Oregon currently has ten AVAs that have been approved by the Alcohol Tax & Trade Bureau. These appellations officially recognize which wines are approved for a region by both the government and the consumer. These AVAs include Applegate Valley, Columbia Gorge, Columbia Valley, Rogue Valley, Umpqua Valley, Walla Walla Valley, Willamette Valley and the newly approved Dundee Hills, Yamhill-Carlton, and McMinnville. Others that are waiting approval include Ribbon Ridge, Eola Hills, and Chehalem Mountain. Torii Mor currently sources grapes from five of these viticultural areas. The distinctive qualities of the terroir are evident in our vineyard-designate wines.

Located in the northern Willamette Valley, and generally running north to south from Dundee, the Dundee Hills are believed by many to be the heart of Oregon Pinot country. A large number of the vineyards in this region are planted on slopes that emerge from the "spine" of the hills to the east. The soils on these slopes are typically composed of the hallmark red Jory series of silt, clay, and loam above a layer of clay resting on basaltic bedrock. These soils can be rather deep relative to other hillside soils, are typically well drained and are moderately fertile. Jory series soils have a water capacity ranging between 7 to 11 inches. The vineyards planted on the slopes emerging from the spine on the west are composed of primarily sedimentary soils in the Willakenzie series with some Jory series as well. The Willakenzie soils are well drained with lower water holding capacity (5 to 7.5 inches) than Jory soils.

Olson Estate Vineyard

The Estate Vineyard of Torii Mor planted in 1972 by the McDaniels and owned by the Olson family since 1985, this beautiful vineyard is one of the older vineyards in Yamhill County. Set high in the Dundee Hills at an average elevation of 800 feet, this site benefits from warm southern exposure and cool evening breezes. There are 5.3 acres of self-rooted Pommard clone Pinot noir along with some Wadensvil. In April 2002, 1.7 acres of Chardonnay were grafted to the Dijon 667 clone of Pinot noir and the small planting of Gamay was grafted to Dijon 114. Finally, nearly one acre is planted to Pinot gris. The vine spacing is 9 x 6. The soil is Jory. The vines are "v.s.p." (vertical shoot positioning) pruned in the "double Guyot" style (one cane from each side of the trunk head is trained onto the wire). Unless specified otherwise, the vineyards named below are v.s.p. and cane-pruned as described above. The Olson Vineyard is managed by Torii Mor winemaker, Jacques Tardy.

Bella Vida Vineyard

Steve and Allison Whiteside own and manage the upper 12 acres of this vineyard bordering the Maresh Vineyard above Dundee. They planted this portion of the vineyard between 1998 and 2000. The lower five acres of Bella Vida are owned by Jim Maresh and co-farmed with the Whitesides. Torii Mor receives Dijon 115 on 101-14 rootstock with 8 x 4 spacing, and Dijon 777 on Riparia gloire rootstock with 8 x 5 spacing from two blocks in the upper portion of Bella Vida. The elevation in these blocks ranges from 650 to 725 feet. The slope is south facing and the soil is Jory.

La Colina Vineyard

Nestled on a south/southwest-facing slope in the southern Dundee Hills near the town of Lafayette, La Colina is owned by Dee and George Hillberry and managed by George. Torii Mor receives Pommard, 115, 114, Wadensvil, and 777 on 3309 rootstock planted between 1999 and 2001. The vine spacing is 7 x 5 and the elevation ranges between 475 and 550 feet. The soil is Jory series.

The ridge of the Chehalem Mountains runs generally east to west just north of the Dundee Hills. The south and southeast slopes below the steep ridge of basalt are composed primarily of Jory and Nekia series soils derived from basalt. The southwest slopes, are composed of primarily Willakenzie series soils from weathered sedimentary rock. Pockets of rocky soils from ancient landslides also exist there. The soils on the south side of the ridge are generally well drained and can be shallow. The northern side of the Chehalem Mountains is composed predominantly of Laurelwood series soils that originate from the ancient Missoula Floods that deposited loess on these slopes. The Laurelwood soils, which overlay basaltic bedrock, are often deeper than 40 inches. Moderately well drained, the water holding capacity of these soils ranges between 7.5 and 12 inches. The vineyards listed below are on the foothills north of the ridge.

Alloro Vineyard

Planted in 1999, this 19.5-acre vineyard is owned and managed by David Nemarnik. Torii Mor received its first fruit in 2002, including: Dijon 667 on Riparia gloire rootstock, Dijon 777 on Riparia gloire, and Pommard on Riparia gloire. The vine spacing is 7 x 5 and the soils are Laurelwood series. The slope rests at an average elevation of 550 feet and faces south/southeast.

Hawks View Vineyard

This vineyard was purchased by John Kemp from the Benziger Family Winery in 2002. Todd Skowrup, the vineyard manager, continues to farm this vineyard organically. Torii Mor receives fruit from several blocks including self-rooted Pommard Pinot noir vines planted in 1991 with 7.5 x 5 spacing, and Dijon 777 on Riparia gloire rootstock planted in 1998 with 7 x 4 spacing. The soil is Laurelwood series. Hawk's View Vineyard faces south/southeast and lies at an average elevation of 350 feet.

The Eola Hills are south of the Dundee Hills and northwest of Salem. Ocean winds emerging from the mouth of the Van Duzer Corridor through the Coast Range exert a cooling effect in the late afternoons of summer. The ridge runs north to south with vineyards planted on slopes both to the east and west. Many of the eastern slopes are gentler with soils that originate from weathered basalt such as Nekia, Ritner, and Jory series. Some Nekia soils here are currently being reclassified as Gelderman series to reflect the fact that the soils have resulted from basalt that possesses a softer pararock layer. It is probable that the Jory series soils in the Eola Hills also will be reclassified. The Ritner and Gelderman soils have slower permeability and a water capacity of only 3 to 6 inches. The west slopes are comprised mostly of soils from weathered sedimentary rock such as Steiwer, and Chehulpum. They are typically well drained, somewhat shallow, and possess a water-holding capacity similar to Willakenzie series.

Temperance Hill Vineyard

Owned by Edward and L.S. Koo, this organically farmed vineyard encompasses several contiguous slopes in the central eastern Eola Hills. Torii Mor receives fruit from two regions of this vineyard: self-rooted, old vine Pommard on a hanging trellis in the West Block with 12 x 8 spacing, and Dijon 777 Pinot noir grafted onto Wente Chardonnay with 10 x 5 spacing. The West Block Pinot noir faces southwest at an average elevation of 800 feet and has Jory, Nekia, and Ritner soils. The 777 block faces southeast at 725 feet with Jory series soil. Temperance Hill is managed by Dai Crisp.

Vanjohn Vineyard

This northeastern Eola Hills vineyard is owned by Peter Lawrence and managed by Bob Bailey. Torii Mor receives Dijon 115 and 777 Pinot noir grafted onto old vine Chardonnay in 1999 and 2000. The soils are Nekia series with varying rock content. The vine spacing is 8 x 5 and the slope faces south/southeast.

Shea Vineyard

Shea Vineyard was first planted to wine grapes in the late 1980s. Today Shea Vineyard is a 200-acre property with 140 planted acres. 135 of these acres are planted to Pinot noir vines and the balance is planted to Chardonnay. Shea vineyard sits on sedimentary soil over fractured sandstone. Vine spacing is 5x7 yielding 1,245 plants per acre. Shea was one of the early vineyards in this area of Yamhill County and on this soil type. Today, the vineyard is surrounded by some of the premiere wineries making Pinot noir in the "New World."

Olalla Vineyard

Olalla Valley Vineyard is located in the valley of the same name in the Umpqua valley of Southern Oregon near the town of Winston; it is farmed by the owner Bob Reid. The 4.5 acres were planted in 1975 and Bob purchased the vineyard in 1994. Originally planted with Pinot Noir Pommard and Chardonnay, the Chardonnay has since been grafted over to the Dijon 115 clone of Pinot Noir. The vineyard is trellised in the Scott Henry system allowing for more linear foot of canopy to counterbalance the higher vigor of the site. The vineyard is entirely managed by Bob, and only the best looking clusters are allowed to make it to harvest.