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Ayres, “Pioneer” Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noir

Oregon, United States 2017 (750mL)
$39.00
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Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol
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Ayres, “Pioneer” Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noir

Unless you noticed our past offer of the 2015 expression of “Pioneer,” you may be unfamiliar with Ayres, a producer which, in terms of price-to-quality, is making some of the best Pinot Noirs on earth. These wines erupt with the deep classic Pinot Noir perfume we all adore in the top wines of Burgundy and when I see the prices these wines retail for it makes me scratch my head wondering how they can pull it off! 
We’re huge fans of this ‘mom and pop’ winery and believe that some serious magic is happening within their Ribbon Ridge vineyards. Ribbon Ridge is a pretty magical place by itself: It’s an outlier region, and also the smallest, of the Willamette Valley, tucked into the western tip of the greater Chehalem Mountains. You don’t hear as much chatter about Ribbon Ridge as you do about the Dundee Hills or the Eola-Amity Hills, but what you do hear tends to be glowing. Harry Peterson-Nedry of Chehalem Winery is Ribbon Ridge’s great frontiersman, planting its first vineyard (Ridgecrest) in 1980. There are now some very big names in Ribbon Ridge, including Beaux Frères (founded in 1986) and the great Patricia Green, who arrived the same year (2000) as Brad and Kathleen McLeroy of Ayes. After several years making wine under the brilliant wing of Veronique Drouhin (Domaine Drouhin) in the heart of the Dundee Hills, Brad McLeroy started out with just a few acres and has since built it to 20, mostly east-facing vines on ancient Willakenzie sediments. McLeroy is a stubborn, terroir-hoarding purist and by sticking to his game, he is making some of the most sublime Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley. This ’17 is a masterful wine—next-level Oregon Pinot Noir without a doubt!
Unlike the other sub-appellations of the Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge is a distinguished natural geological formation of uniform soils—a unique seabed uplift from the northwest peak of the Chehalem Mountains. It’s not the coolest place in the Willamette, nor is it the warmest, but hangs it hat on being one of the driest, with a long consistent growing season, less susceptible to temperature spikes and uneven ripening. And with Pinot Noir, the less climatic twists and turns, the better. Ayres is the name of the estate as well as the vineyard, and “Pioneer” is a special block within Ayres, representing McLeroy’s oldest plantings of Pinot Noir (in 2001). It’s pure Dijon Clone 667, which means dark-fruited, plush Pinot Noir, but it’s far from thick and glossy. The Ayres style is remarkably light-handed.   

The McLeroys are the fortunate gatekeepers of their land. They farm their own vines, they make the wines on-site, and they live there (it doesn’t get more “artisanal” than that). No herbicides, nor pesticides have ever been used at the Ayres farm. All the vineyards are dry-farmed implementing organic practices, and the estate has been certified sustainable since 2007. For the 2017 “Pioneer,” hand-harvested fruit fermented with natural yeasts, with a small portion of whole-cluster fruit (5-10%) to enliven texture and add complexity in the finished wine. Before bottling, the wine spent 12 months in French oak, 20% new. 

Choose a Burgundy glass and pull the wine from a very cool cellar temperature (55F). After a quick 20-minute decant the wine will warm slightly, and the aromas will begin to loosen and stretch. In the glass a dark ruby core, flashes into soft purple with a day-bright hue. The fruit leads with deep colors—plum skin, blackberry, and dark cherry. Then, Pinot Noir does what it does best, draws you in like a magnet with its seductive earth—crushed rose, misty green forest floor, black tea, and classic Ribbon Ridge baking spice. On the palate, Ayres “Pioneer” separates itself from the masses, and keeps you calm and focused with its soft blanket texture, too good to let go. Medium tannins and bright acidity are the essential framework, they’re perfectly rock solid but do their job “behind the curtain” letting the fruit and earth shine. The classic “Red Wine and Fish” conundrum was solved by Oregon Pinot Noir years ago—salmon and Pinot Noir were together, everywhere. Not to say this pairing isn’t fantastic, but try serving the fish…at cellar temperature! Attached is an easy-to-follow recipe for citrus-cured salmon that is made for Pinot Noir. Get inspired by the true pioneers of Ribbon Ridge and explore new territory!
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Country
United States
Region
Oregon
Sub-Region
United StatesWillamette Valley—Ribbon Ridge AVA
Soil
Marine Sediment
Farming
Organic Practices
Blend
Pinot Noir 100%
Alcohol
14.0
OAK
20% New French
TEMP.
60-65
Glassware
Burgundy Stems
Drinking
Now-2025
Decanting
20 Minutes
Pairing
Citrus-Cured Salmon

United States

Washington

Columbia Valley

Like many Washington wines, the “Columbia Valley” indication only tells part of the story: Columbia Valley covers a huge swath of Central
Washington, within which are a wide array of smaller AVAs (appellations).

Oregon

Willamette Valley

Oregon’s Willamette Valley has become an elite winegrowing zone in record time. Pioneering vintner David Lett, of The Eyrie Vineyard, planted the first Pinot Noir in the region in 1965, soon to be followed by a cadre of forward-thinking growers who (correctly) saw their wines as America’s answer to French
Burgundies. Today, the Willamette
Valley is indeed compared favorably to Burgundy, Pinot Noir’s spiritual home. And while Pinot Noir accounts for 64% of Oregon’s vineyard plantings, there are cool-climate whites that must not be missed.

California

Santa Barbara

Among the unique features of Santa Barbara County appellations like Ballard Canyon (a sub-zone of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA), is that it has a cool, Pacific-influenced climate juxtaposed with the intense luminosity of a southerly
latitude (the 34th parallel). Ballard Canyon has a more north-south orientation compared to most Santa Barbara AVAs, with soils of sandy
clay/loam and limestone.

California

Paso Robles

Situated at an elevation of 1,600 feet, it is rooted in soils of sandy loam and falls within the Highlands District of the Paso Robles AVA.

New York

North Fork

Wine growers and producers on Long Island’s North Fork have traditionally compared their terroir to that of Bordeaux and have focused on French varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

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