Eola-Amity Hills

Oregon · United States · Wine Auction Prices

The Eola-Amity Hills AVA, south of McMinnville in the central Willamette Valley, produces Oregon's most complex and food-oriented Pinot Noir, shaped by two distinctive influences absent from other sub-regions: marine sedimentary soils (ancient seabed lifted by volcanic activity) and the Van Duzer Corridor — a gap in the Coast Range through which cold Pacific air rushes each afternoon, dropping temperatures by 10–15°C and extending the growing season by weeks. The soils — Nekia volcanic and Willakenzie marine sedimentary, plus patches of Jory — give wines a more savoury, herbaceous character than Jory-dominant Dundee Hills. Antica Terra, the Hills' most prestigious producer, uses ancient-vine material from Temperance Hill (planted 1981) and Columbia Gorge to produce Botanica, Antikythera, and Ceras — three single-vineyard cuvées at $160–300 per bottle that represent Oregon's price ceiling. Evening Land's Seven Springs Vineyard (former Temperance Hill ownership) and Cristom (Germaine, Jessie, Louise, Marjorie) are significant second-tier producers. The Van Duzer effect means harvest typically runs 2–3 weeks later than Dundee Hills, producing wines of greater acidity and longevity.