The boundaries of the wine appellation cover the northeast corner of the Russian River Valley AVA.

Many of the region's 1,600 acres (650 ha) of planted vineyard land is located along the western slopes of the Mayacamas Mountain reaching up to altitudes of 200–1300 feet (60–400 meters).

Compared to the rest of the Russian River Valley, the Chalk Hill region is relatively warm due to the influence of a thermal belt that runs through the area.

However the soils themselves do not contain any chalk but rather are composed of a mixture of quartzite abundant volcanic ash, sand and silty loam.

The volcanic was emitted into the area by Mount St. Helena over a course of centuries, creating vineyard soils that are not very fertile and are able to restrain vigor in the vines.