# Mount Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon AVA

Mount (or Mt.) Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in the northern Willamette Valley of Oregon located in Polk County. It was established on June 3, 2022, by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Treasury as the state's 23rd and the 11th appellation in the Willamette Valley viticultural area. It encompasses approximately 5,850 acres (9 sq mi) and contains 10 commercial vineyards cultivating about 648 acres (262 ha) under vine with two wineries. The viticultural area surrounds the 835 ft (255 m) summit of Mount Pisgah among the hills of the Willamette Valley located southwest of Eola Hills, Amity Hills and 15 mi (24 km) from the state capital of Salem. TTB received the petition from the representatives of the local vineyards and wineries proposing a viticultural area named "Mount Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon." It is the southernmost sub-region within the established Willamette Valley viticultural area. The petition notes that vineyard owners plan to expand four of the existing vineyards by a total of 164 acres (66 ha).

## Name

There are at least three geographic features in Oregon known as "Mount Pisgah." A local resident in an August 1927 compiler noted that Colonel Cornelius Gilliam, who crossed the Oregon Trail in 1844 and settled in Dallas, Oregon, the following year, named the little butte, covered with grass and trees, "Mt. Pisgah", for a butte so named near his old home in Missouri and his veneration for biblical names. Mount Pisgah (Hebrew: פִּסְגָּה, pisgá) is a mountain of Abarim, Moab, northeast of the Dead Sea usually referring to Mount Nebo. The word פִּסְגָּה‎ literally means "summit." TTB believes that it is important to clarify to which feature the wine label refers. Although the commenters stated that the proposed AVA is the only "Mount Pisgah" in Oregon where viticulture has been active since 1981, consumers might not be aware of this and assume that the AVA name refers to one of the other regions. Therefore, TTB believed that including the county in the proposed AVA name is necessary in order to reduce the chance of consumer confusion. Additionally, because "Polk County" is a common county name within the U.S., and multiple states have geographic features known as "Mount Pisgah," TTB did not believe that shortening the proposed AVA name to "Mount Pisgah, Polk County" would sufficiently identify the proposed AVA's location. For these reasons, they did not consider establishing the AVA with an abbreviated shortened name. The long name is meant to avoid confusion with another "Mount Pisgah" in a different county or state, therefore, the viticultural area is described is "Mount Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon." The word "Mount" may be abbreviated as "Mt." in the AVA name. Consequently, wine bottlers using the name "Mount (or "Mt.) Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon" in a brand name, including a trademark, or in another label reference as to the origin of the wine, will have to ensure that the product is eligible to use the AVA name as an appellation of origin.

## Terroir
### Topography

The distinguishing features of Mount Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon AVA are its topography, climate, geology, and soils. Its location, only six miles (9.7 km) from the Willamette River, takes advantage of the warmth near the Willamette Valley, the mild influence of the Van Duzer winds and the rain shadow of Laurel Mountain to the west. The AVA is located on a small mountain, Mount Pisgah, formed 65 million years ago as a sea floor volcano, covered by marine sediment and pushed up out of the ocean, among the hills of the Willamette Valley rising 260 to 835 feet (79–255 m) from the foothills to its peak. The foot of the mountain marks the boundary of the AVA and the peak is within the range of elevation for typical wine grape production in the region. All wine grape production in the AVA occurs between 260 and 750 ft (79–229 m) elevations, which allows for adequate heat accumulation and cold air drainage. The area also contains several creeks, including Fern Creek, Cooper Creek, and multiple forks of Ash Creek. The elevations and topography of the Mount Pisgah AVA help protect the vineyards from frost damage in the spring and fall, as cool air drains down the hillsides and creeks to the lower-elevation areas that occur in all directions outside of the AVA. Mount Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon AVA has south-facing slopes. By contrast, the region to the south of the AVA, on the slopes of Fishback Hill, faces north. The difference in slope direction has an effect on viticulture. According to the petition, "On a south-facing slope and a north-facing, plants grow differently. Even if the soils are the same, there is different response to temperatures, different emergence times, and different development rates. The temperature variation across the field itself may be on the order of 5 °F (−15 °C). In growing degree days over a seven-month season, this could change the total by more than 500 GDDs at 5 °F (for only half the day) very significant considering the yearly totals mentioned earlier in this document." The petition states that grapes in Oregon are rarely planted on north-facing slopes for that reason.

### Climate

According to the petition, temperatures within Mount Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon AVA are cooler than the regions to the east and north-northeast, with average annual growing degree day 1 (GDD) accumulation of 2,543 GDDs. The average annual GDD accumulations favor the production of grape varietals such Pinot noir, Pinot gris, and Chardonnay, which are the most commonly grown grape varietals in the AVA. In comparison, GDD accumulations in the city of Salem, approximately 18 miles (29 km) east of the AVA, averaged 2,903 GDDs, and the town of McMinnville, 23 miles (37 km) to the north-northeast of the AVA, averaged 2661 GDDs. The AVA also has lower average wind speeds than the regions to the east and north-northeast. The average wind speed within Mount Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon AVA is 2.3 miles per hour (3.7 km/h), while winds in the city of Salem average 6.1 mph (9.8 km/h), and winds in the town of McMinnville average 5.2 mph (8.4 km/h). According to the petition, high winds can break new grapevine shoots and desiccate grapes.

### Soils

The geology of Mount Pisgah AVA affects the composition of the soils. The petition states that the weathered soils in the upper layers of the Mount Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon AVA contain fine to coarse grains with calcareous concretions and are carbonaceous and micaceous. These soils are generally classified as marine sediments and have a combination of shallow topsoil and clayey and silty subsoils. The main soil series in the AVA are marine silty clay loams, including Bellpine, Jory, Nekia, Rickreall, Willakenzie, and others. Silty clay loams make up 92.1 percent of all soils within the AVA. In his "Grape Grower’s Handbook", Ted Goldammer writes, "The primary soil property in determining a suitable site is soil texture. Texture affects the water holding capacity of the soils and internal water drainage." The petition states that soil drainage class is important to grape growth during the growing season. According to a USDA soil drainage classification map included in the petition, approximately 92 percent of the soils within the AVA are well drained or moderately well drained. The USDA defines well drained soils as soils in which water is removed readily, but not rapidly. Well drained soils are commonly medium textured. Water is available for plants throughout most of the growing season, and soil wetness does not inhibit the growth of roots for significant periods. The USDA defines moderately well drained soils as soils in which water is removed somewhat slowly during some periods. Grapes are particularly sensitive to high water levels, according to the petition. However, grapes do need some water in the summer months, and, according to the petition, available water capacity in the AVA is moderately high. A map of available water capacity of the soils of the AVA and the surrounding regions shows the values of the soils in the AVA range narrowly from 0.06 to 0.05 in (0.16–0.12 cm) of water to one centimetre (0.39 in) of soil, which enables dry farming. Hydraulic conductivity of soil is a linear measurement that describes the ease with which water moves through soil when it is saturated. It is measured in K$_{sat}$. According to the petition, a balanced K$_{sat}$ value allows for root penetration at slow but acceptable rates. According to a map of K$_{sat}$ values of the soils of the AVA and surrounding regions that was included in the petition, the AVA has K$_{sat}$ ratings between 3.0 and 4.7, which constitutes a balanced distribution when it comes to hydraulic conductivity. The areas surrounding the Mount Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon AVA have different soil characteristics, as they all contain alluvial deposits from the recent Quaternary period, instead of sedimentary deposits. To the north of the AVA, soils are clayey alluvium, have a lower K$_{sat}$ rating, and are more poorly drained. To the west, the soils are alluvial loam, have a lower K$_{sat}$ rating, and are more poorly drained. To the south of the AVA, soils are silty alluvial and have a lower K$_{sat}$ rating. Soils to the south of the AVA are also not as well drained as the soils within the AVA, even though the differences in soil drainage are not as easily visible on the soil drainage map as they are in other surrounding regions. And to the east of the AVA, soils are silty alluvium and alluvial loam, have a higher K$_{sat}$ rating and also more poorly drained.

## Viticulture

The pioneering work of the Freedom Hill Vineyard on the Mount Pisgah slopes began in 1981. As the Valley's second smallest AVA, Mount Pisgah is also its most densely planted as up to 10 vineyards have emerged in the past 40 years taking advantage of the warmth near the Willamette, the mild influence of the Van Duzer winds, and the rain shadow of Laurel Mountain to the west becoming an idyllic alternative from the established paths of Oregon's wine country. The elevated vineyards at 350 to 600 ft (110–180 m) allows cold air to drain to the valley yet benefit from heat rising from the valley floor. The soils are from 97% colluvial and residual geological parent material over a paleocene rock formation, leaving 92% marine silty clay loams which drain well and retains water in the summer. Nowhere else within the Williamette Valley AVA does this specific combination of geology and soils exist. Its topography including creek beds and hill formations distinguishes it from surrounding lower areas and the hills to the south. Chardonnay, Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, Pinot noir, Tempranillo are the most common grape varieties cultivated resulting in quality vintages.