Appassionata Vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains AVA.

The J. Christopher winery is located in the Chehalem Mountains AVA, a beautiful growing region of more than 100 square miles, located just 19 miles from Portland’s city center and 45 miles from the coast. Elevation in this AVA ranges from 200 to 1,633 feet, and temperatures and rainfall can vary widely. The soil in this AVA is amazing, encompassing everything from sedimentary sea beds to red volcanic soils to glacial sediment. In our own vineyard, Appassionata, we have counted 11 different soil types. With the variations in aspect and soil, we have at least 10 or 12 distinctly different terroir possibilities to work with. It’s a really interesting piece of property geologically, which makes it fascinating viticulturally, as well. More info

In the Chehalem Mountains AVA, J. Christopher sources fruit from these excellent vineyards:

• Appassionata (our recently planted estate vineyard, this will be a primary fruit source when
   it starts producing in a few years)
• Lia's
• Olenik
• Trout Lilly Vineyard (Adams)