Composition:
100% Clone UCD 5 (“Pommard”)
Alcohol: 13.2%
pH: 3.51

Production:
291 cases (750 ml)

Cellaring:
Under optimum cellar conditions, this wine will certainly improve through 2018, perhaps through 2028.

“This complex wine exhibits layered aromas
of rasperries, strawberries, red currants and a
hint of spice. On the palate, the wine shows
firm acidity followed by hints of dark
chocolate and a plush, velvety mouthfeel. It
would pair wonderfully with grilled salmon,
domestic and wild fowl, and other savory
main dishes.”
Dave Paige, Winemaker

Wine Background:
• Lynn and Jack Loacker, co-owners of Adelsheim Vineyard, purchased this 120- acre site on Ribbon Ridge in 1995.
• With high-density plantings of Oregon’s traditional clones - “Pommard” and “Wädenswil” - and the newer “Dijon” series, this 60-acre vineyard is now our most important source of Pinot noir grapes.
• Only the very best lots go into our single vineyard bottlings; this 2008 vintage Ribbon Springs wine is only our sixth such wine from this vineyard.

Growing Season:
• The 2008 growing season began slowly with a cooler than normal spring for the months of March and April. Buds began to open around April 26th, giving the growing season a bit of a delayed start.
• Temperatures picked up considerably in May and the vines accelerated shoot growth, but bloom was still slightly later than normal.
• The favorable conditions surrounding bloom near the end of June continued well into August. Veraison became apparent in mid-August, followed by gorgeous ripening conditions in September.
• Hand-picking occurred on October 1 and 15, allowing the fruit to fully ripen and bask in what could be called a textbook Indian summer for Oregon.

Vineyards:
• At 400 - 600 feet above sea level in the Ribbon Ridge appellation of the Chehalem Mountains, Ribbon Springs Vineyard is considered to be a medium elevation site.
• It is oriented largely to the southeast and features many large, evenly-sloped blocks.
• The soils are sandstone-based, sedimentary in origin, and so would tend towards drought-stress problems in our usual July & August dry spell if not for the eponymous springs, and a reservoir, which can serve as a source for light drip irrigation if necessary.

Winemaking:
• After hand-harvesting, the grapes were gently destemmed into open top fermenters, followed by a four to six day cold soak for greater flavor and color extraction.
• The grapes were then inoculated with a commercial yeast and punched down two or three times per day during a 6 day alcoholic fermentation.
• After pressing, the wine was transferred into traditional small French oak barrels (35% new) where it was aged for approximately 10 months.
• This intensely red-fruited wine was made from three separate blocks that were planted with the UCD 5 clone of Pinot noir (“Pommard”) between 1996 and
1998.
• This wine was bottled on August 11, 2009.

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