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2001 Ridgecrest Vineyards CERISE™

(updated 3/23/04)

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The Wine

Cerise™ is our name for a predominantly Gamay noir blend with Pinot noir. Both varietals are best done in Burgundy and both exhibit a palate of cherry flavors and aromas. "Cherry" in French, Cerise is our tribute to a high fruit, moderately serious red wine. In Burgundy they do one too, called passetoutgrains, blended close to an 80% Gamay noir and 20% Pinot noir, for drinking while waiting for their highly structured pinots to develop. Ours is made with the same casual purpose in mind.

The Vineyard

Our oldest estate vineyard, Ridgecrest is a 37 acre vineyard on a 72 acre property. Beginning in 1980, this site pioneered grapegrowing on Ribbon Ridge, a small ridge on the western end of the Chehalem Range and Valley. Soils are Willakenzie, a transition soil series exhibiting characteristics of both volcanic and sedimentary underlying structures. The rich, supple black cherry and blackberry fruits are characteristic of Ridgecrest Vineyard and the Willakenzie soil type. Excellent acidity and a finesseful texture and finish are hallmarks of the vineyard site, being relatively high in elevation, mature in vine age and deeply rooted. There are two acres of gamay noir planted at the site, in perhaps the oldest commercial planting in the US.

The Vintage

2001 is a soft, big vintage. It saw almost ideal growing and ripening weather and less than an inch of rain during harvest. This is not a typical cool climate vintage and the Pinot noirs will be soft, fleshy and early appealing. Whites will be full and broad, and early maturing. The alcohols are restrained slightly by yields that were neither too generous nor forced extreme extraction: Pinot noirs, 2.38 tons/acre; chardonnay, 2.77; Pinot gris, 2.26; riesling, 2.77; gamay noir, 1.86; Pinot blanc, 4.27.

Stats

Harvest Data:

Harvested on 10/15/2001 @ an average 22.1 brix, 3.10pH, and 7.40 g/l TA, from a 1.86 tons per acre cropload

Fermentation:

14 days total fermentation with 7 days pre maceration

Cooperage/Aging:

11 months in barrel, without racking

Wine Selection:

Gamay noir ( 70%) and Pinot noir ( 30%)

Bottling:

Bottled 09/11/02

Bottling Analyses:

13.8% alcohol, 6.6g/l TA, 3.35pH

Cases Produced:

298

Suggested Retail:

$18

Release Date:

May, 2003

Winemaker's Comments

We're locked into a groove with Cerise now, with a big, juicy, ripe and mostly black fruited wine. The key is low cropload. You see it in the weight, fine tannin and color from full ripeness and full extraction. There is more of a blackberry fruit aspect than in Pinot noir, even from Ridgecrest. There is spice and pepperiness from open-top fermentations, plus a roundness and structure that makes it serious, but not too serious—an alternative to Pinot noir, if you need one. Zin fans might really appreciate the fruit.

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