Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/450509
30 FEBRUARY 1, 2015 Good Fruit Grower www.goodfruit.com Volcanic and glacial soils at Union Gap Estate help create different flavor profiles in wines. by Melissa Hansen W hen David O'Reilly was looking for vineyard property in Washington's Yakima Valley, he had three things on his list: elevation, diverse soil types, and a warm site. He found all three, plus a bonus of breathtaking views of the valley and Cascade Mountains. The 106-acre parcel near Union Gap fit O'Reilly's wish list of having elevations above 1,120 feet, a mix of volcanic and loess soils, and being located in a warm site so there's low risk of frost or winter injury. "I don't like growing grapes lower than 1,120 feet because the soils are more clay, which makes them colder in the summer and fall compared to shallow, rocky soils," said the co-owner and winemaker of Owen Roe Winery. "We purposely located the winery at the lowest elevation of the site where the clay soils are. That's also where the cherry orchard is located and why tree fruit and wine grapes are symbi- otic. Orchards grow well in deep soils and we (wine grapes) grow best in shallow ones." Only red wine grapes are grown at Union Gap Estate (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Malbec, Mouvedre, and Merlot), which now totals nearly 32 acres of vines. He removed two existing blocks of white varieties and planted 15 acres last spring. The site has three soil types—volcanic soil with basalt layers and rock at the highest elevations, glacial Ice Age deposits of silt and loess from the ancient Lake Missoula floods in the middle eleva- tions, and gravelly loam at the bottom. O'Reilly has a different growing strategy for each soil zone and uses the zones to create different flavor profiles for blending options when making wine. "Elevations of about 1,230 feet seem to be the edge of the reach of the glacial floods," said O'Reilly, noting that soils above 1,230 feet are rockier than the loess, silt, and clay soils below. At the Union Gap vineyard, there is a visible line between the old, rocky soil and loess soils that shows the reach of glacial floods. The vineyard has slopes from 15 to 30 degrees. He planted Mouvedre, Grenache, and Syrah at the top of the vineyard where there are deep deposits of alluvial stones from a riverbed from the Ellensburg Formation, a thick layer of sediment formed ten million years ago. Mouvedre, the most vigorous of the three varieties, was planted in a tight one-by-one meter (3-by-3 feet) spacing and will be head trained and pruned, without trellis wires. Grenache and Syrah, also aggressive varieties, were planted at spacing of two-by- two meters (6.5 feet between vines and 6.5 feet between rows). He explained that the harsh conditions of rocky soil, wind, and heat on the top of the hill should force the vigorous variet- ies to slow down. Soil of the new planting is so rocky that iron rebar had to be used instead of bamboo stakes—and most of the rebar got bent as it was pounded in. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, variet- ies that don't do as well in rocky soils, were planted at slightly lower elevations where there was more soil tilth. • TJ MULLINAX/GOOD FRUIT GROWER David O'Reilly shows the cobblestone rocks that are home to newly planted Mouvedre grapes. Story of THE SOIL MELISSA HANSEN/GOOD FRUIT GROWER Iron rebar stakes instead of bamboo were used for the young vines. Many of the stakes were bent from the rocky soil when they were pounded in. These Mouvedre grapes are planted in a tight meter-by-meter spacing. He graduated from Thomas Aquinas College, a small, Catholic, liberal arts college in southern California, where he also met Angelica. The college is modeled after the University of Chicago's Great Books Program. Though his degree in medieval philosophy has little to do with winemaking—he studied the great minds of Aristotle and Plato and read original texts of medieval works in Latin— he left believing he could do anything. "A number of graduates from the program are wine- makers," O'Reilly said. "That's not surprising, because we studied the true, good, and beautiful, the same essence of agriculture. A winemaker is really a glorified farmer. " After college, he worked for several years at wineries in California and learned all aspects of the wine industry, from cleaning winery floors and equipment to technical winemaking to sales and marketing. Yakima Valley appellation Drawn to Pinot Noir wines, O'Reilly first settled in Newberg, Oregon, to make wine and opened a win- ery with a partner in 1997. He became familiar with Washington's wine industry when he began sourcing fruit in 1999 from Yakima Valley's DuBrul Vineyard, owned by Hugh and Kathy Shiels of Sunnyside. "That first vintage I made wine from DuBrul Vineyard, I saw that the wines could age for 40 years," he said. "I realized that the Yakima Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area) was a great growing region." O'Reilly's foray into Washington began in 2007 with purchase of about 240 acres at Outlook, near Sunnyside. The Outlook Vineyard has 80 acres planted to wine grapes. His first Washington winery was housed in Sunnyside's old Carnation milk facility, once home to Washington Hills and Apex wines. In 2010, a new part- nership with the Wolffs was put together to purchase a picturesque 106-acre site overlooking the Yakima River. The property, which they named Union Gap Estate, included 40 acres of wine grapes, 10 acres of cherries, and a home with sweeping views of Yakima Valley and Mt. Adams. A new winery was built on the site in 2013, though not in time to fully process grapes during crush. The 2014 harvest marked the first time state grapes were crushed and processed in the new Owen Roe winery. "I could have gone anywhere to make wine, and I did," said O'Reilly, referring to his work in California and Oregon. "But I love making wine in Yakima Valley. It is truly a world-class wine location. Yakima Valley, with its diversity, is like a painter's palette of colors. There's gorgeous ripe flavors with beautiful acidity." Big plans O'Reilly and his partners are just getting started at the Union Gap location. On the grape side, the vineyard is in transition to be certified organic. "It's easy to do organic here," he said, adding that there are few pest problems. "Mildew is not a problem with the winds, but we also keep the fruiting zone open." He also hopes to have the cherry orchard be certified as organic. At the winery, landscaping that included a large lawn area rimmed by basalt rocks was recently completed. Immediate plans are to build a barrel room in the hillside and a tasting room using native volcanic rock. An herb and vegetable garden to supply lunchtime cooks with produce will be planted next summer. The master plan involves converting parts of the manor home into guest accommodations, complete with a commercial kitchen, to turn Owen Roe into an upscale destination winery that offers vineyard and winery tours, lodging, and special event meals. O'Reilly sees the Union Gap location as the "gateway" to Yakima Valley wines. He plans to use the Owen Roe vineyard and winery, with its prime location, scenic views, and diverse soil types, to tell the story of Yakima Valley wines. • "I wanted every bottle to have its own story." —David O'Reilly