Ribbon Ridge Winery Releases New Vintages and Gift Packs Ahead of Holiday Season
Offering Local Delivery and Launch of Flat Rate Shipping Nationally
PORTLAND, OR. (Oct. 29, 2021) – Red Electric, an independent winery that produces wine from fruit grown at Armstrong Vineyard in the esteemed Ribbon Ridge AVA in the Willamette Valley, is pleased to introduce 2019 vintages and gift packs ahead of the holiday season, available now.
Founded by noted winemaker John Grochau and Armstrong Vineyard owner Douglas Ackerman, the Red Electric label was inspired by the vineyard’s exceptional fruit and a mutual love of the Ribbon Ridge region. Instead of selling its harvest to local wineries, as Ackerman had done for the first five years of grape production, he found a great winemaking partner in his longtime friend, Grochau. Together in 2015, the two teamed up to create balanced, beautiful, and intense wines that utilize and highlight all the sections of Armstrong Vineyard under one shared label: Red Electric.
New 2019 Vintage fall releases include Red Electric’s Alpine Lily Chardonnay, Evening Primrose Chardonnay and Interurban Pinot Noir. Tasting notes are included for reference below:
2019 Red Electric Alpine Lily Chardonnay ($25): Bright, inviting aromatics of lemon rind, pear and honeysuckle are tightly focused and promise a crisp, tense Chardonnay. The palate delivers with excellent texture and richness, and the very complete wine finishes with a vibrancy and salinity that evokes Chablis.
2019 Red Electric Evening Primrose Chardonnay ($33): Effusive jasmine, lemon and graphite notes are immediately evident in the nose. The flavors resonate with rich white peach and pear in a structured wine framed with slate and crushed seashells. The bright acidity is balanced with richness in flavor and texture, yielding a versatile and satisfying Chardonnay.
2019 Red Electric Interurban Pinot Noir ($28): Inviting red fruit tones of plum, pie cherry and black raspberry give way to nuanced aromas of violet and lavender. With aeration the intensity of the wine builds and the easy drinking glass of Pinot Noir will challenge your palate with dry and dusty tannins that add tension and focus to the generous fruit.
“Here in the Willamette Valley, weather events greatly influence the maturation of grapes and harvest dates,” said Ackerman. “In turn, we are given the opportunity to present wines with unique vintage characteristics of each year. Today, we are offering Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from both 2018 and 2019 – two years that presented contrasting growing conditions and allowed us to make compelling wines true to each vintage.”
Harvest Gift Packs
Red Electric has assembled a variety of gift packs, available now, as the perfect gift for yourself or others. Packs include:
The Ridge (Four of each 2019 wine including Alpine Lily Chardonnay, Evening Primrose Chardonnay and Interurban Pinot Noir): $275 (regularly $344)
The Marine Sedimentary Soil (Three of each 2018 wine including TGV, Pulse, Interurban, Evening Primrose Chardonnay): $435 (regularly $543).
The Organic Farmer: (2019 – 2 Interurban, 2 Evening Primrose, 2 Alpine Lily; 2018 – 2 TGV, 2 Pulse, 1 Interurban, 1 Evening Primrose: $350 (regularly $445)
The Chardonnay Six Mix (2018 – 2 Evening Primrose; 2019 – 2 Evening Primrose, 2 Alpine Lily): $145 (regularly $182).
The Pinot Six Mix (2018 – 2 TGV, 1 Pulse, 1 Interurban; 2019 – 2 Interurban): $220 (regularly $274)
The Make it Rain (One case of 2018s – 3 TGV, 3 Pulse, 3 Interurban, 3 Evening Primrose): $430 (regularly $543)
The Shrewd Librarian (6 bottles of 2015 Red Electric Pinot Noir—inaugural release—drinking beautifully): $280 (regularly $360)
2018 Wines Available Include:
2018 Red Electric Evening Primrose Chardonnay ($33)
2018 Red Electric Interurban ($28)
2018 Red Electric Pulse ($50)
2018 Red Electric TGV ($70)
All Red Electric grapes come from Armstrong Vineyard, in the respected Ribbon Ridge AVA of the Willamette Valley. Red Electric is able to use all sections of the vineyard to find optimal combinations of Pinot Noir clones and rootstock to assemble final blends. The vineyard has been farmed organically since 2013. Each year, grapes are harvested over several weeks in September and October, allowing variability in sugar concentration (brix), acid and tannin levels.
At an elevation of 300-400 feet and with south and southwest slopes, Armstrong Vineyard was planted in 2007 on the classic, ancient sedimentary soils of the Willakenzie series found in Ribbon Ridge. Ribbon Ridge displays uncommonly consistent, fine-textured marine sedimentary soils. Pinot Noir clones at Armstrong Vineyard include Pommard, Wädenswil and Dijon 114, 115, 667 and 777. In 2017, one acre was grafted over to Chardonnay (primarily Mt. Eden clone, with scion wood sourced from Cameron and Johan wineries).
Red Electric wines are crafted to transparently reflect terroir and vintage. The winemaking principles are moderate use of whole cluster fermentation when stems optimally lignified, limited use of new oak barrels, careful barrel selection to emphasize structure, native yeast fermentation, and acidulation only when necessary.
How to Order
Red Electric wines are available to order by visiting the Red Electric website.
Wines are available to ship nationally and Red Electric has launched flat rate shipping, with rates including:
West coast 3 bottles $15, 6 bottles $25, 12 bottles $30
East Coast 3 bottles $20, 6 bottles $30, 12 bottles $50
Contact Red Electric for more information regarding national shipping for specific orders.
Free local delivery in the Portland area for 3+ bottles (allow 3-5 days for delivery).
About Red Electric Wines
Red Electric is an independent winery that makes pinot noir and chardonnay wines with Armstrong Vineyard grapes from the respected Ribbon Ridge AVA of the Willamette Valley, crafted to transparently reflect terroir and vintage. Founded by noted winemaker John Grochau and Armstrong Vineyard owner Douglas Ackerman, the label was inspired by the vineyard’s exceptional fruit and a mutual love of the Ribbon Ridge region. Red Electric was named after the iconic Red Electric commuter trains that began a transportation revolution from 1913 to 1929 carrying passengers from Portland to the communities of the Willamette Valley that are now intimately associated with Oregon Pinot Noir – Sherwood, Newberg, McMinnville, Forest Grove, Carlton, Salem, Eugene and others. Red Electric wines are available to order by emailing redelectricwines@gmail.com. The wines can be shipped nationwide. In the Portland metro area there is free local delivery for 3+ bottles, allowing 3-5 days for delivery. For more information visit the Red Electric website or email redelectricwines@gmail.com.