After a little research on my own I am more excited for you to to try the Indigo selections this month. Again, one of the reasons I was excited for these wines was the enthusiasm my wine rep has for these wines and the winery. I instantly became enthused when I tried the wines.
Their philosophy at Ribbon Ridge winery is “SIMPLE ALWAYS - GREAT GRAPES FROM A PERFECT ANCIENT SITE, MADE INTO WINE BY THE BEST WINEMAKER, WITH HUMILITY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL!” According to LIVE (Low Input Viticulture & Enology) standards, Ridgecrest Vineyards is dry-farmed sustainably. Established in 1980-the vineyards were planted in 1982. There are a total of 120 acres with 41 of them being planted. “A minimalist hands-on approach is very common in the Willamette Valley and this is our philosophy too.” The wines are crushed, aged and bottled a the Carlton Winemaker’s Studio. https://www.winemakersstudio.com/our-wineries
Another quick link to a brief, but eloquent, behind-the-scenes of the magicians behind the wine.
My wine tastes have developed over the years and I somehow appreciate weird obscure varietals - for October this year I have planned weird/scary varietals.
I’m not saying Grüner Veltliner is a scary varietal.... I could however say ”saying Grüner Veltliner” is scary. grew-ner velt-LEE-near I will refer to it as GV the rest of the article, adding the diaeresis to the U everytime….
Winefolly.com described GV as an exotic alternative to Sauvignon Blanc. The name translates to “Green Wine of Veltlin,“ an area in the lower Alps during the 1600’s, currently Valtellina, Italy.
This wine is so expressive. The first wave to my pallet was the fruit. It is stone fruit heavy, creamy nectarines with hints of juicy overripe peaches. The next wave is the acidity. Imagine its a beautiful summer day and for some reason you squeeze a lemony yellow lemon directly into your mouth, the anticipation of the juice hitting your tongue, and then it washes over your mouth with hints of honey. The lemony acid coats your mouth and the wine continues to linger with a green herby finish.
The last time I ate dinner here I ordered the Shrimp & Grits-it's back with the green curry sauce and a mango salsa-I ate every last bite🫠I wish I would have thought to re-try the wine with this meal.
On to the red selection, thinking about it this is the second time around with the Gamay varietal this year-Day Winery, Infinite Air Castles Gamay/Dolcetto was the first. I hope it's not to obscure for you all. This one is a little more punchy than the Infinite Air Castles. I thought the vintage notes from the website for the 2020 Ridgecrest Old Vine Estate Gamay Noir will help understand why James Suckling gave this wine 94 points.
This wine is definitely a food wine. It usually takes me a couple of sips to form an opinion on some wines, this wine is so uniquely nuanced and for those of us who don't drink Gamay on a daily, this wine initially attacks your tastebuds. It did for me anyway. My first favorite thing about this wine is the deep rich luxurious purple color. My next favorite thing about this wine is it's not like any "normal" wine. Of course my brain goes right to food and what would this pair with, from the bluebird menu-The Duck🤤 is a no brainer, the Salmon 🤤with mushroom risotto would be🤤good🤤as well. Major cranberry notes for this one and I wish I could tell you to the tannins are soft, nope. The tannins are racy and linger on but, paired with the right meal, with make you want to keep drinking it.
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