2013 RIBBON RIDGE WINERY PINOT NOIR ESTATE RESERVE RIDGECREST VINEYARDS RIBBON RIDGE OREGON

2013: A Tale of Two Harvests—one very early and one normal, with rain in between. They started

as one very early harvest thanks to a very consistent, warm growing season, the warmest on record

up to final ripening mid-September. An unanticipated 30-year rain event of 5″ then appeared the last

days of September, made of remnants from a typhoon that had hit Japan days before, ushering in

a spate of cool weather, interrupting the season, slowing ripening and turning it into two discrete

picks, with early Pinot noir ferments already in barrel before remaining grapes were ripe and picked!

Although grapes ripe during the rain were vulnerable to botrytis, earlier and later picks showed very

good quality, with many considering the coolness and longer hang-time a big benefit, preserving

acidity and flavors, while minimizing alcohol. Color, texture, balance and acidity on the whole were

good for the vintage. Croploads were moderate to high, except for blocks and varieties lost to the

rain.