Bonnie Brae Wine & Liquor Mart
785 S. University Boulevard • Denver, CO 80209
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Willamette Valley Vineyards
– Turner, Oregon

The winery and underground cellar are carved into the top of an ancient volcanic flow, with a unique terroir that is similar to the red clay soil found in the Grand Cru Pinot Noir vineyards of Romaneé St.Vivant in Burgundy, where the "Soil gives France's most perfumed, satiny, expensive wine" – Hugh Johnson, World Atlas of Wine.” "One of America's Great Pinot Noir Producers," – Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

The Monthly Selection

2007 Willamette Valley Riesling 

Stylistically, the vision of this wine is indeed that of the Germanic Rieslings – crisp, with good acidity, a hint of sweetness and an ability to age. Very simply, it is explosively fruity, clean, crisp, semi-sweet and mouth watering – without doubt, Oregon’s leading Riesling!! This is a ravishingly beautiful, semi-dry, medium bodied wine, very much akin to a fine German Spatlese – but with a magically drier finish.

Winemaker Comments: Delicate peach and lychee aromas lead into explosive mouth-filling stonefruit flavors, featuring dried apricot and a steely acidity. Notes of pineapple contribute to a clean, crisp well-formed fruit-to-acid balance. The tart rhubarb finish lingers into spicy red pepper flakes in the mid-palate with a refreshing and mouth-watering impression.

Regular Price $9.99 Web Special $7.99

The Willamette Valley Vineyards Story

Willamette Valley Vineyard’s Founder, Jim Bernau, is intense. He admits he drove his friends to distraction years ago, talking about the potential for Pinot Noir in Oregon. In the beginning, as a small business lobbyist at the State Capitol, he helped California winemakers relocating to Oregon, initiate and pass the legislation necessary to develop a formal Oregon wine industry.

He soon became inspired himself about this fledgling wine movement, and in 1983, purchased his original “Estate” vineyard site which was hidden in scotch broom and blackberry vines, located south of Salem on an old west-to-southwest facing volcanic flow. The pioneering Jory family who first farmed this hill-site, found the ancient volcanic, iron-rich soil to be ideal for dark, thin-skinned plums, which they dried into prunes. The vineyard site rises from 500-750 feet in elevation with 7 to 12 degree slopes tilted toward the sun. As a result, the vines get excellent air drainage, and are above the frost line. At this elevation and slope, the temperature is approximately ten degrees warmer than the valley floor during the day. The soil type is typically a clay loam, which is permeable to roots, retentive of moisture and runs five to seven feet deep. Because this soil is so ancient (estimated to be 10-14 million years old), rain water has percolated through this now acidic soil, breaking down the basalt, thus allowing the roots to tap down. The winery and underground cellar are also carved into the top of this ancient volcanic flow, whose soil is red from its oxidized iron content, and well-drained. This unique terroir is similar to the red clay soil found in the Grand Cru Pinot Noir vineyards of Romaneé-St-Vivant in Burgundy, where the "Soil gives France's most perfumed, satiny, expensive wine" – Hugh Johnson, World Atlas of Wine.”

Using a small tractor, Bernau cleared away the blackberry vines and remnants of this pioneer plum orchard, and began planting Pinot Noir, at first watering the over 1,000 feet of vine rows, by hand, with a garden hose. He speaks passionately about the soil and the steps taken to protect it and the ground water underneath. Bernau planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with very specific clones (Pommard and Wadenswil for the Pinot Noir, Dijon and Espiguette for the Chardonnay); and also Pinot Gris – which might fairly be said to produce, in Oregon, the ultimate and most delicious expression of this grape.

Trips to Burgundy, numerous classes at UC Davis, seminars from the U.S. to France, and time spent with Oregon winemakers helped define his strategy, and sharpen Jim’s viticultural skills. In 1989 he was ready to build his dream – a world class winery in the Willamette Valley—and make cool-climate varietals, especially Pinot Noir, in sufficient quantities to be served and sold in the best restaurants and bottle shops in the world. This cool climate of the Willamette Valley could deliver the essence of pure varietal fruit character, the subtle layers of flavor, and the fine tannins and balanced acidity he wanted. A combination of his own determination and surrounding himself with extraordinary people (The wines are truly a collaborative effort of the entire vineyard and winemaking staff), has allowed Bernau to bring Willamette Valley Vineyards from a mere idea to one of the region's leading wineries – earning WVV the title from Wine Enthusiast Magazine as, "One of America's Great Pinot Noir Producers." When the winery began its first crush, Jim served as its first “employee” and “cellar rat” – guided by a consulting winemaker. Only three years after its first release of Pinot Noir, the winery quickly grew into Oregon’s leading producer of wines selling at $15 and above!

As Bernau states, “Our approach is to grow, by hand, the highest quality fruit, using careful canopy management, and to achieve wines that are truly expressive of the varietal and the site (terroir) where they are grown. Since we ferment and barrel each vineyard lot separately (sometimes in quantities as small as two barrels), we can save the best barrels for our single-vineyard bottlings and Signature Cuvées. Our stylistic emphasis is on pure varietal fruit characters, with attention to depth, to richness of mouth-feel, and to balance. The grapes from our vineyards yield wines that exude a sense of “place” and display great complexity and elegance.”

Jim Bernau is much more than a dedicated wine producer. He has a complex intellect with a comprehensive sense of personal responsibility to others…and to the Earth. For example, he sincerely believes that wines made with consideration for the environment is not only the environmentally and socially responsible thing to do, they simply taste better. Thus, since the winery founding, stewardship of the land has been a key principle in WVV’s winemaking. Each quarter, a team of dedicated winery employees and volunteers meet to discuss sustainability and stewardship of the land, and seek ways to implement this conviction throughout their lives and through the company. There are several principles of emphasis to this initiative at WVV.

• L.I.V.E. / Salmon Safe / Organic:
  Our vineyards have been certified sustainable through LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology) and Salmon Safe since 1997, through the International Organization for Biological Control, which includes preventative measures for water run off into salmon streams, natural pesticide management, riparian areas, and reduced sprays. Additionally, our Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir plantings were certified organic in October 2007 by Oregon Tilth.
• Reduce / Reuse / Recycle:
  We offer ten cents for each bottle returned to our tasting room, and one dollar for returned shippers. Also, because cork is one of the world’s most sustain-able agricultural products, we’ve partnered with Amorim Cork America, SOLV, and Yemm & Hart, to begin a nationwide recycling campaign. Indeed, Willamette Valley Vineyard is the first winery in the world to use cork certified through the Rainforest Alliance to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards. Cork is a natural, sustainable product where the cork tree is never cut down but continues to sequester carbon throughout its long life. WWV also – recycled paper throughout the facility, recycled cardboard shippers, and recycling of all plastic, aluminum, paper, and cardboard products.
• Biofuel:
  Founder Jim Bernau also launched the employee biodiesel program; offering fifty gallons of biodiesel per month to each employee, at no cost. As many as ten employees use the program, and employees, delivery vehicles and tractors all fill up onsite or at card-lock stations.
• Get Carbon Neutral:
  Oregon Environmental Council and the Oregon Wine Board, 15 wineries (and counting) pledged to work towards carbon neutrality by 2010. Willamette Valley Vineyards signed to the pledge, and is now investigating solar energy, green energy, carbon offsets and other unique ways to address global warming. Our staff have already reduced travel, are taking direct flights, and purchasing carbon offsets for their travel

November 2009 SPECIAL FEATURES

Big House Winery - Monterey County, CA
• 2008 "Birdman" Pinot
  Grigio