The Sonoita AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in southeast Arizona, south of the city of Tucson. The Sonoita area is a basin surrounded by four mountain ranges, the Huachuca Mountains, the Santa Rita Mountains, the Mustang Mountains, and the Whetstone Mountains. The vineyard plantings are 4500 to 5000 ft above sea level, some of the highest in North America. The soil is alluvial fans of gravelly loam that retains scarce water well.