Description

A DAD, A DAUGHTER, AND A HILL
When we first set foot on Ribbon Ridge in 1980, we knew it was something special. There was an indefinable magic to the place, in the low-slung, rolling hills that rise and fall like the breath of a slumbering child. It was undeniably alive, and bursting with potential.

We followed our gut, planting the first vineyard on what would one day become one of the premier wine appellations in Oregon. Ridgecrest Vineyards did not disappoint. Early barrel samples were otherworldly. We studied it, continued to plant, and dug deep.

After 34 harvests at Chehalem and 17 years of squirreling away our age-worthy RR wines, we know these vineyards – the ins and outs, strengths, and peculiarities of each and every block. We’ve done our homework…

Now, it’s recess time. We’re ready to come out and play.
Our new RIDGECREST label will allow us to do just that – to play with all of those blocks, lots, and barrels that beg our attention every harvest – the ones we are loathe to blend with the others, because they are just so damned intriguing! Pinot Noir will be the mainstay, with supporting roles played by Grüner Veltliner and Gamay Noir.
Cheers!

Wynne and Harry

Winemaker’s Notes – Our old vine Gamay gave us a lot of love in 2019, with an abundant harvest and more “traditional” Oregon vintage characteristics, brought on with a few spurts of rain and cooler days near the end of ripening, to show the traditional cool-climate of the Willamette Valley. This Gamay reflects the elegance and power from Ribbon Ridge, and a profile that Cru Beaujolais lovers will appreciate. The wine has a medium-garnet color with aromatics of green peppercorn staccato, spicy tobacco, cedar, and dried cherry accents, adding depth to a more persistent black cherry and chocolate core. Next, we envision biting a fresh, ripe, dusty plum, sensing the velvety sweet flesh of the fruit, and the clean, bright finish, accented with acid that is crisp and precise. Best served slightly chilled with your favorite wood fired pizza or grilled meats, or around the Thanksgiving table as a perfect complement to turkey and all the fixins.

Vintage Notes – 2019 was an old school Willamette Valley Harvest: watching weather reports, valuing coffee over beer, charging bird cannon batteries, and consoling old friends newly moved to Oregon from California. Chats, waiting to offload an ancient truck’s fruit, were punctuated by “cool growing season, early rains, hang time, sugar, birds, electric sunset, botrytis, more birds, sunny days are overrated anyway…” Despite an old-school vintage, the concentration, depth of flavor, color and structure of recent years all seem to be there. And the old is new again!