Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir grows best in poor soil where the plant produces a small crop. WSV’s Pinot Noir grows in a light, red, volcanic soil filled with rocks – many, many rocks. A 5.5 foot wall, often more than four feet thick diving the vineyards is but one accumulation of rock. The poor soil allows fitting the plants with a 2-meter row and 1.3 meters between the plants in row. Even at over 1,400 individual plants per acre, the plants once established, and dry farmed, produce an abundant crop. This means hundreds of more vines, many more rows per acre than are normally used in grape growing. The vines themselves were obtained from the mother block of Oregon State University. They are a selection of Pinot Noir clones cataloged, tested and approved by France’s clonal program. The clones have a numeric designation. WSV’s selection includes 115, 114, and 777. The clones are grown on their own roots and 3309 rootstock. The trellising is called a vertical curtain, with the fruiting canes held vertically.
The Pinot Noir of the White Salmon region continue a style most similar to that of the Willamette Valley. The slightly shorter growing season and slightly higher heat spikes of July and August tend to produce a wines of lighter color and depth than the very best of the Willamette. White Salmon Vineyard’s Pinot Noir is a work in progress. We age the wine in neautral oak for over a year. It has reasonable Pinot Noir color and obvious Pinot Noir character. Our lack of using heavier oak flavoring is to allow us, and you, to concentrate of the Pinot Noir fruit. Once this is developed we will add more oak and higher prices.
White Salmon Vineyard is grape focused. Our grapes grow into wines declaring their life experience.
They are the children of Peter Brehm’s 36 years of grape experiences. We raise grapes to wine like good children, having a mind of their own. We are listening, adjusting and hoping to share with you.
A little less poetically, we have planted Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, Malbec, and this year will add White Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. We have 36 years of buying and processing grapes, but there is no way to anticipate what will result from all your care and planning – like having children. We are adjusting the vineyard and our goals as the specific grapes mature and provide their wine. Our goal is to provide the finest expression of each varietal by matching it to our very diverse vineyard’s terriors. We will have approximately 20 acres of vineyard once completed. We hopeto survive as a small and personal vineyard.
The White Salmon River marks the cool northwest region of the Columbia (river) Gorge AvA.
White Salmon Vineyard grows, ferments and bottles Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah. The Chardonnays exhibit more tropical fruit character than common in Northern Oregon, but more restrained and vibrant than those of the warmer regions to the east of the Cascades. Unique, classic in style are parameters to the wine we grow.
Selected clones of French Chardonnay were planted with clonal selections acquired by Peter Brehm over his 36 years of working with the West’s finest vineyards. And so is it in the Pinot Noir planting of White Salmon Vineyard. An mélange of clones dominated by #115, followed by #114, #777, Swan, and a couple more.
Bunches of White Salmon Chardonnay.
One of Washington’s 1% ‘ers.
Far less than one percent of Washington’s wine comes from the Columbia River Gorge. A mountainous viticultural area that is famous for its cool maritime winds. Nestled on the East slope of the Cascade Mountain range, the west end of this recognized viticultural area centers around the White Salmon River.
Why White Salmon Vineyard Pinot Noir?
Location, location, and knowledgeable grape growing & winemaking are the answer.
The critical component for growing the finest grapes is climate. The amount of heat, humidity, sunshine, and cold is the overriding consideration of what vines will grow where. Grapes have the ability to grow in many climates, but different grape varietals develop the finest aromatics, flavor and mouth feel within very precise climatic conditions. Europe has developed over the centuries an understanding of what particular grape varietal will do best in a given climate. The challenge of the new worlds has been to find and fit the right grape to the right piece of dirt, or region. This is an exploration that has been the quest of Peter Brehm, the founder of White Salmon
Pinot Noir covered by bird netting.
Vineyard
White Salmon Vineyard is located on the East slope of the Cascade Mountains in the unique climate of the Columbia River Gorge. The Western end of the Washington’s Columbia Gorge ava is centered on the White Salmon River. This region has sufficient rainfall and soil conditions to allow grapes to be grown without irrigation. The region is best suited for producing grapes found to grow best in Burgundy, Alsace, Champagne, and Germany. This is mountainous country where it is cooler the higher you go and the further West you go.
The climate White Salmon Region of the Columbia Gorge AvA most closely resembles that of Oregon’s Northern Willamette Valley. It differs from Willamette by having a lower relative humidity, less rainfall (though sufficient for non irrigated growing), and a shorter growing season with short spikes of hot weather. This is NOT the growing climate of Washington’s high desert.
White Salmon Vineyard is located on the West side of the White Salmon River on a bench 550′ above the river. The cool climate, eastern slope, volc
White Salmon Chardonnay.
anic soil, mix of clones, row and plant spacing combine to provide a unique, ideal climate for world class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
White Salmon Vineyard is composed of 43 acres of Douglas fir, oak and vineyard. The 20 acres of vineyard encompass a wood lot of 20 acres. Underwood Mountain is the vineyard’s home. This volcanic mountain, with its series of slides, has left the 43 acres with very distinct soil types. Soil depths are deep, averaging in excess of 20 feet. The vineyard has been divided into five fields according to the varying soil conditions. Again, it is still location, location, and location, even within the vineyard.
The analogy of a person fitting a shoe to a foot is applicable. The shoe is the ground to be planted. Fitting a grape and rootstock to that soil, and fitting a particular grape variety to a particular trellis and spacing gives a new meaning to shopping. Only when the fit works does the varietal express itself fully, and the wine has the potential to reach a level of perfection.
Pinot Noir grows best in poor soil where the plant produces a small crop. WSV’s Pinot Noir grows in a light, red, volcanic soil filled with rocks – many, many rocks. A 5.5 foot wall, often more than four feet thick diving the vineyards is but one accumulation of rock. The poor soil allows fitting the plants with a 2-meter row and 1.3 meters between the plants in row. Even at over 1,400 individual plants per acre, the plants once established, and dry farmed, produce an abundant crop. This means hundreds of more vines, many more rows per acre than are normally used in grape growing. The vines themselves were obtained from the mother block of Oregon State University. They are a selection of Pinot Noir clones cataloged, tested and approved by France’s clonal program. The clones have a numeric designation. WSV’s selection includes 115, 114, and 777. The clones are grown on their own roots and 3309 rootstock. The trellising is called a vertical curtain, with the fruiting canes held vertically.
The Washington side of the federally designated Columbia Gorge American Viticultural Area represents less than 1% of the wine produced in the state of Washington.
You can be a 1%’er too. Our White Salmon Pinot Noir is available to home winemakers. For More information on how to purchase our grapes, please give us a call at (510) 527-3675.
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