Oregon's Willamette Valley
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Oregon's Willamette Valley is a huge viticultural area, extending from Portland in the northwest some 150 miles south to Eugene in the west-central part of the state. It is as much as 50 miles wide in some areas, and covers 3.5 million acres ? but vineyards occupy only a small part of the area. Contrast that with the country's most famous wine region, California's Napa Valley, which is 40 miles long, but only 1 to 2 miles wide at most points. Napa Valley ? an American Viticulural Area, or AVA, in its own right ? despite its small size, has 13 specific, smaller AVAs within its borders. Most of the small wine producers of the Willamette Valley until recently have been content with their one huge AVA. The diverse areas of Willamette Valley, with their varying soils and microclimates, produce distinct types of wine. That is especially true for Pinot Noir, the Willamette Valley's specialty and the noble grape variety that is particularly sensitive to its terroir. The greatest Pinot Noir wines, French red Burgundies, are legendary for varying widely according to their individual appellations. Establishing specific AVAs within a large region would seem to make sense. It informs the consumer about the nature of the wines produced within the subregion. Winemaker Ken Wright was one of the first to try to establish subzones of Willamette Valley, as early as 1995. But he met opposition from older, established producers, most of whom make a small amount of wine, sell it out every year and didn't feel that they needed more AVAs for marketing their wines. Moreover, they couldn't agree on boundary lines for new AVAs. Second-generation winery owner Alex Sokol-Blossser reintroduced the AVA idea again in 2001; that time most of the producers agreed, and six AVAs were established within the northern one-third of the Willamette Valley, the area where almost all the wineries are located. The following are the six Willamette Valley AVAs: ? Dundee Hills: north of the little town of Dundee; perhaps the most well-known area in the valley, famous for its red, iron-rich, mainly volcanic soils; Pinot Noirs here tend to be firmly structured and long-lived. ? Yamhill-Carlton: a larger area, comprising several hills northeast of the Dundee Hills; mainly ancient, marine sedimentary soils from a long-ago flood; Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Noirs tend to be elegant and supple. ? McMinnville: The hills west of the town of McMinnville, closer to the Pacific Ocean, make up this AVA; a cooler area, with a mixture of the soils of the above two AVAs; the wines here tend to be lively and crisp. ? Ribbon Ridge: A small area, sandwiched in between Yamhill-Carlton and the Chehalem Mountains; composed of marine, sedimentary soils; the wines here are elegant, and the Pinot Noirs tend to exhibit black-fruit flavors. ? Chehalem Mountains: The largest of the new AVAs, made up of low mountains just west of the city of Portland; the soils here are a mixture of both volcanic and marine sedimentary; Chehalem wines tend to exhibit generous fruitiness. ? Eola Hills: The southernmost of the six AVAs, west of the city of Salem; the hills are cooled by Pacific breezes, and most of the soils are volcanic; Pinot Noirs are sturdy, without the finesse of wines from the northern AVAs. Two other AVAs still are pending government approval. Another huge AVA, southern Oregon, also has been established, covering more than 2 million acres south of the Willamette Valley to the California border. The area encompasses the smaller Applegate Valley, Rogue Valley and Umpqua Valley AVAs. Recent Willamette Valley vintages, from 1998 to 2003, and especially 2003, have been very warm, producing full-bodied, sturdy, atypical Oregon Pinot Noirs that are high in alcohol. Last year was cooler, producing more elegant Pinots, which are much more enjoyable. White wines have improved considerably ? not only Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc, which always have been good, but also Chardonnay and Riesling, which are now better than ever before. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WINE OF THE WEEK: 2004 Anne Amie Riesling, Willamette Valley This 2004 is crisp, lively and delicious; off-dry but with excellent acidity. It?s a lovely contrast to creamy dishes. Wholesale price: $115.00, case of 12. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- E-mail the author at: WineDum@aol.com - Charles , posted 07/09/05 |
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