WillaKenzie Estate
Region / Appellation
Appellations of Western Oregon
The Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley, Oregon's coolest wine appellation, is the source for most of the state's winegrapes. It is named for the Willamette River that flows for more than 100 miles, from Eugene in the south to the Columbia River at Portland in the north. The valley is approximately 60 miles across at its widest point, and the center of the valley is approximately 50 miles east of the Pacific Ocean, which provides marine air influence, depending on weather conditions and local formations of the Coast Range mountains. An average of 40 inches of rain falls annually mostly during the mild winter months. Summers are relatively warm and dry. Vineyards are typically located on benchland hillsides at the western margin of the valley.
Distinct subregions have now been identified as their own AVAs, including the Red Hills of Dundee, Ribbon Ridge, the Eola Hills northwest of Salem and the Yamhill-Carlton District southwest of Portland.
Yamhill-Carlton District
North of McMinnville, the land slowly rises to the hamlets of Carlton and Yamhill. These two communities, only three miles apart, have always been paired, sharing both a high school and a pioneer cemetery. Now they lend their names to one of Oregon’s newest AVAs. Low ridges surround the two small towns in a horseshoe shape. The freeflowing North Yamhill River courses through the center of a lush patchwork quilt of nurseries, grain fields and orchards. Above the farmlands, the neatly combed benchlands and hillsides of the Yamhill-Carlton District are home to some of the finest Pinot noir vineyards in the world.
Historically nourished by forestry and farming, this area is rapidly emerging as a global center of Pinot noir production. This pastoral corner of Oregon's northern Willamette Valley creates a unique set of growing conditions. The Coast Range to the west soars to nearly 3,500 feet, establishing a rain shadow over the entire district. Additional protection is afforded by the Chehalem Mountain to the north and the Dundee Hills to the east.
The coarse-grained, ancient marine sediment native to the area is the oldest soil in the Willamette Valley. This soil drains quickly, establishing a natural deficit-irrigation effect. Thus, the vines stop vegetative growth earlier here than elsewhere, leading to more complete ripening, even in cooler growing seasons. This allows Pinot Noir to develop deep, ruby colors and broad, silky tannins. The mouthfilling wines exude powerful fruit aromas of raspberry, blackberry and black cherries, made more complex by minerality reminiscent of pipe tobacco, espresso, clove and dark chocolate. The wines are also accented by scents of rose, violet, lavender and sweet wood smoke. These are alluring, complex, supple gems of Pinot Noir to sip and savor.
