Winemaker Notes
Müller-Thurgau is a white grape variety created by Hermann Müller in the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882. He crossed Riesling with the table grape, Madeleine Royale, following an ambition to make a delightful drinking wine from an easier-to-grow vine than Riesling. When done right, Müller-Thurgau is a full-bodied, floral white with a refreshing, crisp quality. Somm Secret—Worldwide, Müller-Thurgau is one of the most widely planted of the new breed of grapes created since the 19th century.
Yamhill-Carlton, characterized by pastoral, rolling hills composed of shallow, quick-draining, ancient marine soil, is ideal for Pinot noir and other cool-climate-loving varieties. It is in the rain shadow of the Coast Range to its west, whose highest point climbs to an altitude of 3,500 feet. Yamhill-Carlton is actually surrounded by mountains on three sides: Chehalem Mountains to the north, the Dundee Hills to the east and the western Coast Range to its west, which, when it lets Pacific air through, serves to cool the region.
Vineyards grow on the ridges surrounding the two small communities of Yamhill and Carlton and cover about 1,200 acres of this 60,000 acre region, which roughly makes a horse-shoe shape on a map.