At Domaine Carneros, Eileen Crane makes wine in a restrained style, with elegance and purity.

WSJ: Will Lyons on Wine: Thinking Inside the Bottle

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and sparkling wine are the watchwords here, with notable producers including Hyde de Villaine, Saintsbury and, for sparkling wine, Domaine Carneros.

WSJ: Will Lyons on Wine: Thinking Inside the Bottle

Anyone who thinks California can only produce rich Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot should look north of San Francisco to the Anderson Valley, Russian River Valley and Carneros.

WSJ: Will Lyons on Wine: Thinking Inside the Bottle

In Carneros, the climate is affected by the San Pablo Bay, with its sea breezes and cool fog, reducing the temperature and enabling winemakers to produce wines of ethereal elegance.

WSJ: Will Lyons on Wine: Thinking Inside the Bottle

He hopes that his 400-hectare spread--50 kilometers and several income levels from the Napa border--will be the center of a new wine appellation, like Carneros in Napa or Margaux in France.

FORBES: Magazine Article

American vintners have cultivated pinot noir for a century, but only in the last decade have they discovered the best micro-climates for growing it: Oregon's Willamette Valley and a half-dozen California locations, including Carneros in southern Napa and Sonoma counties, and coastal regions near Santa Barbara.

FORBES: The sexiest red

In no particular order, our favorites included the fresh and citrusy 2011 Paul Hobbs CrossBarn Sonoma Coast, the lively 2011 Chamisal Stainless Central Coast, the complex 2010 Ramey Russian River Valley as well as the elegant 2010 Etude Carneros, the 2011 Williams Selyem Unoaked Chardonnay and the 2011 Mer Soleil Silver.

WSJ: Comeback: Rediscover Chardonnay | On Wine by Lettie Teague