About Raptor Ridge Winery
What's In A Name?
Raptor Ridge shares a 27-acre estate with families of Raptors — birds of prey such as Red-tailed Hawks, Kestrels, Sharp-Shinned Hawks and Owls. We are located on the northeast side of the Chehalem Mountains, 10 miles north of Newberg, Oregon.
At Raptor Ridge, our winemaking goal is to capture the fresh fruit flavors and delicate aromas offered by Oregon's Willamette Valley winegrowing region. Raptor Ridge Pinot noir ages in French oak and is racked in synchrony with the dark of the moon. Raptor Ridge Pinot gris is made in a refreshing Alsacian style.
Vineyards
In addition to our own 27-acre estate property, several distinctive vineyards throughout Oregon's northern Willamette Valley supply premium wine grapes for Raptor Ridge. Our Pinot noir style favors deep red and blue-fruit flavors and baker's chocolate aromas often derived from winegrapes grown in the McMinnville Foothills area. Our Vineyard Designated wines, as well as our Reserve and Willamette Valley Pinot noirs, hail from several well-known winegrowers.
Raptor Ridge is proud to have long-term contracts with experienced growers of mature vineyards. Shea Vineyard, perhaps our best-known supplier, is located between the small towns of Carlton and Yamhill. Newly-producing Harbinger Vineyard is in the Chehalem Mountains, as are Hawks View, a staple of our blended Pinots, and Arbre Vert. Bellevue Cross, Coeur De Terre, Meredith Mitchell and Stony Mountain Vineyards, are all tucked into the McMinnville Coastal Range. Our Willamette Valley Pinot gris is supplied by David Hill, Meredith Mitchell and Yamhill Springs Vineyards, as well as Murto Vineyard in the Red Hills of Dundee.
Raptor Ridge owns and manages 27 acres of prime Chehalem Mountains vineyard land just outside the small town of Scholls, Oregon. The site is comprised of Laurelwood soil — an ancient, deep volcanic ash layered over Jory soil. We have ten acres of specific rootstocks grafted with diverse clones of Pinot noir matched to the soil type and depth across this vineyard site. We have also planted an experimental block of Grüner Veltliner. The 2006 vintage will include the first harvest from our own estate vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains.
Winemaker Scott Shull
Production
Raptor Ridge produces about 6500 cases of wines per vintage using traditional Burgundian winemaking techniques. Uncompromised quality is the focus, not large quantities.
Winemaking Philosophy
Our winemaking philosophy has three tenets:
1. Personal involvement with the vines
2. A working knowledge of every barrel of wine
3. Maintaining a balance of science and tradition
Our approach to winemaking focuses as much on the vineyard as the cellar. Winemaker Scott Shull partners with our growers in pruning, trellising, cluster counting and thinning, leaf pulling, quality monitoring, and all harvest decisions. During harvest, Scott is in the field alongside seasonal workers, and often transports the wine grapes back to Raptor Ridge where he oversees the "crush." Scott intervenes as little as possible in the miracle of wine, employing a full knowledge of fermentation science only to enhance quality.
Read more about the Raptor Ridge story on the Brand Oregon website.
