Patricia Green Estate Old Vine Pinot Noir 2016
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As the Estate vines tap their roots deep into the soft sub-soil they eventually make contact with the mineralized water on the property. This brings a whole new element to bear in the flavor and texture profile of the wine. This bottling comes from the original 1984 planting of Pommard which was fermented with 33% whole clusters, a 1987 planting of Chardonnay grafted to Pommard Clone in 1998, a 1990 planting of Pinot Gris that was grafted to Pommard in 2002 and a 1997 planting of Pommard on a steep west facing slope. Given the diversity within the vineyard (we have a 360 degree aspect on our hillside vineyard) and the range of vine age (20-33 years) we were able to pick at multiple different times and had fermentations that ranged from 100% de-stemmed to 50% whole cluster. The assemblage for this particular wine is always fascinating because you can see the wine come together as the elements from each block are added in.
This wine is one of the few truly older vine bottlings that exists from Ribbon Ridge at this juncture and it shows how the best, older vineyards here have the capacity to translate the mineral laden nature of our water and soil into the refined, focused nature of the fruit we can grow here. This AVA is a special place and as interesting, dramatic and amazing as some of our specialty bottlings from this site are this one is the mother of them all and the true definer of wine from this site. The 2015 was listed as the #39 wine in The Wine Enthusiast 2017 Top 100 wines.
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Wine Enthusiast
These old vines were planted between 1984 and 1990. They bring the anticipated subtle aromatics and detail, with highlights of ginger, clove and cinnamon. A black cherry flavor carries a streak of cola, along with a sense of minerality to the natural acidity. Delicious now, or enjoy over the next decade.
Editors' Choice -
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: Most of us in the business understand that older (or at least mature vines) produce deeper and finer fruit. The 2016 Patricia Green Cellars Estate Vineyard Old Vine Pinot Noir is a case in point. TASTING NOTES: This wine packs plenty of oomph. Its aromas and flavors of black fruits as well as its strong delivery should pair it well with grilled lamb chops. (Tasted: September 25, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
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2021-
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In the winery the philosophy of attention to the smallest details is further extended all the way from the fermenting must to the final bottling process. All of our wines at all of their points of evolution are handled and manipulated as little as possible while being smelled and tasted on a regular basis. Our selection of barrels has been limited to one cooper noted for producing some of the best made Pinot Noir barrels in the world. As we produce as many as 15-16 different bottlings of Pinot Noir under our own label each vintage the decisions we make about the quality of every single barrel is quite rigorous ensuring that each bottling represents the best possible wine from each vineyard with which we work.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Ribbon Ridge is a regular span of uplifted, marine, sedimentary soils (called Willakenzie), whose highest ridge elevations twist like a ribbon. An early settler from Missouri named Colby Carter noticed this unique topography and gave the region its name in 1865—though it wasn’t declared its own AVA until 140 years later, in 2005. The AVA is enclosed by mountains on all sides between Yamhill-Carlton and the Chehalem Mountains, and is actually part of the larger Chehalem Mountains AVA. Its soils have a finer texture than its neighbors with parent materials composed of sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone. Given its presence of natural aquifers in this five square mile area, most vineyards are actually easily dry farmed!