Tasting Notes
A sensational range of floral notes – violets, lilies, lavender and more – along with bright red cherries, fresh anise and hints of baking spices come together in the intoxicating aroma. The palate has the opulence Paige’s Ridge has become known for, with a touch more acidity and structure than in prior vintages, bringing both intensity and harmony to this wine.
Winemaking Notes
Each block was picked by hand at night, and firm, cool clusters were delivered to the winery before sunrise. We hand-sorted and destemmed the fruit before transferring it into stainless steel tanks for five to ten days of cold maceration. Fermentation was guided by native yeast, and hand punch downs were tailored to how each tank tasted each day. The free run wine aged in French oak barrels, 80% new, for 15 months.
Vintage Notes
2021 was a dry, warm, even vintage, giving us wines with great intensity and harmony. Though we experienced record-low rainfall of 20 inches, a long way from our 65-inch average, it was plenty to fill our pond and irrigate our vines throughout the season. Budbreak occurred on the early side due to an unusually dry, warm winter, and this early trend continued throughout the season. Spring and summer remained dry and warm, though temperatures never spiked. This consistency, along with bountiful sunlight, allowed for even ripening across the vineyard. It was a smooth growing season and an ideal harvest, with all fruit picked at just the right moment and coming into the winery in a steady stream. The wines are remarkably dense and complex, with lots of structure, energy and delicate aromatics.
Blocks
8Clones
Dijon 667
Critics
97+ Points
Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, June 2023
The 2021 Pinot Noir Paige’s Ridge has an alluring perfume of strawberry and raspberry jam, hibiscus, moss and potpourri, continuing to release detailed, spicy accents with each return to the glass. It's light-bodied yet generously flavored, with a chalky, seamless structure and a long, latent finish. It has youthful, glossy oak spices and blossoms dramatically with time in the glass. It will benefit from a few years in the bottle.
96 Points
Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent, July 2023
The 2021 Pinot Noir Paige's Ridge comes from the 667 clone only. Medium ruby-purple in color, it needs a little coaxing to bring out notes of blackberry compote, fresh raspberries, and rose oil, plus suggestions of dried mint, wild sage, iron ore, and wet slate. The full-bodied palate delivers a great backbone of lively acidity and firm, fine-grained tannins, framing the muscular fruit, finishing with a long, lingering mineral lift.
96 Points
Antonio Galloni, Vinous, January 2023
The 2021 Pinot Noir Paige's Ridge is one of the most potent, overt wines in the range. Interestingly, this is the first pick off the property. Dark plum, lavender, spice and menthol infuse the 2021 with notable depth and concentration. This resonant, expansive Pinot Noir has a ton to offer. As always, the Paige's Ridge is the one wine in this range that is fermented in oak, which works here but also marks the wine to a considerable degree.
95 Points
Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, July 2023
From the Dijon 667 clone, grown in shallower soil, in the 2021 Pinot Noir Paige's Ridge is forward with more plush fruit of ripe mixed berries, a notes of forest herbs, and a soft, floral perfume. Full-bodied and generous with fruit that expands on the palate, it has ripe tannins with a plush feel and more black fruit, flowers, and turned soil. This offers more immediacy but has the potential for significant longevity as well. Drink 2023-2037.
Wine Data
- Winemaker:
- Todd Kohn
- Origin:
- Wayfarer Vineyard, Fort Ross-Seaview
- Pruning:
- Double guyot
- Vine Yield:
- 2.9 lbs/vine
- Harvested:
- September 8, 2021
- Bottled:
- December 13, 2022
- Release:
- September 2023
- Composition:
- 100% Pinot Noir
- Alcohol:
- 14.7%
- pH:
- 3.63
- TA:
- 5.9 g/L
- Cases Produced:
- 60
