ABCs of the Pacific Northwest
Washington and Oregon, the two coastal states of the Pacific North-west, share a similar geography. The lofty Cascade range runs north to south through both states, separating a wet, rainy coast from a dry, desertlike interior. The Columbia River cuts through the mountains, providing most of the border between them.
But while the bulk of Oregon's vineyards are tucked into the state's mountain valleys, virtually all of Washington's grapes grow in that dry interior, using water from the Columbia to survive. The relatively cool summer and autumn weather in coastal Oregon favors grapes such as Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. The warm, dry conditions in interior Washington have proved best for Bordeaux varieties, Syrah and Riesling. Washington also grows a lot more grapes, with 33,000 acres in production compared with Oregon's 14,500 (though a rush of recent plantings will increase Oregon's total vineyard acreage to nearly 20,000 by 2011).
WASHINGTON
Washington's signature Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlots, Syrahs and Rieslings come from the dry eastern side of the Cascades, where the vineyards are protected from the Pacific Ocean's sweeping rains by ever-snowy peaks such as Mount Rainier and Mount Adams.
Among the state's more than 600 wineries, few follow the estate model, which requires making the wines in the same AVA as the vineyards from which they're sourced. Many of the best wineries are in the populous Seattle area. Quilceda Creek and Betz, for example, truck grapes over the Cascades. Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, the state's largest wine company, makes its Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Crest and Snoqualmie wines in facilities in eastern Washington, but maintains estate wineries at Col Solare on Red Mountain and Northstar in Walla Walla. Though the traits of specific vineyard districts are gradually coming into focus, some of the state's best wines blend grapes from several areas.
Columbia Valley, the largest and most comprehensive appellation, spreads over 18,000 square miles, essentially covering the dry part of the state, where 95 percent of the grapes grow. Labels carrying the Columbia Valley designation range from basic, everyday wines to some of Washington's finest.
Due to cool temperatures in Yakima Valley, which has 11,000 acres under vine, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot ripen well only in certain vineyards. But when they succeed, the wines can have nerve and power. Syrah here tends to be crisp and fragrant, and white grapes thrive. Yakima has three sub-AVAs: Rattlesnake Hills, Snipes Mountain and Red Mountain, the region's star, counting 700 acres at the eastern tip of the valley. Vintners prize the warm, windy, south-facing slope for its dense, often tannic wines. Some of the best producers in the state, such as Betz, Gorman and DeLille, use Red Mountain grapes exclusively or as core elements.
The 6,000 acres of Horse Heaven Hills, a low range facing the Columbia River, produce relatively gentle, supple Cabernets and Merlots. Wahluke Slope, a south-facing table that tilts toward the river as it makes a big northward bend, now has 5,000 acres in production, mostly independent vineyards that produce appealingly broad, supple wines. Walla Walla Valley, pioneered by Leonetti and Woodward Canyon, numbers 1,000 acres in the southeast corner of the state.
OREGON
Oregon's top wines come from vineyards clustered in the coastal hills. Unlike Washington, Oregon loves its single-vineyard wines, not surprising for a state known for Pinot Noir. Most wineries make several single-vineyard bottlings, often buying grapes from prominent independent growers—Ken Wright is the most prolific, typically bottling a dozen or so—while others, such as Beaux Frères and Soter, may concentrate on a single estate bottling.
Home to 300 of the state's 395 wineries, Willamette Valley is Oregon's largest AVA. Though it covers 3.3 million acres in the northwest corner of the state, fewer than 15,000 of them are planted. The Willamette River starts in the mountains south of Eugene and winds 100 miles northward before emptying into the Columbia at Portland. Pinot Noir, the state's signature grape, flourishes here. As in Burgundy, the top vineyards hug south-, west- and east-facing slopes at moderate elevations, typically less than 1,000 feet.
Clumps of low hills dot the northern part of the valley, recently divided into six sub-AVAs, each with its own mix of soils and climatic peculiarities. The jury is out on how distinctly the terroir shows in the wines, but there's no doubt that most of the best Pinot Noirs come from these areas.
Heading south from the Willamette Valley, the appellations of Chehalem Mountains, Ribbon Ridge and Dundee Hills are each home to some of the state's top producers. Yet the weather gets significantly warmer in southern Oregon, where Pinot Noir achieves less distinction in districts such as the Umpqua Valley. The weather in the Rogue Valley is more conducive to Syrah and, in very good years, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
