Ridgecrest Winery

With wines derived from the first vineyard plantings in what is now Oregon’s Ribbon Ridge AVA, the roots of Ridgecrest Winery run deep in this part of the northern Willamette Valley. It’s a rich history that can be tasted in every glass.

Ridgecrest Winery sign and tasting cottage.

It’s an Oregon winery with a longstanding history, and a new path forward.

Marlynn and I visited Ridgecrest Winery in August 2025. We had already been intrigued by their wines over the years under the Chehalem Wines label, and had enjoyed a taste of their newer Ridgecrest wines at recent local events.

Ribbon Ridge lies at the northwest corner of the larger Willamette Valley AVA. The smallest sub-AVA in the valley, it boasts some of the area’s highest quality wines, particularly Pinot Noir.

And that’s true for Ridgecrest. But while Pinots make up the bulk of the winery’s lineup, it’s also producing world-class wines from grape varieties not often seen in this part of Oregon, like Chenin Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, and Gamay Noir.

It’s all part of Ridgecrest’s philosophy of creating exceptional, estate-grown wines that draw from the best parts of the past with an eye to the future.

About Ridgecrest Winery
Ridgecrest wines
Wine tasting at Ridgecrest
Visiting Ridgecrest Winery
More Oregon wine

About Ridgecrest Winery

Ridgecrest Winery founder Harry Peterson-Nedry and his family planted the first vineyard in Ribbon Ridge in 1980. Originally discouraged by locals who advised against planting grapes so far west in the Willamette Valley, Peterson-Nedry persevered.

Ten years later, those efforts resulted in Chehalem Winery, built on a decade of experience and experimentation. Producing award-winning wines with a focus on Pinot Noir, Chehalem grew to become one of the premier wineries in the region.

But as Chehalem grew, Peterson-Nedry began to long for those early days, making small-batch wines from small-acre vineyards. So in 2018, he sold his stake in Chehalem and returned to the site that started it all—to focus on producing cellar-worthy Pinot Noir wines. Along with his winemaker daughter Wynne, they created what is now Ridgecrest.

Ridgecrest wines

Here’s the impressive line-up of wines we tasted during our visit:

2023 Estate Chenin Blanc ($36)
2024 Estate Grüner Veltliner ($30)
2023 Estate Chardonnay ($48)
2023 Estate Gamay Noir ($36)
2022 Wind Ridge Block Estate Pinot Noir ($60)
2022 RR Pinot Noir, Estate Reserve ($90)

2023 Estate Chenin Blanc

Chenin Blanc is widely grown in France’s central Loire Valley, where it’s used to make both dry and sweet white wines. But the grape variety is not that prevalent in the Willamette Valley. Let’s hope that changes, if Ridgecrest’s Chenin Blanc is indicative of what’s possible.

Many Chenin Blancs are known for their bracingly high acidity. That’s not the case here. Ridgecrest’s 2024 vintage is a dry and pleasantly acidic, featuring light minerality and notes of citrus, stonefruit, and honeydew, with a satisfyingly round finish.

We first tried this wine at a festival a few weeks before visiting the vineyard, and we couldn’t wait to sip it again. If you’re looking for something deliciously different from a Chardonnay or Pinot Gris, you may want to add this to your list.

2024 Estate Grüner Veltliner

Though primarily an Austrian variety, Grüner Veltliner is steadily making inroads in the Willamette Valley.

With their 2024 vintage, Ridgecrest introduced a trio of fermentation vessels: stainless steel, neutral French oak, and a concrete egg. Together, they give their Grüner rich aromas of minerality, cut grass, honey, and quince. And the palate has signature citrus flavors, along with sweet apple, pear, white pepper, and bright acidity that Grüner Veltliner is known for.

Marlynn and I really loved this wine!

2023 Estate Chardonnay

When I moved to Portland 30 years ago, Pinot Gris was the king of Willamette Valley white wines. But now Chardonnay is the clear leader. The Ridgecrest 2023 estate Chardonnay is their first vintage for this variety, and characteristic of the type produced in this part of the world. Dry, a bit flinty, and not heavy or buttery.

With hints of green apple, lemon zest, caramel, and a slight herbaceousness, this Chardonnay is well-balanced with a pleasantly creamy finish.

Can you drink it now? Oh yes.

Can you store it and wait for it to become even better? Also yes!

2023 Estate Gamay Noir

two glasses of red wine at Ridgecrest Winery.

I love a good Gamay. The main grape grown in Beaujolais (read about our wine tasting in Beaujolais, France here), it’s known for producing fresh, fruit-forward wines. Thankfully, an increasing number of Oregon vintners are now producing Gamay.

We tried the Ridgecrest 2023 vintage. The fruit hits you right away, with flavors of cherry and raspberry. Adding complexity are notes of spice and smoke, along with some noticeable tannins. It isn’t as light as say a Beaujolais Nouveau, but that’s not what Ridgecrest is going for here. Instead, this wine will likely mellow as it ages, similar to cellar-worthy Beaujolais wines like Moulin-à-Vent or Morgon.

2022 Wind Ridge Block Estate Pinot Noir

Next, we moved into the Pinot portion of our tasting, starting with the 2022 Wind Ridge Block Estate. And from the first sip, it was easy to see why Ridgecrest is rooted in Pinot Noir.

This special blend features several different clones from the estate, resulting in a fresh and fruity wine with signature cherry and raspberry notes. Aromas of baking spices and oakiness add to the richness, and bright acidity helps balance everything out. It’s good to drink now and will likely age well for around the next 10 years.

2022 RR Pinot Noir, Estate Reserve

Made using the best barrel selections from the vintage, this Pinot is rich and velvety. Aromas of dark red cherry, blackberry, and earthiness are prominent, while flavors of plum and spice, along with vibrant acidity, add complexity.

The structure was still a bit tight on this wine, but with a few years’ aging, expect it to round out and intensify in both body and finish.

Wine tasting at Ridgecrest

Ridgecrest Winery tasting cottage table.

A visit to Ridgecrest is very warm and personal. This isn’t a slick, large winery experience where you’re shown to a table and left to your own devices. Instead, it takes place in a cozy converted home adjacent to the vineyards, where you can soak in the history and the landscape as you sip the wines.

Our host Andrew went out of his way to tell the story behind each wine and to answer all of our questions. He even took us on a brief vineyard tour to help provide context for the wines we were trying. We saw another group getting the same warm welcome while we were there, suggesting this was the norm rather than the exception.

You can choose from three tasting options:

Estate tasting – Rotating collection of wines. $30/person.
Library tasting – Taste and compare library wines dating back as much as 15 years. $75/person.
Vineyard tour and lunch – Walking tour + lunch + wine. $120/person. Reservations required.

These are all either free or reduced with a wine club membership and/or bottle purchases.

The tasting room is open from 11am to 4pm every day, except Saturdays during the fall and winter. Reservations are requested.