Yamhill Valley Vineyards is the oldest winery in the McMinnville AVA. We grow, produce and bottle all of our own grapes right here at the vineyard. Yamhill Valley Vineyards is located on a 150 acre estate in the rolling foothills of Oregon's Coast Range Mountains, one hour southwest of Portland, in the Willamette Valley.

 

            The heart of our wine making is dedicated to Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Riesling. We have recently expanded our Chardonnay plantings and plan to release it to the public in the next few years. Since our first vintage in 1983 our wines have consistently won top honors in tastings and judgings across the nation. Our 1983 Pinot Noir won first place in the famous International Wine Center Burgundy Competition in New York City.

 

            From our beginning, we have been stubbornly dedicated to the pursuit of a character that is distinctively Oregon and distinctively Yamhill Valley. Our goal is to bring forth from this unusual and exciting property the finest possible expression of its intensity, charm and uniqueness.

 

            The McMinnville AVA is located in the foothill regions where lava flows created “basal lava fingers” which can be seen amongst marine soils in the vineyards. The soils are primarily uplifted marine sedimentary loams and silts, with alluvial overlays. Beneath is a base of the uplifting basalt. Clay and silt loams average 20-40 inches in depth before reaching harder rock and compressed sediments, shot with basalt pebbles and stone.

 

            The uniqueness of the soils for winegrowing is in this 20 to 40 inch depth. Our estate vineyards lie in a cool climate; 2300 to 2500 degree days on average with 35 inches annual rainfall. The vineyards are in a protected weather-shadow of the marine-influenced climate. They are composed of primarily sedimentary clays with basalt intrusions, in a complex array of Yamhill, Carlton, Chehalem, Panther Creek and Willakenzie soil types.