Patricia Green Cellars Estate Vineyard Old Vine Pinot noir 09

2009 Tanzer - 92 points - Vivid medium red. High-pitched red berry and floral aromas are complemented by deeper notes of anise and black cardamom. Sappy and precise, with deep raspberry and bitter cherry flavors and a sexy rose pastille quality. Fine-grained tannins add shape and grip to the long, spicy, energetic finish. I'd bet that this very well-balanced wine will reward at least another five years of aging. - Josh Raynolds

2008 Vintage Tasting Notes

2008 Tanzer - 93 points - Bright red. Exhilarating, nuanced scents of raspberry, Asian spices, cocoa powder, rose and orange zest. Compellingly silky and subtle on entry, then vibrant and delineated in the mid-palate, with a sexy floral quality lifting the flavors of crushed red and dark berries and blood orange. The wine's zesty minerality gives it a weightless impression and adds energy to the long, spicy, incisive finish. - Josh Raynolds

From the Winery - The 26-acre Estate vineyard is an amazingly diverse site given its 360-degree hilltop planting, multiple vine ages, and clonal differences. This is why we split it into different bottlings, based upon specific characteristics. From five different blocks with vines that are 19, 22, 23, and 25 years old, we created a wine that displays the elegant characteristics of Pinot Noir and Ribbon Ridge. Since we landed here nine years ago, we have been learning more and more about this site, and as the vineyard has aged and The Estate Old Vine bottling is the opposite or perhaps, more accurately, the inverse of the Estate bottling. The older vines here produce wine that is all about texture and nuance. The differences between the Estate and the Old Vine bottlings are amazing, and each year they seem to get further apart in terms of the qualities of this site that they show. The Old Vine bottling is a display of crystalline red fruit that has incredible depth and purity to it. The tannins are super-sleek and polished, giving the wine a fine mouth-coating texture that only superhigh- quality Pinot Noir can. At the back of all this is a minerally/quartzy quality that gives the wine its last and most interesting dimension and, to us, signifies the true nature of the Ribbon Ridge Appellation. This is always one of our favorite wines because it is so discreet, subdued, interesting, and complex (especially with bottle age). 560 cases produced.

2007 Vintage Tasting Notes

The Old Vine bottling is a display of crystalline red fruit that has incredible depth and purity to it. The tannins are super-sleek and polished giving the wine a fine mouth-coating texture that only super-high quality Pinot Noir can. At the back of all this is a minerally/quartzy quality that gives the wine it’s last and most interesting dimension and, to us, signifies the true nature of the Ribbon Ridge Appellation. This is always one of our favorite wines because it is so discreet, subdued, interesting and complex (especially with bottle age). - the winery

The 26 acre Estate vineyard is an amazingly diverse site given its 360 degree hilltop planting, multiple vine ages and clonal differences. This is why we have begun to split it into different bottlings based upon specific characteristics. From 5 different blocks with vines of 18, 21, 22 and 24 years of age we created a wine that displays the elegant characteristics of Pinot Noir and Ribbon Ridge.

Since we landed here 8 years ago we have been learning more and more about this site and as the vineyard has aged and gotten healthy we have seen the range of characteristics of Pinot it produces greatly expand. Tasting the different blocks out of the Estate Vineyard is a fascinating lesson in why Pinot Noir is such an incredible grape. From one site we span the full range from lightly pigmented yet richly textured wines to preternaturally dark and intensely structured wines. Over the course of 140 or so barrels it is quite the experience.

The Estate Old Vine bottling is the opposite or perhaps, more accurately, the inverse of the Estate bottling. The Old Vine has a red core of sweet fruit, spice and an exceptional degree of minerality and salt to it with an outer casing of subtly, darker fruit notes and some refined toastiness from the barrels.

Texturally this wine shows the utter loveliness that Ribbon Ridge has to offer. In contrast to the firmness of the Estate this wine is simply amazingly plush with tannins that glide off the back of the tongue creating depth, complexity and tremendous length. Of the four wines we bottle from our Estate Vineyard this is the most suave and cool. The fruit is quite refined, the palate is deft and mid-bodied and the minerality is palpable.

This wine will age gracefully and be a seamless and extraordinary Pinot Noir for many, many years. Don’t mistake these notes to read that this wine lacks concentration. There is more than ample substance to this Pinot, it is just contained in an extremely well-defined package. 735 cases bottled.

2006 Vintage Tasting Notes

Of the four wines we bottle from our Estate Vineyard this is the most suave and cool. The fruit is quite refined, the palate is silky and mid-bodied and the minerality is palpable. This wine will age gracefully and be a seamless and extraordinary Pinot Noir for many, many years. Don't mistake these notes to read that this wine lacks concentration. There is more than ample substance to this Pinot, it is just contained in an extremely well-defined package. - the winery