From http://www.graperadio.com/
Possibly no other grape variety is as subject to the differences of terroir, as is Pinot Noir. And, no discussion or tasting of Pinot Noir would be complete without including Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Located West and South of Portland, the Willamette Valley is 150 miles long and nearly 60 miles wide, with 200 wineries and over 12,000 acres of grapes. Bounded by the Cascade Mountains to the East, the Coast Range mountains to the West, plus a series of lower hill chains to the extreme north of the valley, the Willamette Valley is one of those regions that illustrates the diversity of terroir. So much so, that in 2002, the vineyards and wineries of the region delineated and submitted petitions to the TTB to divide much of the northern part of the Willamette Valley AVA into six more specific AVAs. During 2005-06, the petitions were approved and the following sub-AVAs were created within the Willamette Valley: Chehalem Mountains, Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Ribbon Ridge, and Yamhill-Carlton District