A ranching family that moved west to produce wines, Walnut Ridge Vineyards was founded by the Young family who have a longstanding history in farming. The Young family founded Blue Mountain Ranch which sits on the south watershed of the Ochoco Mountains, where an 800 cow herd grazes across emerald meadows. Over time the family sought to learn more about wine and the Oregon wine industry.
The family felt particularly inspired to start their own winery and after doing a yearlong 2020 travel adventure in their Airstream trailer which included an inspired visit to New Orleans, Walnut Ridge Vineyards was launched. The fleur de lis graces each bottle that would be a perfect fit at any Saints game.
Andrew Smith serves as winemaker. I really enjoyed the consistency of these red wines. Andrew has made a gorgeous 2022 Gamay (OB, 91) which is fresh and elegant with a great purity of red fruit flavors. Even better is the 2022 Walnut Ridge ‘Mystere’ Pinot Noir (OB, 92) which comes from an obscure clone of Pinot Noir and relies on beautiful flavor range with a smooth texture. Learn more at https://www.walnutridgevineyard.com and here are my reviews of the new Walnut Ridge wines.
2022 Walnut Ridge Riesling- The 2022 Walnut Ridge Riesling offers a kiss of sweetness alongside good verve and a smooth texture. Layers of sweetened gooseberry and melon tones combine with stony minerals on the palate. Despite the coolness of the vintage this is missing a bit of finesse. Drink 2023-2028- 88
2022 Walnut Ridge Gamay- This 2022 Gamay comes from vines that were originally planted to Merlot and were grafted over in the early 2000s. This was stored in all neutral French oak before bottling. Juicy raspberry and Bing cherry fruits combine with salty soils and orange rind flavors on the palate. Enjoy now and over the next seven plus years. Drink 2023-2030- 91
2022 Walnut Ridge ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir- This ‘Estate’ bottling comes from the 16.5 acres of Pinot Noir planted on Bellpine soils. The wine is soft, showing a smooth texture, with layers of boysenberry and wild blackberry fruit flavors alongside wet stone and shades of peat moss on the palate. Medium-bodied, enjoy now and over the next eight plus years. Drink 2023-2031- 91
2022 Walnut Ridge ‘Mystere’ Pinot Noir- The ‘Mystere’ comes from a ‘Beba’ clone which was verified by DNA testing to be Pinot Noir back in 2006. This is the only known bottling of this clonal selection. Stored in 50% new French oak, this offers a smooth texture with layers of rich red fruit flavors that mingle well with allspice and shades of Mandarin orange zest on the palate. Drink 2023-2033- 92
2022 Walnut Ridge ‘Vielles Vignes’ Pinot Noir- The ‘Vielles Vignes’ comes from 27 year old Pinot Noir vines. Rich and polished, this shows a smooth mouthfeel on the mid-palate. Layers of red cherry candy and guava combine with salted orange zest, wild mushroom and baking spices on the palate. Medium-bodied, enjoy now and over the next ten plus years. Drink 2023-2033- 92
2022 Walnut Ridge ‘Emma’ Pinot Noir- The 2022 ‘Emma’ comes from the highest elevation block at the Walnut Ridge Vineyard. Showing good finesse, this offers medium-bodied red and black fruit flavors that meld well with stony and salty accents on the palate. Drink 2023-2031- 91
2022 Walnut Ridge ‘Belle Amie’ Pinot Noir- The 2022 ‘Belle Amie’ was stored in 40% new French oak before bottling and comes from three estate blocks. Red rose petals combine with tart red fruits and kumquat notes on the nose. The palate is soft and displays a good combination of texture and freshness. Medium-bodied, enjoy now and over the next few years. Drink 2023-2031- 91
2022 Walnut Ridge ‘La Petite Fete’ Pinot Noir- The 2022 ‘La Petite Fete’ is made by winemakers Jerry Sass and Drew Voit. This comes off very juicy and lively on the palate, with good underlying finesse, with guava, lavender and red raspberry fruits. Estate Pinot Noir and Gamay. Drink 2023-2030- 91