TERROIR - PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS, CLAY MINERALOGY AND ELEMENTAL FINGERPRINTING OF PINOT NOIR VINEYARD SOILS, GRAPES AND WINE IN THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY, OREGON

Certain soil elements obtained using ICP-MS prove to be a reliable fingerprinting technique for discerning vineyard soils from one region to another. In this study, physical variations, clay mineralogy and chemistry of soil samples were analyzed in order to determine the fingerprints for the different soils used for wine-grape growing in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. There are three major geology and soil types used for wine-grape growing in this region and many wineries preserve the unique flavors attributed to each of these soils in the wine they make. These three soil series are the Jory (basalt parent material), Willakenzie (sandstone or siltstone parent material), and Laurelwood (loess overlying basalt parent material). Twenty soil pits were described from six different wineries in order to determine the unique fingerprint of each soil type using physical characteristics (particle size, structure, consistence, horizon depths, and organic carbon, and the level of soil profile development), chemical characteristics (pH, macro-nutrients, micro-nutrients, trace elements) and clay mineralogy. Analysis of the elements in the grapes and wine from these same locations was used to determine if soil differences lead to elemental fingerprints for Willamette Valley wines as certain elements have shown to correlate strongly with vineyard of origin. The wine sensory analysis was completed in order to correlate flavors in the wine to specific physical and chemical characteristics of the soils and grapes. In the end, we will have more insight into what the soil and geology might contribute to wine flavors found in Pinot Noir from this region.