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Redman Vineyard and Winery 2013 Pinot Noir
Dream big, and live without regrets
Cathy Redman’s story is as heartbreaking as it is inspiring. She worked in banking and her husband, Bill, worked in the timber industry — but their real passion was wine. On New Year’s Eve 2003, they asked themselves, “What would we regret not doing at the end of our lives?”
The answer was clear: they wanted to plant a vineyard and make wine. Three weeks later, they found a tired old filbert orchard on the crest of Ribbon Ridge, one of the most desirable wine regions in the world. They ripped out over 1100 trees and planted 22 acres of vines.
By fall 2008, the vineyard had matured enough to produce quality fruit and they were ready to harvest and make wine. But the day before harvest, Bill was diagnosed with a rare, incurable, and fast-moving cancer. He died less than six months later, having never tasted wine from that first vintage.
Cathy stuck with it, honoring Bill’s legacy and producing renowned wines for ten years. And then, true to their credo – live without regrets – she sold the vineyard to their neighbors at Bergström Wines and dedicated herself to her charitable pursuits, world travel, and her grandchildren.
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
Redman Vineyard and Winery, Newberg, Oregon
2013 Pinot Noir
I’m absolutely stunned that in 2022, I’m able to share a 2013 wine with you — and a Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noir at that.
When I started Cellar 503 in 2014, I was not a fan of the 2013 vintage. It was an incredibly challenging year for Pinot Noir in Oregon. Late-breaking rains in mid-September caused some winemakers to panic and pick early. Others who picked just after the rain got water-logged fruit. But veteran winemakers who let their fruit hang, hang, hang on the vines were amazingly lucky and got extraordinary fruit.
But the press was telling everyone that the 2013 vintage was undrinkable. And to be honest, it was pretty lousy. A lot of wine was remaindered into bulk juice for the bottom-shelf market. But the smart winemakers held onto their 2013s, even skipping over the release, and releasing years later.
And they are now so, so good. To be able to share a nine-year-old wine with you is such a treat. This wine from the middle of the Redman Vineyard era is a classic Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noir, with flavors of earth and straw, and still a hint of red fruit peeking through.
A Cellar 503 selection in May 2022, Women In Wine Ribbon Ridge | Pinot Noir
