“Near the heart of the Northern Willamette Valley’s cluster of sub-appellations lies a true Oregon winemaking gem: the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. This wine region deserves a closer look for its noteworthy Pinot Noirs, spectacular setting and growing reputation as a dining destination.”

Sophia McDonald interviewed many Yamhill-Carlton producers for this feature piece in Oregon Wine Press, the leading voice in Oregon wine since 1984. Belle Pente’s owner Brian O’Donnell described the Yamhill-Carlton as “a horseshoe-shaped series of hills that sit up in the northern corner of the Willamette Valley, against the Coast Range foothills. It’s in a magnified rain shadow, making it slightly warmer and drier than the rest of the northern Willamette Valley.” This is one of the greatest qualities that make the wines from Yamhill-Carlton unique from the rest of the Willamette Valley: our rain shadow and our unique soils.

She also discusses the old theory that red dirt produced better red wines and sandier, paler dirt was best for Chardonnay. Ken Wright, Michael Etzel at Beaux Frères and Dick Shea all worked to upend this theory, planting Pinot Noir on the paler, Marine sedimentary soil we have. Marine sedimentary soils dominate the Willamette Valley to some degree, as our undulating hills and valleys were once seafloor.

Dick Shea recalled planting in the 1980s in the untried region of Yamhill-Carlton, and how his first harvest in 1991 was hard to sell. Because people only knew the Dundee Hills or the Eola-Amity Hills at that time, grapes from outside of the known subregions were unlikely to fetch the prices that Shea’s grapes actually deserved. You can read more about the revolution of the reputation of Yamhill-Carlton in the article.

Today, a collaborative attitude predominates in our region, with each other and with visitors. Come visit the wineries or the town of Carlton to see what we mean!

Oregon Wine Press went on a quest to find the best Müller-Thurgau in Oregon, and they found Yamhill-Carlton to be a great source. With three different wines highlighted, we’re proud of our vineyards growing lesser known grapes.

Oregon Wine Press recently highlighted a rare grape in Oregon for a feature: Müller-Thurgau. In Müller-Thurgau Marvels, Tamara Belgard Turner investigates the history of the grape variety, and how it came to be grown in the Willamette Valley. Interviewing winemakers at both Anne Amie Vineyards and Kramer Vineyards in Yamhill-Carlton, you can see how different winemakers approach the grape, which used to be known as a neutral grape for blends but is increasingly seen in varietal wines.

Meet Müller-Thurgau: one of many grape varieties that was invented in Germany, Müller-Thurgau was created in 1882 at the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute (in the Rheingau region) by Hermann Müller. The Geisenheim institute created many grape varieties, but Müller-Thurgau is arguably the most famous, a grape created by crossing Madeleine Royale and Riesling. Because of its capability to grow in a wide variety of climates and produce fruity wine, it became very popular in Germany and was the main grape in Liebfraumilch wines.

Read the whole article to see more of how Müller-Thurgau is grown and produced at Anne Amie and Kramer in Yamhill-Carlton. “Anne Amie includes nearly nine acres of Müller-Thurgau, including some of the original 1979 plantings. Stylistically, theirs is fermented dry, more akin to bottlings from Italy. ‘We find it more versatile. It drinks great on its own as an aperitif, but it also pairs with a wide variety of foods,’ says Pearson. In fact, New York’s Gramercy Tavern once featured it by the glass.”

“Kim Kramer believes that Müller has become the MVP of their vineyard. ‘It’s one tough cookie, consistently giving us two to three times the yield compared to our Pinot Gris or Chardonnay grapes. Rain or shine, early or late harvest, this grape takes it all in stride,’ says Kramer. ‘We’ve come to rely on Müller-Thurgau’s resilience and ability to consistently produce top-notch grapes. It may not sound like a lot, but those two acres pack quite a punch,’ continues Kramer.”

Laurel Ridge Winery grows a rare grape variety called Chasselas Doré in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, and entered in the international competition for the grape in Switzerland, the Mondial du Chasselas. Bringing home a silver award makes them the first US winery to ever medal in the esteemed competition.

Laurel Ridge Winery was purchased in 1974 and began producing wine in 1986. David and Susan Teppola hand-watered their 50 acre estate, pruning and trimming together and doing all the work in the winery that first vintage.

This winery was a lifelong dream of David’s. Now operated by Susan and their daughters, Laurel Ridge is in its second generation but a love of tradition and belief in saving historical grapes is still strong. David planted a tiny parcel of Chasselas Doré on his property in 1980, and is one of only a couple producers producing the variety, along with Eyrie.

This small parcel is now inundated with phylloxera, and they produce smaller amounts of Chasselas Doré every year. But Laurel Ridge plans to plant more of the variety, especially with a phenomenal award won at the Mondial du Chasselas this year.

As Alberty explains in the article, “The APC started the competition in 2012 to showcase the quality of wines made with chasselas, Switzerland’s most widely planted white grape variety. The wines are blind-tasted by an international pool of wine judges, then scored on a 100-point scale.

Approximately 9,000 wines have competed in the Mondial du Chasselas over the years, with the vast majority coming from Swiss producers. At the 2023 Mondial du Chasselas, Laurel Ridge’s entry joined 739 other wines from Switzerland, Germany, France, Canada, England and the United States. Laurel Ridge was one of only two non-Swiss wineries to win a silver or gold medal in 2023.”

Read more about the award in the article at The Oregonian, and congratulations to Laurel Ridge!

Oregon Wine Press focused on many producers in Yamhill-Carlton in their article about the effort to revive the Oregon White Oak population in Willamette Valley. A Mighty Tall Task outlines the work of many of our member wineries in this historic endeavor.

White oaks filled the Willamette Valley in 1900, but today only 3% of the historic Quercus garryana population remains. The Willamette Valley Oak Accord was formed with about 40 original signatories who promised to preserve oaks on their property, with many going farther with replanting and restoring the habitats that foster oak savannas. Patty Mamula’s article in Oregon Wine Press focuses on a few of those signatories: Soter Vineyards, Fairsing Vineyard, and MonksGate Vineyard. You can read more about their efforts and the profound belief in restoring oaks that many wineries have in common in the article.

Mamula highlighted Soter’s 35 acres that are under a preservation program, and the presence of both oak savannas (widely spaced canopies) and more dense oak woodland (densely planted oaks create a different environment) on the Mineral Springs Ranch property. Soter has planted nearly 100 white oaks in the last year alone.

Fairsing Vineyard is a certified American Tree Farm, but they had to replant a lot of their 100 acres of forest since the 200-acre property was clear cut when Mike and Mary Ann McNally bought it in 2005. The McNallys plant many oaks yearly, attempting to find the places on their property that the white oaks like the most.

MonksGate Vineyard has almost 7 acres of preserved oak habitat that they are working to restore, partnering with the Yamhill-Carlton Soil and Water Conservation District through grants provided by NRCS. Rebecca Moore, owner of MonksGate, plans to create an educational hiking trail through this part of their property, so visitors can learn more about Quercus garryana and their preservation.

We’re always happy to share good news, and the news is in: Reader’s Digest loves Oregon wine, and they really love the Yamhill-Carlton region! You can read the whole article here, or keep reading to see who was highlighted and why (and why we think they’re right!).

Out of twelve wineries chosen, the national magazine chose three Yamhill-Carlton members, a full quarter of their list! The article features Yamhill-Carlton wineries Soter Wines, Et Fille Wines, and Ghost Hill Cellars.

The writer Jill Schildhouse chose the Willamette Valley as the best region in Oregon to visit, and although we love all Oregon wine, we have to agree! There are a lot of wineries in Oregon, and Reader’s Digest explained that they “zeroed in on Oregon wineries that featured excellent wines, impressive scenery, sustainable farming practices, hospitable staff, great customer reviews and unique food pairings.”

Soter Vineyards: Jill highlighted Soter’s farm-to-table focus, and mentioned spring as the best time to visit. Why visit in spring? Because that’s when the wildflowers are blooming, and it’s the best season for cute baby animals. We think spring is a wonderful season to visit Yamhill-Carlton wineries because it’s not as crowded, and the vineyards have bright shoots of green above grass covered hillsides.

Et Fille Wines: The Fille (daughter) of Et Fille, Jessica Mozeico, now runs the winery herself, focussing on sustainability. Jill was excited to learn that Et Fille was one of the few B Corp wineries in the state, and we love that Jessica raises money for STEM education for girls and young women.

Ghost Hill Cellars: Jill loved Ghost Hill’s tasting room, built to recall the gold rush days that influence the winery’s name. We love the fact that this farm has been in the Bayliss family for five generations, since 1906. And the tasting fee is only $10 per person, which is hard to find in any other area in the Willamette Valley!

Read on to find out where to stay in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, including Apartments, Houses, Cabins, and Unique Rentals!

There are always a lot of options to dig through when you plan a wine touring vacation. What vacation homes will you find in Yamhill-Carlton? You could stay in Portland and drive, but you will have a much more relaxing vacation staying near the wineries you’ll be visiting.

Sleep in a Vineyard: Who doesn’t dream of living on a vineyard, waking up to views over the rolling hills of green?Quandary Vineyards has two rental properties available on their vineyard, both with lots of open space around them, both with huge lovely decks overlooking the vineyard. The Farmhouse is a 3-bedroom, 3-bath home and their Gables House has four beds and four baths with a game room for a larger family stay. The homes are modern and well-equipped while preserving the cozy farmhouse feel of living on a vineyard. The Yamhill Vineyards Bed & Breakfast is a gorgeous home with guest rooms and seasonal breakfasts included, a wonderful deck to watch the sunsets from, and 150 wineries within a few minutes drive! With two large guest rooms, you can rent both and stay with your family or rent one for some privacy. Feel like you live in wine country in this beautiful, cozy home.

Properties in Town: Staying in Carlton, the beating heart of our region, is a perfect choice for a home base to explore all that Yamhill-Carlton has to offer. Ken Wright Cellars have five loft apartments available right in the heart of Carlton: The Winery Lofts. Five different rooms offer private bathrooms and a perfect location to enjoy the town of Carlton, or wineries that are only a short scenic drive away! In Carlton, be sure to visit Carlton Bakery, locally famous for their fantastic baked goods and a perfect spot for breakfast or lunch, and dine out at The Horse Radish or Cuvee. La Bastide Bed & Breakfast is in the town of Dundee, another wonderful town and a great jumping off place for visiting Yamhill-Carlton. This beautiful building is French-inspired with rooms like Petit Paris and the Provence Room, and the menu and atmosphere is European-inspired as well. France is where Pinot Noir comes from after all, which is our signature grape! At La Bastide your hosts can help curate your visit, and you can order your breakfast in the dining room, via room service, or packaged to go so you can go about your busy day of wine tasting!

Your Private Escape for 16: An incredible opportunity in Yamhill-Carlton lies just a few miles west of town, on 80 acres:Blue Elk Ranch offers your own ranch to stay at, with a main five-bedroom ranch style home and a bunk bed with four more bedrooms- enough space to sleep up to 16! Bring your family, host a reunion or a wedding or just a weekend getaway with the chance to really reconnect with your favorite people. The beautiful ranch house is well-equipped with everything you could need, and the bunk house has its own bedrooms and kitchen in case you want to give the kids their own building! The property is an incredible forest and there are many outdoor activities available, including a fire pit for late night star-gazing gatherings.

Visit the Yamhill-Carlton AVA during Cellar Season (January and February) and see why Yamhill-Carlton Tasting Rooms are a great place to visit and taste wine in winter!

You won’t find either the hottest days or the summer crowds when you visit Yamhill-Carlton tasting rooms in the winter. What does this mean? With more personalized service and time to enjoy the space, you’ll get an individualized experience and a personal feel for our region.

You can find all the Yamhill-Carlton wineries on our winery directory or on our Yamhill-Carlton map to decide where you’d like to visit. The directory is also helpful for finding any special feature you might want at a tasting room of your choice, such as fireplaces for cold days or wineries with food available when you’re hoping to combine a tasting with lunch.

Zeroing in on getting cozy: Many of our member wineries have outdoor heated tastings available, with heaters or outdoor fireplaces on their tasting decks and patios.Chris James Cellars has an outdoor fire pit for a unique outdoor experience. Gran Moraine has outdoor heaters to warm up while enjoying the gorgeous views and incredible wines on offer. Ken Wright Cellars offers a covered patio, with a table with a fire in the center so you can warm up cold hands to hold your wine glass with. Some of the wineries with fireplaces to curl up by include Fairsing Vineyard, Beacon Hill Winery, and Saffron Fields Vineyard.

There are also a lot of lodging options and places to stay nearby, so you can stay more nights and enjoy all the wineries! Welcome to your home away from home: Yamhill-Carlton.

Looking to hit the tasting rooms this weekend but don’t want to leave your pup behind? We put together a comprehensive list of every dog-friendly winery in wine country to make building your itinerary a breeze!

Some wineries, due to strictly indoor tasting rooms and allergy issues, are unfortunately not able to welcome dogs into their space. It’s a good idea to plan your visit ahead of time if you want to bring your pup along for the fun. Luckily, Yamhill-Carlton AVA has several wineries that can welcome our four-legged friends. 

The Pacific Northwest is known for welcoming and accommodating pets, with Oregon consistently being in the top ten most pet-friendly states in the Nation. Making you and your pet feel welcome has become a point of pride amongst bars, restaurants, tasting rooms, and hotels in the area. Willamette Valley wineries, most of whom have dogs of their own, are fighting hard to make the region an inclusive destination for you and your furry friend. Some dog-friendly wineries include Tendril Wine Cellars, Saffron Fields Vineyard, J.L. Kiff Vineyard, and Chris James Cellars. 

For the complete list of Yamhill-Carlton AVA’s doggo approved locations, click HERE!

Click HERE to browse the complete list of Yamhill-Carlton AVA’s doggo approved locations!

The Willamette Valley has long been equated with exceptional Pinot Noir. The prevalence of the grape has not only allowed vineyards to excel in the area, but has also let Oregon wineries experiment with different iterations of the famous variety, including white Pinot Noir. 

Pinot Noir is incredibly versatile when done right. Yamhill-Carlton AVA is at the forefront of producing some of these wonderfully unique offerings.

“The Yamhill-Carlton AVA is somewhat of a mecca for pinot noir, with dozens of wineries making their own unique expressions of the heartbreak grape. Depending on style, terroir and weather, styles can range from delicate and silky to more powerful and full of depth to crisp white and beautifully aromatic.”

You may have noticed an uptick of white Pinot Noir hitting the market as a result of wildfires in 2020. 

“Recently, west coast winemakers have been leaning on (white pinot noir) to salvage red grapes kissed by smoke in the wake of early-season wildfires. Beauty, out of necessity.”

Tony Rynders of Tendril Wine Cellars has long been known for his white Pinot Noir.

“..you could call Oregon’s Tony Rynders somewhat of the king of the new school of the style.. Vintages will come with variations in the style, though all will have wild depth and nerdy, buy-a-whole-case characteristics. Off the top, it’s hard to characterize as anything but itself, pulling cues from the region’s adept handling of both chardonnay and pinot noir.”

This earned the Yamhill-Carlton AVA winery Maxim’s Wine of the Week with their 2018 vintage of Pretender White Pinot Noir.

 “2018’s vintage was lush and aromatic, with notes of fuzzy peach and slight honeysuckle.”

The Pretender white Pinot Noir has an exotic nose of peach, candied cherry, freshly baked lemon tart and a hint of ginger. The palate is soft and voluptuous with notes of pear, tangerine and quince. The mouthfeel is creamy and soft with an enduring finish.

You can grab a bottle of this outstanding offering here for $68.

Congratulations to Yamhill-Carlton AVA member Chris James Cellars for being recognized as Great Northwest Wine’s Winery of the Year in 2022! This award comes just just 7 years after the winery’s first harvest in 2015, marking an incredible rise for the label.

Christopher James Barnes is no stranger to accolades. In his time as a winemaker, he’s seen several of his varieties celebrated, including his Pinot Noir and Dolcetto.

“His four barrels from Wädenswil clone berries from Carl Muska’s vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills emerged as the No. 1 Pinot Noir in the 2021 Platinum Awards, a unanimous choice for Platinum — earning a Double Platinum. It qualified for the 22-year-old event and achieved near perfection in the eyes of the judges — 99 points — after a gold medal at the SavorNW Wine Awards on Cannon Beach.”

“In the first quarter of 2022, he’s already produced a growing number of Platinum-qualifying wines. His 2018 estate Dolcetto, which nearly garnered a Platinum last fall, earned a spot in the sweepstakes three months later at the McMinnville Wine Classic. The 2018 Barbera from the Walla Walla Valley and 2018 Chardonnay also claimed gold medals with McMinnville judges.”

These recognitions, along with Barnes’ consistent knack for pushing the boundaries of a traditional Willamette Valley winemaker, put the winery in position for the award.

After producing three Platinum Award winners last fall, including the top-scoring Pinot Noir during the three-day judging, Chris James Cellars stands as the 2022 Oregon Winery of the Year for Great Northwest Wine magazine.”

This honor is an exciting sign of more good things to come for Barnes and Chris James Cellars. 

You can visit Chris James Cellars’ tasting room in historic downtown McMinnville, just around the corner from Hotel Atticus. 

A wonderful article on the history of Chris James Barnes and his winery can be found on Great Northwest Wine’s website.