dense pan limits roots and vigour, so crops are small and acid stays high.
- Coombsville faces the bay too but sits higher, in a bowl of volcanic tuff with lighter, better-drained soils.
- Open to the bay on its south-west side, Coombsville runs cooler than most of Napa.
Did you knowThe 2014 South Napa earthquake broke the ground along the West Napa fault, shifting roads and even rows of vines sideways between Carneros and Napa.
Pas Mal wines on this ground
Los Carneros
- HG III Cabernet SauvignonHourglass Estate
- HG III Cabernet Sauvignon Napa ValleyHourglass Estate
- Mabon ChardonnayHourglass Estate
- Mabon SyrahHourglass Estate
- Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay · CLOSEOUTKale David Wines
- Syrah Hyde Vineyard Carneros · CLOSEOUTKale David Wines
- Chardonnay Wildcat MountainModel Farm Wines
- Chardonnay Los CarnerosRapp Ranch
- Pinot Noir Los CarnerosRapp Ranch
- Chardonnay "Overline"Sphaerics
Coombsville
- Cabernet Sauvignon Napa ValleyPurlieu
- Cutter's Reserve Red BlendRapp Ranch
- V Red Blend Coombsville · CLOSEOUTShadybrook Estate
North of Napa: Oak Knoll and Soda Canyon
- Cabernet SauvignonGrassi
- Ribolla GiallaGrassi
- Ribolla Gialla SparklingGrassi
- SangioveseGrassi
- Hope's Cuvée ChardonnaySignorello
- Padrone Cabernet SauvignonSignorello
- SignoriSignorello
Sources: USGS Scientific Investigations Map 2918, geologic map of the Napa 1:100,000 area (Graymer and others, 2007); USGS reports on the 2014 South Napa earthquake surface rupture; USDA soil series descriptions, Haire and Coombs; Napa Valley Vintners, Los Carneros and Coombsville AVAs; Prince of Pinot and intowine.com, Wildcat Mountain notes; Napa Wine Project, Hudson and Hyde vineyards; AWS Terrain Tiles.