Appellation · United States
McMinnville
A rain-shadowed AVA on the western edge of the Willamette, drier than its neighbours and making firmly structured Pinot Noir.
Medium-to-full bodied Pinot Noir with dark fruit, earth and firm tannin. Needs a few years.
About McMinnville
McMinnville sits on the western edge of the Willamette Valley in the partial rain shadow of the Coast Range, and receives noticeably less rain than the rest of the region.
Its soils are shallow marine sediment over uplifted basalt, and vines are stressed enough to produce small berries.
The wines are dark, firm and long-lived, among the most structured in Oregon.
What the name means
- Legal name
- McMinnville AVA
- Type
- American Viticultural Area (AVA)
- Set by
- Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)
- Recognised
- 2005
- Regulates
- Origin only. It sets no rules about varieties, yields, ageing or winemaking.
Only where the grapes were grown, plus the percentage that must come from the named area. An AVA sets no varietal, yield, ageing or winemaking rules whatsoever — the single most commonly misunderstood fact about US wine labels.
Grapes
Wines from here
What to eat, and how to serve it
Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.
Oregon Pinot Noir
Serve at 14–16°C (cellar cool).
Try with fillet steak, duck or steak with mushroom sauce.
Where to go next
Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.
- Yamhill-Carlton — A horseshoe of hills west of Dundee on ancient marine sediment, making the Willamette’s fullest Pinot Noir.
- Eola-Amity Hills — A windy ridge in the middle of the Willamette Valley, cooled through the Van Duzer Corridor, making the region’s most savoury Pinot Noir.
Sources
Sources consulted
- American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) — Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), US Department of the Treasury
- Oregon Wine Board — Oregon Wine Board