First released by Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard in 1992, Pacific Rim Dry Riesling quickly gained a loyal following among Riesling lovers. Known for its fresh and bright characteristics, the wine was a welcome alternative to over-oaked, one-dimensional white wines. As the American palate evolved in recent years toward wines with greater complexity and crisper acidity, the popularity of Pacific Rim Dry Riesling grew.
Demand and enthusiasm for Pacific Rim Dry Riesling continued to gain momentum — and the excitement around the wine inspired a radical idea... the creation a winery exclusively dedicated to Riesling. In August of 2006, a small band of Bonny Doon expats moved to the Northwest from California with a common desire to craft the best Riesling in America... thus, Pacific Rim became its own winery.
At Pacific Rim, we are passionate about Riesling (in fact, nearly 90% of Pacific Rim’s production is com prised of Riesling wines); we are passionate about crafting world-class Riesling; and we are passionate about extolling the wondrous virtues of Riesling. Explore our website and — if you haven’t already had the pleasure — try our wines. If you’re not presently a Riesling zealot, we’re certain that you, too, will soon discover the marvels of our favorite variety... Riesling.
Fifteen thousand years ago during the last Ice Age, an enormous two thousand foot high ice dam formed near what is now the northern border of Montana and Idaho. When the ice dam weakened and erupted due to the enormous pressure from Lake Missoula, a giant wall of water equal to ten times all the world’s rivers — the Missoula Floods — ripped through what are now central Idaho, southern Washington and northern Oregon.
A rich brew of minerals and silts were created as these waters churned toward the Pacific Ocean. Easterly-blowing winds then lifted these deposits from western Oregon and Washington back to what is now the Columbia and Willamette Valleys. Thus the soils for our Single Vineyard Rieslings were born.
There’s a reason that Pacific Rim’s home is in the Columbia Valley — the region provides ideal terroir for Riesling. Soils found nowhere in the world combined with an arid climate with cool evenings year-round are the perfect ingredients for growing world-class Riesling. And the vineyards we’ve selected for our Single Vineyard Rieslings represent the absolute best of the best: Wallula, Solstice and Selenium Vineyards.