Earthly Delights in Oregon

The new 20 foot long tasting bar with a layered soil display running its entire length is an incredible introduction to Alexana Winery’s 80-acre property. Vineyard Manager, Evan Bellingar, a soil aficionado and grape-growing master, spent the morning educating the Alexana team about the vineyard practices. Here’s what we learned:

Located in the Dundee Hills appellation of Oregon’s Willamette Valley, this appellation is marked by a number of unique geographic elements that make it unlike any other grape growing site in the world. Located between 360 and 640 feet above sea level, the site has eighteen soil types spread over a combination of rolling hills, steep slopes and rugged terrain. Evan took five of these very distinctive soil types to use for the Tasting Room display: Marine Sedimentary, Clay Loam, Clay, Jory and Organic Matter. Pinot Noir is very expressive of terroir and, as a result of the differing soil types in the vineyard, the Alexana Pinot Noirs are complex, mysterious and seductive.

Using the Alexana Winery’s LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology) standards of sustainable viticulture, the vineyards are dry farmed meaning that no irrigation is used. Grapevines that are dry farmed develop deeper roots, have a slightly different cell structure and can produce better, more complex fruit and, therefore, better wines. The roots are forced to burrow deep into the earth for nourishment, allowing them to pick up intriguing minerality in the process. In the end, the wines are more distinctive and more representative of their respective terroir.

In the winter, Evan plants cover crops such as Vech, Legumes and Clover to deliver nutrients to the grapevines. Cover crops draw any abundant moisture from the soil and help to reduce the vigor of the vines. Evan and his crew also use Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP), a training system used in conjunction with Guyot that encourages better airflow through the vine. All of the shoots are trained to grow vertically and the increased airflow helps to prevent problems associated with disease, allowing the fruit to dry out quickly after rains (particularly appropriate in Oregon’s wet winters). VSP also exposes the grapes to the sun earlier in the season, encouraging them to ripen more evenly within the bunch.

The vineyards are hand-farmed, a laborious process ideal for the delicate-skinned Pinot Noir grapes where mechanized farming would be too aggressive. The vines are meticulously pruned, trimmed, thinned and picked by hand to emphasis the quality of the fruit. In the end, the grapes and the wines that they produce are a perfect blend of science, passion and artistry. Raise a glass and enjoy!