The WIne

We often start our harvest with fruit from the northern portion of the Willamette valley, slowly moving south as harvest progresses. On an average vintage, our Pinot noir pick dates are 21 days from first to last pick, allowing us to turn over tanks and free up space. While more of an average-to-cool vintage, 2019 was compressed with just 14 days between our first and last pick of Pinot noir. We saw cooler daytime highs, with higher nighttime lows, along with several early September rainstorms. With our wines seeing an average of 18 days of skin contact, it did not take long for the winery production floor to become a sea of fermenters.

This vintage marks our 25th anniversary working with the tapestry of Pinot noir that the Willamette Valley has to offer. As a unique blend of every vineyard that we work with spanning five AVAs—Laurelwood District, Chehalem Mountains, Yamhill-Carlton, McMinnville and Eola-Amity—Tour de Vallée is quite literally a tour of the Willamette Valley in your glass. Each region compliments the other with fragrant nuances, mouthfeel and balance, showcasing the various soils of the Valley from the windblown loess of the Laurelwood District, to the volcanic soils from the slide area in the Chehalem Mountains, to the ancient marine sedimentary of Yamhill-Carlton, to the lava flow–formed basalts of McMinnville and Eola-Amity Hills. Taste for yourself and take a Tour de Vallée.

Learn more about this lot during Preview Week, when winemaker Shannon Gustafson will present this wine during a virtual tasting session on July 27. Register here.

The Winery

Growing more interesting wines since 1995: Founded 26 years ago by Scott and Annie Shull to share the joy of winegrowing, close connection with the land and community, Raptor Ridge is located in the Chehalem Mountains AVA—a natural haven for native raptors and winery guests. Visitors experience vine-side tastings of Laurelwood-grown Pinots and Grüner Veltliner, as well as vineyard-designated Pinots and eclectic European varieties from five of the nine nested AVAs in the Willamette Valley. Chef-inspired pairings and yoga classes are also offered in our tranquil setting with a view of four mountain tops.

Learn more about Raptor Ridge Winery
Follow: @raptorridgewinery

All wine is sold FOB the location of the winery that produced the lot purchased. WVWA is not responsible for shipping wine. Shipping or delivery arrangements, expenses and insurance are the sole responsibility of the purchaser. Any shipment of wines out-of-state is the responsibility of the purchaser, who is solely responsible for compliance with the laws and regulations of said state.

The producing winery currently has distribution in the below listed countries and states. A list of distributors is available upon request.

USA: AK, AL, AR, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, HI, IA, IL, KS, LA, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, SD, TN, TX, VT, WA