Greetings from the Chehalem Mountains!

We’re always excited to share new releases with our members, but this fall’s club release is special. We’re in the midst of an evolution here at Raptor Ridge: an evolution in winemaking, closure technology, and, perhaps most visibly, label design.

Winemaker Ben DeCristina joined us in 2024 and has made several innovative changes to our production program. Eschewing sulfur at the crush pad, returning to native yeast fermentations for all our wines, and moving away from fining and filtration, Ben’s approach has helped make the wines more vital, vibrant, and alive.

After twenty vintages under screw cap, Ben and owner Scott Shull have decided to transition our top wines back to cork with the 2024 vintage. Scott originally adopted Stelvin closures in 2005 because of concerns about TCA, or cork taint, and the inconsistencies of natural cork. Today’s technical DIAM corks address those issues while allowing the natural exchange of air important to a wine’s evolution. Better for the wine, better optics at the table, and, most importantly, an answer to our original concerns with cork.

Finally, to wrap it all in a pretty package, owner Annie Shull led the redesign of our wine labels. The challenge was creating something new and striking while remaining true to the legacy of a 30-year-old brand. You’ll see bold colorways differentiating our AVA-specific wines, new back labels pairing each wine’s story with key technical details, and an embossed Cooper’s Hawk feather on the front, bridging the transition from old to new. A shout-out to The Oregon Consulting Group for their invaluable analysis and feedback that helped inform this redesign.

We think you’ll appreciate the ongoing evolution of Raptor Ridge, beginning with the wines in this club package and continuing into the future. And don’t worry, we still have a few surprises up our sleeves for spring. Chardonnay, anyone?