Pinot noir is influenced by the place the grapes are grown. The regional climate determines the charactoristics of the growing season: the amount of heat, sun, wind, and the seasonal limits of the growing season. The Willamette Valley in Oregon has enough sun and heat to ripen Pinot noir but not much more. The grapes ripen late in the fall, alowing maximal flavor development while maintaining their acidity. We are blessed; there are very few places in the world where this happens.
St. Innocent produces wines from grapes grown in the northern Willamette Valley, beginning just south of Salem and extending north about 40 miles. Currently we work with seven differnt vineyards, including our estate vineyard, Zenith. In many ways, our relationship with these growers and the vineyards they farm define the wines we produce.
Within this group of vineyards there are significant variations in soil type, soil depth, elevation, and exposition. All of the Willameter valley is affected by winds blowing from the Pacific Ocean through the Van Duzer Corridor eastward. The winds begin blowing in the late afternoons and they cool the vines to different extents. These winds shorten the growing day, cool the clusters, and help the vines retain acidity. The stronger their effect, the darker the fruit profile and the more spice in the wine. The McMinnville AVA is the most affected, forming the northern mouth of this trumpet shaped channel to the Pacific Ocean. Next in intensity is the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. The Yamhill-Carlton District is somewhat protected as are the Dundee Hills.
The map below shows the location of Oregon's northern Willamette Valley, the Van Duzer Corridor and the sub-AVA's.
Eola-Amity Hills
St. Innocent and our estate vineyard are located in the center of the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. We make wine from two other vineyards in this same area: Justice and Temperance Hill Vineyards. Although they are only a mile or so from our estate, their microclimates are very different. The Eola-Amity AVA is 15 miles due east from the mouth of the Van Duzer Corridor.
Here is a detail of the center of the Eola-Amity Hills showing those three vineyards and their relationship to our neighbor wineries.
