Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noir RR Estate Reserve Ridgecrest Vineyard Chehalem Mountains 2017

1980 was a big year. While we were busy being introduced to PacMan, MTV, and the first PC, Ribbon Ridge founder Harry Peterson was working overtime to plant vines in the Willamette Valley, farther north and farther west than any other grower dared to tread. At the time, planting there was unthinkable, impossible even! They called him a madman…but he got the last laugh. 

Oregon’s top pinot pros – from Beaux Frères, to Ken Wright, Soter, Adelsheim, Bergström, and more – all fight like mad to get the best parcels of the famed Ridgecrest Vineyard. Everyone wants this fruit, and we have some to share with you today. The winery calls 2017 its most “thought-provoking vintage to date.” The Estate Reserve performs far beyond your average “fruity” pinot, with an impressive depth and a seriousness that reflects the 39 years of vine maturity of the most precious plots on the estate. 

Elegant and vibrantly aromatic as soon as it hits the glass, with notes of sumptuous dark berries, Black Tartarian cherries, smoked black pepper, red plums, and spice cake. These aromas are met with flavors of more red fruit – cherry, cranberry, and dried strawberry – along with crushed rose petals, cacao nibs, rust, black peppercorns, and 5-spice, supported by fine-grained tannins and a long finish. Aging in a mix of new and used neutral oak lends notes of mocha and clove, but the low alcohol and high acidity ensure that the wine retains its bright, lively character. Only 472 cases were made, and we have even less to go around. We’re thrilled to have scored any of this at all…especially at our exceptional price!