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Phelps Creek Wines |
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Phelps Creek wines are made from Phelps Creek Vineyard and other Oregon vineyard fruit. Rich Cushman is Director of Winemaking. The Columbia Gorge AVA is really hitting its stride and grower Bob Morus’ vineyard is among the best in the Hood River Valley. The cool marine weather from the Oregon coast and valley meets the warm desert air over the Hood River valley making for a unique cool weather climate perfect for apples, pears and grapes. Bob’s vineyard is on the west side of the valley that in years past, the pear growers avoided due to the poor soils. Those soils happened to be just perfect for growing grapes. Seventy five feet of volcanic loam, called Oak Grove Loam make up the majority of the soil, mixed in with a fair amount of clay. Not a rock in sight though.
Fifteen of the 60 acres were planted in 1990 with a combination of Pommard and Dijon clone Pinot noir and four acres of Chardonnay. An underlying minerality is a hallmark of this vineyard in both Pinot noir and Chardonnay. Rosback has Morus crop Sineann’s Pinot noir blocks to a ton and a half per acre, which results in a concentrated wine with notes of blue fruit, dark cherry and a coco/tobacco notes. The Chardonnay, cropped to two tons per acre, when fermented in stainless steel has a bright Myers lemon quality to it and when oaked, tropical pineapple notes although Rosback has almost completely forsaken barrel aged Chardonnay in favor of 100% stainless steel renditions. Recently fifteen acres have been leased in adjoining land taking the vineyard to 30 planted acres.
When the Willamette Valley was hammered with hot weather in 2003 or wet weather in 2005, the Hood River Valley and the Columbia Gorge AVA continued to produce stellar and consistent fruit that rivals the Willamette Valley. Keep an eye on this AVA as the wines coming out of this area will only continue to improve.
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