Ribbon Ridge is a very regular spur of ocean sediment uplift off the northwest end of the Chehalem Mountains, containing a relatively uniform 5 1/4 square miles (3,350 acres) of land. Approximately 500 acres are currently planted on the ridge, within 20 vineyards.
The AVA is distinguished by uniform, unique ocean sedimentary soils and a geography that is protected climatically by the larger landmasses surrounding it. Paucity of aquifers forces most vineyards to be dry farmed.
Ribbon Ridge is contained within the larger Chehalem Mountains AVA.
In the next posts I want to talk about Willamette Valley and its sub-AVAs. This article is coming
directly from the second issue of “The Wine Team”, enjoy!
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For the second issue we are still in the United States, but no longer in California but to the North. Many of you may have heard of Oregon, or more specifically, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir makes up roughly 70% of the grapes grown in the Willamette and this cool climate varietal thrives in Oregon producing world class Pinots. But did you know the Willamette Valley AVA consists of 7 sub-AVAs: Chehalem Mountains, Ribbon Ridge, Yamhill-Carlton, Dundee Hills, McMinnville, Eola-Amity Hills and the Van Duzer Corridor.
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Today I want to explore each of these sub-AVA’s and give you a peek into their unique qualities.
First up is Chehalem Mountains AVA.
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Sitting southwest of Portland it covers a large up-thrust of land marked by many smaller hills and valleys. This AVA covers 70,000 acres with 2,600 acres of planted vineyards. The soils consist of a confluence of wind-blown loess, oceanic sedimentary, and basaltic types that range throughout the area. This mixing of soils gives the wine a variety of characteristics, but all are defined by distinctive bright cherry notes with intense spice. This is well balanced by earthy notes and strong acidity.
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Notable producers here are: adelsheim , coleneclemens , rexhillvyds , lecadeauwine , bergstromwines , and alloro_vineyard .
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See you in two days for part2!
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Swipe left to see a map of Willamette Valley and its sub-AVAs
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“Willamette Valley and its sub-AVAs”.
Part 2/4
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Secondly, we have Ribbon Ridge AVA. It began as the southwestern part of Chehalem Mountains but has recently been recognized as a separate AVA. The uniqueness comes from both the shallow layer of uniformly oceanic sedimentary soils called “WillaKenzie” from the nearby Willamette and MacKenzie Rivers at top bedrock sandstone and the protection from weather patterns by the surrounding hills. Consisting of only 3500 acres, with less than 500 acres planted it’s the smallest AVA in the valley. .
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Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noirs are smooth and supple with excellent balance of spice and elegant floral notes without the more acidic punch from many of its neighbors. Notable producers here are beauxfreres , patriciagreencellars , domainedivio , ayresvineyard , and trisaetum_winery . .
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Yamhill-Carlton is nestled between the coastal range to the West and the Chehalem Mountains to the Northeast. The AVA is defined by a u-shaped series of hills and the Yamhill River running thru an area of over 60,000 acres with 1,200 acres of vineyards. Sitting in the rain shadow of the coastal range and the well-draining marine sedimentary soils are the keys to the wines. Vines stop shooting here earlier than elsewhere in the valley leaving more time for ripening.
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The wines have silky integrated tannins with dark fruit notes, tobacco and coffee with floral overtones and medium acid. .
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Notable producers are: kwcellars , willakenzie , wildairecellars and soterwines . .
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“ Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today “ - Malcom X. Let’s congratulate Omar Garcia Perea omarfenyz for completing our AHIVOY’s Wine Industry Professional Program. Omar has been a proud team member at Beaux Freres beauxfreres since 2001 👏🏽👨🏻🎓✊🏼 #educationispower #ahivoyoregon #oregonnonprofit #beauxfrereswinery #vineyardstewards #wxcommunity #ribbonridgeava #willamettevalley #educacion #malcomxquotes #chemeketawinestudies #alwayskeeplearningandgrowing...
“Willamette Valley and its sub-AVAs”.
Part 3/4
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Dundee Hills AVA abuts Yamhill Carlton to the east and sits just south of Chehalem Mountains. This is the oldest planted area in the Willamette and has almost 2,200 acres of planted vines in the 6,500-acre AVA. Dundee Hills is mainly comprised of Basalt lava flows called “Jory” and starts above the 200 ft elevation line where sedimentary soils are minimal. .
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Wines are known for rich complexity, bright fruit notes, minerality, and silky tannins. Notable producers include domainedrouhinoregon mareshvineyard depontecellars , domaineserene and sokolblosser . .
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The McMinnville AVA lies South and West of the Yamhill Carlton, running up the eastern slopes of the Coast Range comprising of over 40,000 acres. The soils, rich but shallow, alluvial and marine sedimentary deposits over a base layer of basalt and cooling effect from winds funneled off the Pacific from the south keep the vineyards cool and dry.
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Long hang times affect fruit maturity and wines show well with rich black fruit notes, spice, and earthy flavors. Small blocks are usually vinified separately and sometimes blended into estate wines depending on desired outcomes. Notable producers here are: brittanvineyards , hylandestates , youngberg_hill and maysarawinery .
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See you in two days for the last part!
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On day two of my recent visit to the Willamette Valley, rockymountainoenophile and I ended the afternoon with a relaxing visit to Domaine Divio. This winery was a recommendation from our kind, fun, and knowledgeable guide for the day, Trish with no_whining_winetours !
domainedivio is another France-Oregon crossover producer, based in the Ribbon Ridge AVA and crafting excellent, predominantly from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The staff were top-notch and took great care of us while we wandered around the grounds and enjoyed their wines from a number of the Willamette Valley's nested AVAs. Out of the six producers we visited on our trip, Domaine Divio was the only one to produce a Pinot Gris, which they call Pinot Beurot, it's historic name in Burgundy (it was high-acid, crisp, floral, fruity, and refreshing!). Trish also treated us to some melt-in-your-mouth dark chocolate truffles, which paired incredibly well with the Dundee Hills Pinot Noir that we tasted.
Domaine Divio's tasting room is a well-appointed barn-style building, and they had the best views of a small valley and the surrounding hills and country roads. My favorite touch? Their custom-made road sign that they ordered from France, matching the classic city limit signs you see all across France!
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#winetasting #winetour #willamettevalleywine #willamettevalleywinetours #oregonwinecountry #oregonwine #oregonwinemonth #winelady #wineladyoutwest #womeninwine #winebabesclub #winebabe #frenchinspired #pinotbeurot #pinotnoir #chardonnay #countryroads #frenchstyle #newworldwine #wineweekend #girlsweekend #traveloregon #winetravel #winerecommendation #ribbonridgeava...
“Willamette Valley and its sub-AVAs”.
Part 4/4
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Furthest South and East is the Eola-Amity Hills AVA consisting of 40,000 acres with 2,800 planted acres. Tilted layers of rocky volcanic basalt and sedimentary sandstone that are well drained and cool breezes from the Van Duzer Corridor keep acids high and concentrate flavors in the wines. .
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Eola-Amity Pinots are known for the intense black pepper notes with high acid, concentrated fruit notes and a strong tannic structure. Notable producers in Eola-Amity are: linguafrancawines , walterscottwines , evening_land , faillawinesoregon , bethelheightsvineyard , brynmawrvineyards and brookswinery .
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The newest AVA, as of 2019, is the Van Duzer Corridor directly to the west of Eola-Amity. This area, similar to the Petaluma Gap in California, funnels cool air in from the Pacific to dry and cool the vines during the summers and temper the cold in the spring and fall.
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Almost 60,000 acres in area with only 1,000 acres planted the AVA boasts consistent high-quality grapes with thicker skins for fuller body and more tannic structure. The first six Van Duzer producers are: vanduzervineyards , johanvineyards andantevineyard firesteedwinery , chateaubiancawinery and leftcoastwine . .
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And that’s all from Oregon, see you next time!
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Are you as old as Harry? Not many people are 😜 but if you ARE over 21 you should be on our mailing list. Join today via link in bio! 🍷 #rrwines #mailinglist #wiseman
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#fallishere #grapes #makingwine #oregonwineexperience #ribbonridgeava #ridgecrest #winemaking #winetours #chardonnay #pinotnoir #greatwine #winelover #4decadesinthemaking #oregonwinery #willamettevalley #willamettevalleywine #willamettewine #wvcommunity #oregonwine #traveloregon #livecertified #estatewine #dryfarmwines #screwcap #ribbonridge...
This gorgeous Pinot Noir has it all: structure, balance and silky refinement. Layers of raspberry, cranberry and rhubarb with smooth tannins and a long finish. #beauxfreres #thebeauxfrèresvineyard #pinotnoir #oregonpinotnoir #ribbonridgeava #winetasting...
The 3-course dinner at The Allison Inn & Spa featured amazing local ingredients by Chef Chris Smith (the mushrooms were perfection 😍) and was perfectly paired with wine from Utopia Vineyards and Domaine Divio.
The Allison sits on 35 acres of lush land with striking views of Wine Country. If you are planning to reserve one of the 77 rooms or 8 suites, book early! The Allison fills up super quick. We did not have time for a tour but what little I saw was fabulous! I caught a beautiful sunset just before it disappeared behind the trees (see last pic).
The Food:
✨Heirloom Green Salad, dried cherries, red onion, roasted hazelnuts, pecorino and Muscatel Vinaigrette
Thanks to Dan from Utopia Vineyards and Bruno from Domaine Divio for sharing their lovely wines. Also, thank you Taste Newberg and The Allison Inn & Spa for dinner! We enjoyed everything!!...
Our Gorgeous Wine Country Relay wouldn’t be what it is without our incredible winery partners!
Our 2022 winery partners were coelho_winery , jacobwilliamswinerymac , monksgate_vineyard , utopiavineyard , comprisvineyard , coleneclemens , carlton_winemakers_studio , saffronfieldsvineyard !
Huge shoutout to each of them and their incredible staff!
Runners, which winery did you enjoy the most?
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#gorgeousrelayseries #gorgeousseries #rungorgeous #rungorgeousseries #run #runoregon #runwinecountry #coelhowinery #comprisvineyard #ribbonridgeava #utopiavineyard #saffronfieldsvineyard #monksgatewinery #jacobwilliamswinery #coleneclemens #coleneclemensvineyard #carltonwinemakersstudio #oregonwinecountry...
T-1 DAY UNTIL I’M BACK IN THE LAND OF PINOT 🥳
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Taking my first flight of 2020 tomorrow (eeek kind of anxious but I’ll get over it) up to Portland for what should be a killer weekend full of all the incredible wine. These trips up to Oregon have been the saving grace of 2020 and I cannot wait to fall in deeper love with Willamette Valley Pinot. Check out my tags for all the spots I’ll be visiting!
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What are your long weekend plans? Staying close to home or heading out on a trip?...
Last summer sunset with Pinot & Pizza of the season at Domaine Divio.
What an amazing atmosphere with great music, people, and beautiful light last night!...
It’s a humbling experience to watch the life cycle of a vineyard year to year. My first harvest was back in 2010, and I’m so thankful I’m still doing what I love to do 11 years later. Cheers to keeping the faith, and getting up early to get the photos! #contentcreator
ridgecrestwines rrwines isn’t messing around with their 🍇 #thegoodstuff #ribbonridgeava...
Venture out to Chehalem Mountains and Ribbon Ridge AVA wineries, and your taste of Newberg will be a little bit different. Here, you’re never far from the barrels, the fruit, ‘or the winemaker who nurtures the wine to its beautiful finish. You’re in for a memorable experience that will challenge how you think about wine. Smell the winery, meet the winemaker, and get a hands-on introduction to the soils here.
Get a taste of Newberg and graduate from your own University of the Senses!
Photo: cheryljuetten ridgecrestwines gowillamettevalley
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#tastenewberg #ridgecrestwines #chehalemmountainsava #ribbonridgeava
#gowinetasting #traveloregon #exploregon
#newbergoregon #willamettevalley #pacificnorthwest #pnwonderland #upperleftusa #pnw #oregonexplored #shoplocal #instagood #travelportland #thatpnwlife...
Tonight’s dinner… Grilled Kalbi Korean ribs butter leaf tacos with kimchi slaw, watermelon radish, scallions, cilantro and an amazing #bergstromwines Le Pre Du Col Pinot noir wine #oregonwines #ribbonridgeava delish!!!...
Even during this year that all of us are ready to be done with, there is so much to be thankful for ❤️
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We have been through a lot this year and it has given me so much appreciation for my family, friends, health, job, and home. While my world was definitely smaller this year and I did not carry out the wild plans I had for 2020, I was able to enjoy time closer to home and venture to so many new wineries I fell in love with (check them out here.) Of course, when I wanted to venture to more faraway places, I did so via wine. All in all, when I look back, there are still definitely some bright spots, so I’ll be raising a glass of Pinot tomorrow to the fun parts of 2020 that got me through, the brighter future ahead in 2021 and the things that I’m grateful for every day pandemic or no pandemic.
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What will you be toasting to at your thanksgiving dinner?...
Finished up with a great first-time tasting at Elevée. Had an amazing time in the “greenhouse” with a windy and somewhat rainy spring day in Oregon. Heard about them on the winecrushpodcast and was so glad I did.
Yesterday was nice and warm and sunny. A bit different from today. We spent the afternoon with jonforwine at the yurt for rrwines and ridgecrestwines I forgot to take pictures of the bottles but honestly was just amazed with the views all around. We tasted through Riesling, gamay and of course pinot noir… Great to see Jon again and go through these wines in the valley vs an event in Chicago. Of course I’m bringing some back 😉 #ribbonridgeava #chehalemmountains #willamettevalley #oregonwine...
Domaine Divio’s 2020 Chardonnay (Willamette Valley) received a 97 from Wine Enthusiast - and we couldn't be more excited to celebrate with them.
Our blog writer, Lucy, had a chance to sit and sip with Winemaker/Owner, Bruno Corneaux. Learn more about the 2020 Chardonnay that came from the love of the land on our blog - 🔗 in bio!
A warm welcome to the latest addition to our tank brood: Oksana 👏👏👏 She can kill you but probably won’t but it’s possible but most likely not. This high pressure charmat tank is probably the coolest thing ever. Watch out world, M&M got projects 💦
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We're kicking-off #OregonWineMonth with an homage to our Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. It's our flagship wine blended each year from a unique selection of vineyards from across the Willamette Valley. But it's more than just a blend. Vintage after vintage, this wine simply wouldn't be possible without the hard work, friendships, hustle, and spirit that thrives within our wine community. To all of our vineyard partners from all corners of the Willamette Valley and beyond, thank you for helping us to make this wine possible. 🍷 #WVcommunity #KickAshPinot #OregonInside
P.S. Because #hustle, this wine and all wines are available for curbside pick-up. Prefer to get them delivered? Ground shipping is included with every online order when you use the code SHIP100 at checkout....
The wine community here in Oregon is unlike any other and the decades-long relationships with our grower partners from across the Willamette Valley are each core to our success.
In celebration of #OregonWineMonth, we're joining our friends and neighbors to #pouritfORward by sharing with you a beautifully aged bottle of 2011 rrwines Ridgecrest Vineyard Pinot Noir.
Be sure to give them a like and a follow. And if you'd like to taste our interpretation of this beautiful fruit from the Ribbon Ridge AVA, check out our very own Ridgecrest Vineyard Pinot Noir 🍷 #OregonWine #RibbonRidgeAVA #OregonPinot...
Great night of alfresco dining. Made vegan roasted red pepper pesto pasta with roasted veggies. Swipe right to see the wine pairing (taken as the darkness fell). ayresvineyard 2013. Pioneer. What a gorgeous expression of the #ribbonridgeava #wine #winelover #oregonwine #oregonpinot...
Even though it was rainy yesterday, we stayed nice and dry under the big covered patio and warm & cozy for a nap inside the tasting room while the pawrents talked about wine. We all enjoyed our visit, and we met a new friend Emma! #claygateestatevineyards #petfriendly #winetasting #saturday #weekend #ribbonridgeava #willamettevalley...
It’s Labor Day weekend and time to fire up the grill! Our tasting room is open 11-5, come by and pick up a bottle or two of our Ridgecrest Vineyard Pinot Noir. The palette is big, juicy and calls for a nicely grilled steak or mushroom pairing. With scores on our 2018 of 92 Points - Wine Enthusiast and 90 Points - Wine Spectator, you’ll never want to move the party indoors!
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#pitmaster #pinotnoir #laborday #weekendvibes #bbq #chehalemwines #ribbonridgeava #gowinetasting #cheers...
For those of you who have been wondering what our vineyards look like, and when harvest might be this year, here’s a great vineyard update from today (June 16th, 2022) at our Ridgecrest Vineyard in Ribbon Ridge AVA from Wynne!
It’s mirroring 2010-2011 vintage as of now, which as we know are some of the best wines! ✨