Petaluma Gap: the wind’s road through the hills
The low corridor where sea air pours inland every afternoon, from the Pacific at Bodega Bay to the marshes of San Pablo Bay. Tap a layer to read it.
Swipe the plate sideways to see the whole section.
Schematic. The line runs WNW to ESE for 63 km, from the sea off Bodega Bay past Two Rock and Petaluma to the bay marshes beyond Lakeville. Gap’s View lies a little off the line. Formation contacts are simplified from the USGS and CGS Santa Rosa and Petaluma maps, and the Rodgers Creek fault is placed approximately; neither has been field-checked. Heights from AWS terrain data. Gap’s View is placed from its sales listing on Adobe Road; its exact location is not confirmed.
8 layers, youngest at the top
Single vineyards we pour from. Tap one on the plate.
What the wind does in the glass
- Inland heat pulls sea air through the gap most afternoons; the vines shut down early in the day’s heat.
- Wind thickens the skins and keeps berries small, so colour and tannin run deep for a cool site.
- The season is long: budbreak early, harvest late, acidity kept.
- Dry, moving air keeps mildew and rot pressure low, even with morning fog.
Did you knowThe Petaluma Gap is one of the few American appellations drawn on wind. Its petition mapped how often the afternoon wind reaches 8 mph or more between April and October.
Pas Mal wines on this ground
Petaluma Gap
- Beauty of Three Pinot NoirFlanagan
- Pinot Noir Gap's ViewFlanagan
- Pinot Noir Sonoma CoastFlanagan
- The Beauty of Three Pinot NoirFlanagan
- Casa ChardonnayKeller Estate
- Casa Pinot NoirKeller Estate
- Chardonnay La Cruz Petaluma GapKeller Estate
- Pinot Noir La Cruz Vineyard Petaluma GapKeller Estate
- Syrah Petaluma GapModel Farm Wines
Sources: TTB final rule, Petaluma Gap AVA (Federal Register, 7 December 2017); Petaluma Gap AVA petition (regulations.gov); USGS and California Geological Survey, Santa Rosa and Petaluma geologic maps; Keller Estate vineyard notes; Crexi listing, Gap’s View Vineyard; AWS Terrain Tiles.