Van Duzer Corridor: the gap where the sea wind comes in
From the low pass in the Coast Range, down the wind corridor past Johan, and over the basalt of the Eola Hills to the Willamette River. Tap a layer to read it.
Swipe the plate sideways to see the whole section.
Schematic. The line runs WNW to ESE for 50 km, from the Coast Range near Grand Ronde to the Willamette River north of Salem. Johan lies about 1 km off the line. The marine rocks are shown as one unit, though they include several Eocene and Oligocene formations and some volcanic intrusions; check against the Oregon DOGAMI and USGS maps. The Missoula Flood silt reached up to roughly 120 m. AVA lines in the top band are approximate. Heights from AWS terrain data.
5 layers, youngest at the top
Single vineyards we pour from. Tap one on the plate.
What the wind gap does
- The Coast Range dips low here, so cool Pacific air pours through most summer afternoons.
- Afternoon temperatures drop and the vines rest, keeping acidity and fresh aromatics.
- Wind thickens skins, so colour and tannin are deeper than the cool climate would suggest.
- Dry, moving air keeps mildew and rot pressure low through a long, cool season.
Did you knowThe Missoula Floods reached this far. They left rocks carried from Montana and Idaho on icebergs, stranded in the fields of the Willamette Valley.
Pas Mal wines on this ground
Van Duzer Corridor: Johan
- ChardonnayJohan Vineyards
- Pinot Noir EstateJohan Vineyards
- Pinot Noir Pétillant NaturelJohan Vineyards
Further north: Dundee Hills
- Ways of Wayfarer Pinot Noir OregonWayfarer
Sources: TTB final rule, Van Duzer Corridor AVA (Federal Register, 14 December 2018); Johan Vineyards soil notes; Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI), geologic maps of the Willamette Valley; USGS, Columbia River Basalt Group; AWS Terrain Tiles.