Winemaker Notes
Rolling gently from our north boundary fence to the foot of the Douglas firs in our woods, the brick house looks out over eight acres of Dijon clone vines planted on a full south slope. Since 1998, they have supplied superior fruit that continues to win critical acclaim. The “Les Dijonnais” Pinot Noir represents the best barrels from this warm site. In contrast with the Pommard clone bottlings, the Les Dijonnais Pinot Noir offers a more floral interpretation of the grape, often displaying hints of rose petal and meadow flowers.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
An exceptional pinot with such richness and purity of fruit. The oak adds plentiful spice, yet is outgunned by the powerful and fleshy dark cherries that ascend freshly through the finish. Class act.
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Wine Spectator
Svelte and harmonious, with splendid raspberry and cherry flavors laced with rose petal and black tea notes, building complexity toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2027.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Pinot Noir Les Dijonnais comes from five different Dijon clones. It was made with 30% whole clusters and 16 months in about 35% new French oak. It has a pale ruby-purple color with aromas of warm raspberries, black cherries, cinnamon, dried earth and roses with amaro nuances. The light to medium-bodied palate is grainy and fresh with a long, spicy finish. This is drinking well right out of the bottle. Rating: 92+
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Wine Enthusiast
In this vintage this release feels lighter than usual, with strawberry and raspberry fruit and a touch of toast and spice. It’s a lovely, elegant wine, but does not show the sustained power generally found in many vintages of Brick House Pinots. Drink now through 2025
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!