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Oregon Flashcards

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U.S. Geography flashcards
1
Q

Oregon AVA’s (23)
Willamette + 11 sub avas
Southern Oregon + 5
4 along northern border
1 in the east

A

Willamette Valley +11
Chehalem Mountains
Ribbon Ridge
Laurelwood District
Dundee Hills
Yamhill-Carlton
Eola-Amity Hills
McMinnville
Mount Pisgah Polk County Oregon
Tualatin Hills
Van Duzer Corridor
Lower Long Tom

Southern Oregon
Elkton and Red Hill Douglas County within,
Umpqua Valley
Applegate Valley within,
Rogue Valley

Walla Walla Valley
The Rocks of Milton-Freewater
Columbia Valley
Columbia Gorge
Snake River Valley

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2
Q

What are the three major wine growing regions in Oregon (N-S)?

A

Willamette Valley
Umpqua Valley
Rogue Valley

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3
Q

How long is Willamette Valley?

A

120 miles from Portland past Eugene in the south.

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4
Q

What two features is Willamette valley between?

A

Cascade Mountains and the Coastal Range.

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5
Q

Who was the first to see the potential for Pinot Noir in Willamette Valley?

A

David Lett of Eyrie Vineyards and Charles Coury.

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6
Q

What is “South Block Reserve”?

A

Bottling from David Lett’s Eyrie Vineyards. 1975 “South Block Reserve” Pinot Noir achieved outstanding results in French competition and brought vindication to the efforts of these early Oregon.

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7
Q

Who purchased property in Dundee Hills in 1987?

A

Joseph Drouhin, Burgundy négociant

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8
Q

Describe Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

A

a steppingstone between California and the Côte d’Or: lighter in style and earthier than the former, riper and more forward than the latter. The cool, temperate climate of the valley invites further comparisons to Burgundy, and vintages are more variable than in Sonoma or Santa Barbara.

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9
Q

What are the 11 sub AVAs of Willamette Valley?

A

Chehalem and Eola Amity went with Crocodile Dundee to Mcdonalds and got a ribbon of yams with carlton from fresh prince

Chehalem Mountains
Eola-Amity Hills
Dundee Hills 
McMinnville
Ribbon Ridge
Yamhill-Carlton District

added after 2019:
Laurelwood District
Mount Pisgah Polk County Oregon
Tualatin Hills
Van Duzer Corridor
Lower Long Tom (Willamette’s southernmost appellation)

All located in the NW sector of Oregon between Portland and Salem.

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10
Q

Willamette Valley AVA?

Est?
Between which two mountains?
Contains which other AVAs?

A
  • AVA est. 1983
  • broad valley sandwiched between Coast Range on west and Cascades on east
  • contains Dundee Hills, McMinnville, Eola-Amity Hills, Ribbon Ridge, Chehalem Mountains, Yamhill-Carlton District
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11
Q

Rocks of Milton Freewater

A

It is named for the city of Milton-Freewater, Oregon, and a unique alluvial fan resulting in rocky soils with “baseball sized” basalt cobbles covering the earth, and is notable as being “the only AVA in the United States whose boundaries are defined by the soil type”, Unique wine flavors are said to result from the mineral composition, hydrology, and temperatures of the rocks

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12
Q

What is Jory? Where is if found? Style produced?

A

Well-drained soil series of volcanic origin, common in the “red hills” of the Dundee Hills AVA. Tasters often ascribe a lighter color and a more red fruit profile; more elegant than the the denser Willakenzie soils. The Nekia series, a shallower volcanic soil, is also common in the area.

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13
Q

What is Willakenzie? Where is it found? Style produced?

A

Marine sedimentary soil on the valley’s westernmost slopes, found in areas such as Ribbon Ridge. Tasters often ascribe wines produced on marine sedimentary soils as typically noted as darker in color and fruit profile.

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14
Q

What is the Van Duzer Corridor?
What AVAs does it impact?
How does that affect style?

A

—A gap in the Coastal Mountains that separates the valley from the ocean, directly.

—Directly impacts the AVAs in the south of Willamette; McMinnville and the Eola-Amity Hills.
—Anytime you subject the vine to winds more than 15 mph, the opening of the leaves, the stigmata, where the transfers of gases are taking place for photosynthesis. Against the wind, the vine shuts those openings and effectively slows ripening, so they end up being the last to ripen.
Wind also generate more tannic styles of Pinot Noir.

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15
Q

What mountain range has many of the coolest sites in Willamette?

A

The Chehalem Mountains, has a number of north-facing vineyards that are among Willamette’s coolest sites.

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16
Q

What white grapes are found in Willamette Valley?

A 
Pinot Gris (vinified in dry and off-dry styles)
Chardonnay
Riesling
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17
Q

What is the largest AVA in Oregon? Where is it located?

A

Southern Oregon AVA

-it stretches from just south of Eugene to the California border.

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18
Q

What are the AVAs in Southern Oregon AVA? (5)

A

Elton with Elk ears lives in Red Hill, Hawaii as an umpire playing against an apple putting on rouge

Elkton Oregon
Umpua Valley
Red Hill Douglas County
Rogue Valley
Applegate Valley
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19
Q

What is the warmest and driest of any AVA west of the Cascade Mountains?

A

Applegate Valley AVA. Within Rogue Valley and 9 miles from the California border.

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20
Q

What four AVAs in Oregon line the northern boundary with Washington?

A

Columbia Gorge (east of Portland)
Columbia Valley
Walla Walla Valley

Rocks of Milton-Freewater AVA-sits in an old riverbed within Walla Walla Valley, but completely in Oregon.

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21
Q

What AVA is on the extreme eastern side of Oregon?

How much is in Oregon?

A

Snake River Valley AVA. Shared with Idaho; there is a single vineyard on the Oregon side.

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22
Q

What are the percentage of grapes required on a bottle of Pinot Noir or Pinot Gris from Oregon?

A

The following grapes in Oregon are only held to the federal minimum 75% varietal labeling standard: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Petite Sirah, Grenache, Malbec, Marsanne, Merlot, Mourvèdre, Petit Verdot, Roussanne, Sangiovese, Sauvignon blanc, Sémillon, Syrah, Tannat, Tempranillo, and Zinfandel.

Thus, Oregon Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris must contain a minimum 90% of either grape.

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23
Q

How does Oregon maintain stricter laws for labeling by AVA?

A

A wine labeled by an AVA within Oregon must contain a minimum 95% of grapes grown in the respective appellation, rather than the 85% mandated by federal law.

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24
Q

Who is Oregon’s largest producer?

A

King Estates (A 10,000-acre extension southward, principally designed to incorporate the King Estates vineyards, was approved in 2016.)

26
Q

Who were four pioneers of the modern Oregon wine industry (Two Dicks and two Daves)

A

—David Lett- Father of Oregon wine 1965 (along with Charles Coury in 1965; interests lie in modernizing production and providing everyday appeal, while Lett was more artisanal and introspective)
—Dick Erath planted his first vineyard in 1969.
—Dick Ponzi founded Ponzi Vineyard in 1970.
—David Adelsheim-David Adelsheim planted his first vines among the Chehalem Mountains in 1972

27
Q

What winery is partly owned by Robert Parker in Oregon?

A

Beaux Freres

28
Q

In terms of latitude, what parallel does Willamette live?

A

45th parallel; same as Burgundy.

29
Q

Who planted Oregon’s first Pinot Noir and when?

A

Richard Sommer founded Hillcrest in 1961 (4 years before David Lett) and planted Oregon’s first Pinot Noir in Umpqua Valley

30
Q 
Yamhill-Carlton
Est.?
Where is located? Shape of the appellation?
Notable producers?
Notable vineyards?
A

2004
Northwest corner of Willamette; north of Mcminnville and west of Chehalem Mountains and Dundee Hills. It is a horseshoe shape that surrounds the communities of Yamhill and Carlton

Tony Sotor, Elk Cove, Ken Wright, and Penner-Ash.

Notable vineyard: Shea Vineyard is the AVA’s most important site.

31
Q 
Dundee Hills
Est.
Notable producers?
Notable vineyards?
Style of Pinot Noir?
A

2004
Eyrie Vineyard, Sokol Blosser, Domaine Drouhin, Archery Summit, and Domaine Serene.

Famed sites: Maresh Vineyard, Abbey Ridge, and the Thomas Vineyard.

Has potential to produce the Willamette Valley’s most delicate and perfumed pinot noir.

32
Q

Is there any marl or limestone in Willamette?

A

Notably, there is no limestone or marl in the Willamette Valley.

33
Q

What are the four major soils types of Willamette Valley?

What is the primary makeup and give an example of each.

A

FOUR MAJOR SOIL TYPES:
Uplifted marine sediments-More common on western side of the valley. Nutrient-poor soils derived from sandstone and shale; once composed the ocean floor—the entirety of western Oregon was under the sea about 15 million years ago. Layered marine sediments thus form the oldest bedrock in the Willamette Valley. The Willakenzie series in the northern Willamette Valley and the Bellpine series in the south are examples of soils derived from uplifted marine sediment. They tend to be sandier and thinner than the volcanic soils. Pinot Noir typically darker in color and fruit profile.

Volcanic soils- Cascades rose up some 15-17 million years ago, lava flows poured westward from the highly active volcanoes, covering the still-submerged valley floor in basalt. Reddish volcanic soils are depleted and weathered, formed atop this basalt. The Jory series, named for Jory Hill in Salem, is the best-known volcanic soil type in the Willamette Valley (and the state’s “official” soil, thanks to Scott Burns). The Nekia series, a shallower volcanic soil, is also common in the area. The volcanic soils in the Willamette Valley tend to contain more clay so have a higher water-holding capacity. Pinot Noir typically lighter color and a red fruit profile.

Loess- A windblown soil, swept into the Willamette Valley over the last 2.6 million years. Now anchored onto many of the northeastern-facing hillsides of the northern valley. Unlike the young loess soils of Washington, these reddish silt soils predate the last ice age and often intermixed with basalt-derived soils and marine sediments rather than the more fertile flood sediments. Examples include the Laurelwood, Cornelius, and Cascade series.

Missoula flood deposits- These flood-borne sediments arrived as recently as 12,000 years ago, as the cyclical Missoula Floods roared through the Wallula Gap and the Columbia Gorge, spilling out into the valley. Today about 10% of the Willamette Valley’s vineyards are on these low-lying, deep, fertile soils; they compose the valley floor and are best purposed for other forms of agriculture. Woodburn is the primary series.

34
Q

What clones of Pinot Noir were first used in Willamette Valley?

A

The Wädenswil (UCD 1A and 2A) and Pommard (UCD 4 and UCD 5) clones of Pinot Noir, planted by UC Davis grads.

-The Pommard clone was an early favorite, as it generated lusher, darker fruit, fleshier texture, and a spicier flavor; Eyrie’s “South Block” Pinot Noir was a product of Wädenswil. “VAY-den-SVEAL”, often lighter in flavor and texture, but can be more tannic.

35
Q

When was the Dijon clone first debuted in Oregon?

A

For decades the Pommard Wädenswil clones made beautiful wines, but because cooler, rainier growing seasons can leave them less ripe, Oregon reached out to Burgundy. Through David Adelsheim, Oregon State University acquired a number of Pinot Noir clones from scientist Raymond Bernard, who was propagating specific Pinot Noir and Chardonnay clones in Beaune. These clones ripened earlier and provided a wider palette of flavors and characteristics. Dijon clones made their (legal) debut in the United States in 1984. By 1989, vine cuttings of the so-called Dijon clones were released from quarantine. For several years Oregon had a monopoly on them; they are now widely planted throughout the New World. Today, Oregon vineyards grow a mix of Pommard, Wädenswil and Dijon clones, known by such three-digit numbers as 113, 114, 115, 667 and 777. Back labels on wine bottles often proudly specify the clonal mix.

36
Q

What is the typical spacing of vines for Pinot Noir in Willamette?

A

The earliest vineyards were planted at low densities with 10-12 ft. between rows, and trained along high trellises. Nowadays, one sees different approaches. Spacing between the vines, while rarely as tight as the 1x1 meter (3x3 ft.) plantings of the Côte d’Or, has shrunk considerably: modern vineyards often leave 3.5-7 ft. between rows and 3-5 ft. from one vine to the next. Canopy height has been reduced as well.

37
Q

5 ways growers in Willamette have changed over the years to limit vigor?

A 
Limit density
Rootstock choice
Cover crops
Restricted tillage
Older trellising systems (Lyre or Scott Henry) have been replaced by Guyot training and vertical trellis in newer plots.
38
Q

How does Willamette Valley style Pinot Noir differ from California and Burgundy? Is chaptalization allowed?

A

It generally has brighter acidity and lower pH than California, yet it exhibits greater fruit ripeness than the wines of Burgundy. Alcohol levels typically fall into the 13-14% range, and in some years and some vineyards chaptalization is required—it is legal in Oregon, unlike in California.

39
Q

Give two examples of whole cluster Pinot Noir in Willamette.

Give three examples of high-end oaked Pinot Noir in Willamette.

A

—whole cluster: Cristom and White Rose

—high-end oaked: Domaine Serene, Antica Terra and the new, ultra-ambitious Chapter 24

40
Q 
Chehalem Mountains AVA
Est.?
Where is it located?
Notable producers?
Nested AVA?
A

2006

  • Located in the NE section of Willamette; also happens to be the most northerly of the Willamette AVAs.
  • Dick Erath planted the region’s first vineyard in 1968, and Erath’s fellow Willamette Valley pioneers Ponzi and Adelsheim located in Chehalem Mountains today.
  • The Ribbon Ridge and Laurelwood District AVAs are located within the Chehalem Mountains AVA.
41
Q

Ribbon Ridge AVA
Est.?
Where is it located?
What is the predominant soil?

A

2005

  • The Ribbon Ridge AVA is a single spur extending southward from within the Chehalem Mountains. It is the smallest AVA within the Willamette Valley.
  • Soils are predominantly Willakenzie series, which is why it became a sub AVA of Chehalem.
  • -With fewer than 300 acres currently under vine, it is home to only a few producers, including Beaux Frères (partly owned by Robert Parker) and Brick House. However, its small size makes it one of the most densely planted areas in the entire Chehalem Mountains AVA.
42
Q

McMinnville AVA
Est.?
Where is it located?
Future possible star grape variety?

A

2005

  • McMinnville is the western most AVA in Willamette
  • South of Yamhill-Carlton and NE of Eoly-Amity Hills.
  • With the Van Duzer Corridor’s impact recalling Mistral winds, McMinnville may be an interesting location for Syrah in the future.
43
Q

Which AVA has the greatest diurnal shift in Willamette?

A

McMinnville experiences the greatest diurnal shift int he entire Willamette Valley: nighttime temperatures can plummet in the summertime by 40-50 degrees. Eola-Amity Hills also has large diurnal shifts.

44
Q 
Eola-Amity Hills AVA
Est.?
Where is it located?
Chief climatic element?
Pinot Noir style?
Notable sites?
A

2006

  • was the southernmost AVA in the Willamette Valley (no longer true; now Lower Long Tom AVA.
  • Wind; AVA sits directly east of the Van Duzer Corridor. Eola derived from the Aeolus, the greek god of winds.
  • The winds are as punishing as in McMinnville, but Pinot Noir from this region tends to be a more rugged tannic structure, deeper color, and more pronounced acidity than in areas further north.
  • Seven Springs Vineyard (Evening Land), Jerusalem Hill (Domaine Serene), and Roserock( Domaine Drouhin) are important sites fanning along the hills’ eastern edge.
45
Q

How much of Oregon is devoted to Pinot Noir?

A

Roughly 60%

46
Q

What three mountain ranges surround Umpqua Valley?

A

Coastal Range on the north west, Cascade Mountains on the east, and the Klamath/Siskiyou Mountains. (The northernmost and largest sub-range of the Klamath Mountains are the Siskiyou Mountains.)

47
Q

Notable sites of Eola-Amity Hills AVA?
Eastern Edge?
Central part of the AVA?

A
  • Seven Springs Vineyard (Evening Land), Jerusalem Hill (Domaine Serene), and Roserock( Domaine Drouhin) are important sites fanning along the hills’ eastern edge.
  • the AVA’s densest cluster of vineyards lies in the center of the hills, just north of Spring Valley Creek. Here, Bethel Heights, Justice Vineyard, Temperance Hill, and Argyle’s Spirit Hill—a high-elevation site employed in sparkling wine production—are adjacent to one another, marking the core of the AVA.
48
Q

Who was the first to commercially plant Pinot Gris in North America? When?

A

David Lett of Eyrie vineyards in 1966

-The Eyrie 1970 Pinot Gris was the first wine in the United States to carry the name of the variety on the label.

49
Q

What is the second most planted grape in Oregon?

A

Pinot Gris (also the most planted white grape in Oregon.)

50
Q

What are the four most planted white varieties in Oregon in order?

A

Pinot Gris
Chardonnay
Riesling
Pinot Blanc

51
Q

What was the original Chardonnay clone used in Oregon? What cloneis used more often today?

A

Wente selection from Napa’s Spring Mountain Vineyards came with David Lett in 1965.

David Adelsheim brought Dijon Chardonnay clones to Oregon in the 1980s. Today most new plantings are Dijon clones due to being more adaptable to cooler climate of the Willamette Valley than in California.

52
Q 
Southern Oregon AVA
Est.?
Sub AVAs?
Grapes?
What spanish grape has oddly found a home?
Climate?
How long is the AVA?
A

2004

  • Umpqua Valley (Elkton, Oregon and Red Hill Douglas County)
  • Rogue Valley (Applegate Valley)
  • Pinot Noir 1/5 of the total plantings, a lot of the fruit supplements Willamette. Syrah, Merlot, and Pinot Gris.
  • Some draw comparison to climates of Ribera del Duero; as such Tempranillo shows great promise and makes up 5% of total vineyard.
  • The climate has more in common with inland Northern Californian regions—think Lake County—than the Willamette. The growing season here is truncated, with a greater danger of early fall frosts than Willamette Valley. Diurnal shifts are often greater, and growing degree-day medians tend to be 100-300 higher (°C) than in the Willamette. Still considered Region 1.
  • AVA stretching 125 miles from south of Eugene to the California border.
53
Q

Umpqua Valley
Est?
Nested AVAs?
Leading producer?

A

1984

  • Elkton Oregon and Red Hill Douglas County
  • Abacela (makes a case for world-class Tempranillo in Oregon)
54
Q

What is the coolest and wettest AVA in Southern Oregon?

A

Elkton Oregon AVA

55
Q

What AVA in Southern Oregon is colored red by Jory soils?

A

Red Hill Douglas County AVA in Umpqua Valley.

56
Q

What is the warmest wine growing region in Oregon?

A

Rogue Valley AVA; some areas recording Region II heat summation levels comparable to Bordeaux.

57
Q

Rogue Valley AVA

  • Est.?
  • River Valley and three tributaries?
  • most famous vineyard site?
  • notable producers
A

1991

  • Rogue River and three tributaties: Illinois Valley, Applegate Valley, and Bear Creek Valley
  • Del Rio, also the largest
  • Bridgeview and Foris, smaller biodynamic estate Cowhorn has emerged as a quality leader for Rhone-style white and red wines in the region.
58
Q

What is the most densely planted region in Oregon?

A

Dundee Hills, 2,000 acres under vine.

59
Q

When did Willamette first record phylloxera?

A

Below ground, phylloxera made its first recorded appearance in the Willamette Valley in 1990, and many of the Willamette Valley’s most historic, own-rooted vineyards now live with infestation.

60
Q

Why are vines in Willamette Valley not planted below altitudes of 200ft/60m?

A

The foot of slopes are frost-prone.

United States/Canada (12 decks)

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