Ribbon Ridge AVA
The Ribbon Ridge AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Yamhill County, Oregon, about 22 miles southwest of Portland and 40 miles east of the Pacific Ocean. The smallest AVA in Oregon, the appellation is known for its exceptional Pinot noir wine, with 90% of its vineyards planted with that grape variety.
Description
The Ribbon Ridge AVA is an American Viticultural Area, that is, a recognized wine-grape growing region, in Yamhill County, Oregon. The smallest AVA in Oregon, it is entirely contained within the Chehalem Mountains AVA, which in turn is entirely contained within the Willamette Valley AVA. Only about in area, the Ridge lies midway between the towns of Newberg and Gaston, at the northwest end of the Chehalem Mountains. The AVA has about of vines planted on 36 vineyards and a dozen wineries. It is estimated that between and of the region is suitable for planting.The appellation is known for its exceptional Pinot noir wine, and 90% of its vineyards are planted with that grape variety. As Wine Enthusiast commented, "the area creates aromatic Pinots with exceptional structure, balance and dark red and black fruits, driven by bright acidity, often with an underpinning of salty seashell minerality."
Geography
Aligned generally north–south, Ribbon Ridge is 3.5 miles long and 1.75 miles wide. It is geographically isolated, separated from the adjacent hills by creek valleys. The Ridge is defined by these local geographic boundaries and an uplift of ocean sediment. The Ridge is located at about 45° 21' N latitude and 123° 04' W longitude, with an elevation about 700 feet.The official AVA application for the ridge noted its "topographic isolation" and "island-like appearance—a distinct geological formation of eastward-tilted, marine sedimentary strata that dates to the upper Eocene geological era." From climate and geographical considerations, the vineyard sites face southeast and southwest. In this orientation, the morning fogs tend to linger on the Ridge, allowing for milder temperatures in the summer.
History
Colby Carter, an early settler from Missouri, named Ribbon Ridge in 1865, and the ridge has been known by that name ever since. The first official use of the Ribbon Ridge name dates to 1888 with the creation of Ribbon Ridge School District No. 68.The first wine grape vines were planted on the Ridge in 1980 by Harry Peterson-Nedry, who planted 12 acres. David Lett had planted the first Pinot noir vines in the Willamette Valley in 1965. Planting wine grapes in the Ribbon Ridge location at that time was a risk. As Peterson-Nedry commented in 2023, "The general wisdom was that Ribbon Ridge was too far west to get ripe, too much into the Coast Range shadow and too high in elevation, being just shy of 700 feet." Peterson-Nedry's vineyard, called Ridgecrest Vineyards, now has 40 planted acres.
By 2002, the area had 3 commercial wineries and 14 vineyards with a total of 286 planted acres. Ribbon Ridge was designated an American Viticultural Area on July 1, 2005.