Broken Radios 2021

The 2021 Broken Radios is a wine we thought we’d never make—in fact it got its name as a nod to its one-off status during its only other release (the 2018 vintage). But we’re so happy to be wrong. This is a co-fermentation of Pinot Noir (25%) and Pinot Gris (75%) from Whistling Ridge Vineyard—one of the great sites in Ribbon Ridge.

Whistling Ridge sits on the top of its hill in Ribbon Ridge, next to Beaux Freres and Patricia Green’s estate vineyard, yet the soils are much shallower than its neighbors and its place at the hilltop means the vineyard sees lots of wind. The result is a wine that combines the structure and spice of marine-sedimentary soils with a cooler disposition than you’d expect for the neighborhood.

The resulting wine might remind you of bottles from Beaujolais, the Loire, or the Jura, but to us it still speaks of the site in a loud voice. This wine is red fruited and snappy, with vibrant acidity and a distinct exotic spice undertone. It’s delicious now, though we suspect it should peak a few more years down the line. Unfortunately, yields were low and so we were able to bottle just over two barrels worth.

Like our other wines, this was fermented by native yeasts and the Pinot Noir portion of the grapes were used as whole clusters to give the wine a bit more savoriness and backbone. It aged in neutral barrels for eleven months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. 54 cases produced.