The Wine

INVICTUS
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul...
~ William Ernest Henley

What better words can we use to describe this year’s Auction lot? None.

Much like the power of Henley’s profound words, this wine has everything you’d expect from a Ribbon Ridge Pinot noir: depth, darkness, tension, length and longevity.

We blended one new and one single-use Siruge Nevers barrel of Pommard-clone Pinot noir from our original, own-rooted 5 Acre Block that was planted in 1982. Enjoy!

VINEYARD: Ridgecrest Vineyards is LIVE-certified sustainable, dry-farmed and gently tended by three of our own employees with management by Chad Vargas at NewGen. There are currently 41 acres planted on the 120-acre property that sits at the top of Ribbon Ridge Road just under 700 feet in elevation. We currently keep about 40% of the estate fruit for our RR and RIDGECREST brands and sell the remaining 60% to our friends in the valley, including Patricia Green, Penner-Ash, Alexana, Andrew Rich, Brooks, Eminent Domaine and others.

HARVEST: All grapes are hand-picked as close to optimal timing based on flavors and data as possible, which is usually 10–14 days later than other sites in the valley. We are meticulous about harvesting each block and clone and keeping them separate at harvest, in the cellar, and until blending decisions are made. The grapes for INVICTUS were the last of the Pinot noir that we harvested on September 28, 2018.

CLONES: 100% Pommard-clone Pinot noir from own-rooted vines planted in 1982.

CELLAR: Our wines are made at the Carlton Winemakers Studio, a co-op that was built almost 20 years ago by Eric Hamacher, Luisa Ponzi, and Ned and Kirsten Lumpkin. Wynne is enjoying her time there, making wines for us and for Chris and Kathryn Hermann of 00 Wines.

FERMENTATION: 30% whole cluster in a 4-ton stainless steel fermenter for 22 days; one punchdown per day.

COOPERAGE: 10 months in one 2018 Sirugue Nevers TG E+ and one 2017 Sirugue Nevers TG E+, then racked, blended and aged an additional 7 months in neutral French oak.

BOTTLING: Bottled by hand February 20, 2020 on Jon’s 10-year wedding anniversary, which makes it more special than the diamonds used to celebrate 10 years of marriage.

PRODUCTION: Seven cases produced. Why seven cases? Five for our Auction winner—lucky you!—plus one for samples and one for the Willamette Auction Library.

SRP: PRICELESS Just like the namesake poem, the 10-year-wedding anniversary, the rock-star second generation winemaker that put her blood, sweat and tears into every bottle, the Willamette Valley legend that planted the vineyard and continues to educate us all and solicit eye-rolls from the non-stop dad puns and dad jokes, the vineyard that was planted in 1982 and continues to produce some of the most exquisite Pinot noir in the Valley four decades later and counting, and the camaraderie, collaboration and mutual respect for land, life and love that makes Oregon one of the best places in the world to grow grapes, make wine, eat amazing food, raise families and host a spectacular event like this. Cheers!

The Winery

The beauty, versatility, and potential of each newly-released wine is far from static.

Bottles age. Vineyards mature. Winemakers evolve.

You cannot map this progression with chart-like precision or supply-chain-management-style graphs. Wine, winemakers, and vineyards all gain perspective as they age.

With experience that runs five decades deep and wines made from the first plantings on Ribbon Ridge, each bottle of RR and RIDGECREST reflects history, perspective and evolution. Crafted by the dynamic father-daughter duo of Harry and Wynne Peterson-Nedry, each wine is proof that the Willamette Valley can, and will, stand up and be counted as among the world’s most noteworthy regions.

Learn more about RR Wines
Follow: @rrwines

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.
DE
DK
USA: CA, IL, MA, NM