View full sizeJ.K. Carriere tasting room in Newberg.More
More than 30 wineries and 100 vineyards dot the sprawling Chehalem Mountains AVA, which stretches 20 miles from Wilsonville in the southeast to Forest Grove in the northwest.
The Chehalem Mountains AVA became Oregon's 15th designated winegrowing area in 2006 and is contained entirely within the larger Willamette Valley AVA.
While pinot noir is the area's predominant grape variety, pinot gris and chardonnay are also widely grown, along with lesser amounts of riesling and pinot blanc.
The overwhelming majority of the AVA's 1,600 acres of vineyards are planted in three categories of soil: basaltic, sedimentary and loess. Each category, say winemakers here, tends to produce a different style of wine.
Jory is the best known of the basaltic, or volcanic, soils found here. Pinot noir vines planted in jory tend to produce wines whose scents and tastes are characterized by red fruits, such as raspberries and cherries.
Chehalem Mountains' sedimentary soils -- derived from ancient seabeds composed of silt and sandstone -- yield wines that are notable for dark fruits, such as black plums and blackberries. They tend to be darker in color than their basaltic counterparts and are often said to be more about power and less about elegance.
Grapes grown in loess -- the German word for "windblown" -- produce wines often considered to be spicier than those stemming from basaltic soils. Since loess can range in depth from 6 inches to many feet, the roots of its vines may or may not easily reach the so-called "parent" material or bedrock below the vineyard.
Names of proposed AVAs, according to federal guidelines, must have verifiable historical significance. In Chehalem's case, its proponents chose the mountain range that rises from the Coast Range south of Forest Grove.
The AVA itself is far too large to produce wines that can immediately be identified as coming from that specific area, says Oregon pinot noir pioneer David Adelsheim, founder of Adelsheim Vineyard in Newberg and an early advocate of the Chehalem Mountains AVA.
But, as with the Ribbon Ridge sub-AVA of the Chehalem Mountains AVA that's already been approved, he said, that may change in the future.
"I expect we'll eventually have at least six sub-AVAs of the Chehalem Mountains," Adelsheim said. "By the time things are narrowed down that much, I expect that the wines from those particular areas will have characteristics that are similar and recognizable."
Other leading producers in the Chehalem Mountains AVA include Sineann Winery, J. Albin Winery, Quailhurst Vineyard Estate, Owen Roe Winery, Rex Hill Vineyards, J.K. Carriere Wines, August Cellars and Chehalem.
-- Dana Tims
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| 1 | Adelsheim Vineyard | D2 |
| 2 | Anam Cara Cellars | D3 |
| 3 | Anne Amie Winery | E1 |
| 4 | Arborbrook Vineyards | C2 |
| 5 | Ardiri Winery and Vineyards | B2 |
| 6 | Artisanal Wine Cellars | D3 |
| 7 | August Cellars | D3 |
| 8 | Bishop Creek Cellars | D2 |
| 9 | Blakeslee Vineyard Estate | C3 |
| 10 | A Blooming Hill Vineyard | A1 |
| 11 | Carabella Vineyard | E4 |
| 12 | Chehalem Downtown Tasting Room | D3 |
| 13 | Chehalem Winery | D3 |
| 14 | Colene Clemens Vineyards and Winery | B1 |
| 15 | Dark Horse Tasting Room | D3 |
| 16 | De Lancellotti Family Vineyards | C2 |
| 17 | Elk Cove Vineyards | B1 |
| 18 | Ferraro Cellar | D3 |
| 19 | Freja Cellars | B2 |
| 20 | Fox Farm Vineyards | D2 |
| 21 | Hip Chicks Do Wine Newberg Tasting Room | D2 |
| 22 | J. Christopher Wines | C2 |
| 23 | J.K. Carriere | D4 |
| 24 | K & M Wines | C4 |
| 25 | Lachini Vineyards | C2 |
| 26 | Laura Volkman Vineyards | D3 |
| 27 | Lawton Winery | C2 |
| 28 | Le Cadeau Vineyard | E4 |
| 29 | McKinlay Vineyards | E4 |
| 30 | Medici | D3 |
| 31 | Natalie's Estate Winery | C2 |
| 32 | Owen Roe | D3 |
| 33 | Penner-Ash Wine Cellars | D1 |
| 34 | Ponzi Vineyards | B4 |
| 35 | Prive Vineyard and Winery | D3 |
| 36 | Quailhurst Vineyard Estate | D4 |
| 37 | Raptor Ridge Winery | C2 |
| 38 | Rex Hill | D3 |
| 39 | ROCO Winery | D2 |
| 40 | Shea Wine Cellars | D1 |
| 41 | Sineann | D3 |
| 42 | Six One Four | D3 |
| 43 | Terra Vina Wines | E4 |
| 44 | Toluca Lane | D3 |
| 45 | Tresori Vineyards | C2 |
| 46 | Vidon Vineyard | C2 |
| 47 | Vojtilla Vineyards | E4 |
| 48 | VX Vercingetorix Pinot Wines | E3 |
| 1 | Aramenta Cellars | C1 |
| 2 | Ayres Vineyard & Winery | C1 |
| 3 | Beaux Freres | C1 |
| 4 | Brick House Vineyards | C1 |
| 5 | Patricia Green Cellars | C1 |
| 6 | Redman Vineyard and Winery | C1 |
| 7 | Ribbon Ridge Vineyard | C1 |
| 8 | Styring Vineyards | C1 |
| 9 | Trisaetum Winery | C1 |
| 10 | Utopia Vineyard & Winery | D1 |
| 11 | Whistling Ridge Vineyards | C1 |