Southern Arizona is home to the Sonoita Valley, and the towns of Sonoita, Patagonia and Elgin. Located an hour south of Tucson, and just north of the Mexican border, Sonoita sits at between 4,500 – 5,200 feet elevation and was the first designated AVA in the state of Arizona. Sonoita’s native grasslands blanket the rolling hills, which are dotted with Arizona Oak, Arizona Ash, and Mesquite. The valley is surrounded by the Santa Rita Mountains, Mustang Mountains, Whetstone Mountains, and Huachuca Mountains, making the mineral deposits in the Valley’s soil a unique mixture of reddish-brownish gravely loam. Highs in the summer are in the 80s – 90s and average rain fall is between 15 – 20 inches—mostly coming during monsoon season.

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