Proposed by Luisa and Maria Ponzi Ponzi Vineyards and Kevin Johnson of Dion Vineyards in 2016, the Laurelwood District AVA was approved in early June of 2020 with July 6 as its official inauguration. The 33,600 acre AVA is located entirely within the Chehalem Mountains AVA of Oregon’s Willamette Valley and presently contains 25 wineries and 70 commercial vineyards. The name Laurelwood District references the Laurelwood soil series — a blend of loess and volcanic basalt widespread throughout the AVA. The TTB initially received objections to the name citing the presence of the Laurelwood soil series throughout the Willamette Valley, but with […]

Proposed by Rudolf Marchesi of Montinore Estate, Alfredo Apolloni of Apolloni Vineyards, and Mike Kuenz of David Hill Vineyard and Winery, the Tualatin Hills AVA was approved in early June 2020 with July 6 as its official inauguration. The 144,000 acre Tualatin Hills AVA is entirely contained within the Willamette Valley and presently contains 21 wineries and 33 commercial vineyards. The AVA is located in the hills from 200 to 1,000 feet in elevation above the Tualatin River watershed. It is distinguished by a blend of Laurelwood, Kinton, and Cornelius soils that are overall rich in silt with limited organic […]