Grape Varieties & Selections

When you drive through the Willamette Valley, one of the first things you will notice is that vineyards, though prevalent, do not dominate the landscape. The most beautiful feature of this place is its diversity. Almost anything can be grown successfully here. The same is true for grape varieties. So, when it came to selecting grape varieties and clones for our site, we were guided by a few considerations - our specific growing conditions, flavor development, resilience. Ultimately, we planted more than a dozen grape varieties on just over fifteen acres of our farm, including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Aligoté, Chenin Blanc, Gamay Noir, Godello, Mencia, Savagnin, Albariño and Arinto.

 

Growing Conditions

 

We have focused on the grape varieties and clones we believed would excel in our climate and on our site. There are important similarities between the Willamette Valley and other grape growing regions like Northwest Spain and the Loire Valley - the climate, the volume and seasonality of rainfall, the soil types, the proximity cold oceans and rivers, the forested mountain ranges. These similarities, stronger than the connections with other regions like Burgundy, played an important role in our decision making.

 

Flavor Development

 

Every year, our goal is to ensure that there is harmony between phenolic ripeness and sugar ripeness. To achieve this, we have focused on varietals and clonal selections that we believe have somewhat longer ripening curves, have more natural acidity, and produce the most intense and interesting flavors. Wherever possible, we gravitated toward lower yielding selections (with smaller clusters and berries) to concentrate and intensify the flavors. We have planted things like Aligoté Doré, a special clone of Gamay Noir from Morgon, a Chenin Blanc selection from the Loire and heirloom selections of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

 

Resilience

 

Some of the best wines are made in regions where the grapes struggle to ripen in certain years. In the face of a warming climate, we have selected varietals and clones that will ensure our farm remains well positioned to produce superb wines well into the future even as our growing seasons become hotter. Though climate change is producing consistently warmer years in the Willamette Valley, vintage variation remains an important consideration. That is why we also planted varietals and clones that can be used to make a diverse style of wines: still or sparkling, lean or powerful. With this versatility comes resiliency and the ability to deliver beautiful and compelling wines to our customers each year.