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1998 Ridgecrest Vineyards CERISE™
(updated 2/26/01)
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The Wine
Cerise™ is our name for a predominant 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, only 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. We have made Cerise since 1992 and it is a special wine for some of our longtime customers.
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.
The Vintage
The 1998 vintage is possibly the best we have yet seen in Oregon, or at least the equivalent of the highly touted 1994 vintage. The intensity of this vintage is due to a half-crop yield (e.g. 1.2 tons per acre) and perfect ripening weather at this moderately high elevation vineyard, where acidity is maintained even in ripe years.
Stats
Harvest Data:
Harvested October 7, 1998 @23 brix, 3.2 pH, 6.2 TA.
Fermentation:
14 days total fermentation in 4 by 4s, with BRG and RC212 yeasts and with 7 days pre, and no post maceration.
Cooperage/Aging:
13 months in older (equal 1,2,3 year old) French oak barrel, with racking.
Varietals:
92% Ridgecrest Gamay noir and 8% Ridgecrest Pinot noir.
Bottling:
Bottled 12/16/99 with egg white fining and no filtration.
Bottling Analyses:
13.7% alcohol, 3.23 pH, 7.3 g/l acid, 0.0 residual sugar.
Cases Produced:
145
Suggested Retail:
$18
Release Date:
May, 2000
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Winemaker's Comments
The first vintage specific Cerise since 1994, this wine is huge and definitely towards the black cherry end of the spectrum, due to perfect harvest weather in 1998 and extremely low croploads of 1.2 tons per acre at Ridgecrest Vineyards. The 1998 and 1999 wines are intense, black cherry fruited, spicy, firm and well structured.