Today we share one of the greats out of Oregon. Cristom founder Paul Gerrie hired Cristom’s winemaker Steve Doerner and vineyard manager Mark Feltz in 1992 (Mark retired in 2017) and since that time Cristom has crafted world class Pinot Noir wines. These are wines that age gracefully — at times for decades. Gerrie named his four estate vineyards after the four females of his family, Eileen, Jessie, Louise and Marjorie. Gerrie's son, Tom, now leads the company. Steve Doerner had a previous stint at Calera prior to coming to Cristom in the early 90s. A world traveler, Doerner has made world class Pinot Noir at Cristom and now helps oversee production alongside winemakers Daniel Estrin and Tom Gerrie.
For many years Cristom has been producing a fantastic cuvee that blends the vineyards, their Mt. Jefferson Cuvée. This years 2019 Cristom ‘Mt. Jefferson Cuvee’ Pinot Noir (OB, 92) is a Downright killer value once again. Even better is the sinfully good 2018 Cristom ‘Paul Gerrie Vineyard’ Pinot Noir (OB, 94) which is deep and concentrated with plenty of finesse. Learn more about these great wines at https://www.cristomvineyards.com and here are my reviews of the new releases by Cristom.
2019 Cristom ‘Willamette Valley’ Chardonnay- Soft and generous on the mouth, this unveils ripe honeydew melon flavors alongside copious minerals and lighter pear, and green papaya tones. Finishing long, with a bright sense of salinity, savor in the short-term while the brightness impresses. Drink 2021-2026- 92
2019 Cristom ‘Louise Vneyard’ Chardonnay- I have never tasted this single vineyard bottling from this site that was first planted back in 1993. Nutmeg dusted brioche and roasted hazelnut with earthy tones all fill the nose. The palate is fresh with gobs of lip-smacking acidity. Layers of salted French bread, lemon zest and kumquat rind all combine with lighter damp earthy accents on the palate. Finishing long, this is a sensational and bright style of Chardonnay that will cellar well over the next eight years. Drink 2021-2029- 93
2018 Cristom ‘Mt. Jefferson Cuvee’ Pinot Noir- Despite the obvious coolness of the vintage, the 2019 ‘Mt. Jefferson Cuvee’ is not short on weight. With plenty of freshness, tons of astringent red fruits greet you, with hints of blood orange zest, pine needles and suggestions of loamy soils on the palate. The nice dusting of salinity adds to the enjoyment as this beautiful bottling is great to enjoy in its youth and surely will cellar well for another eight plus years. What a wine for the price! Drink 2021-2029- 92
2018 Cristom ‘Paul Gerrie Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- This outstanding 2019 Pinot Noir was named after Paul Gerrie, as this chewy Pinot Noir underwent 50% whole cluster fermentation before bottling. Beautiful sour red fruits collide with red rose petals and peat moss aromatically. The palate is fresh and vibrant with incredible acidity and really good weight. Red cherry candy, stony minerals and forest floor with black truffle shavings all brilliantly meld together on the palate. Finishing very long with red fruits and minerals, this outstanding effort will be best consumed over the next fifteen years. Drink 2021-2035- 94
2018 Cristom ‘Eileen Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The ‘Eileen Vineyard’ Pinot Noir is an homage to Cristom’s co-founder, Eileen Gerrie. Planted in 1997 this site encompasses 16.61 acres of Pinot Noir plantings. Aromatically quite intense this moves from red fruits into dark fruits with baking spices, particularly cardamom taking center stage.The palate is silky and refined with soft tannins that line a core of pretty red fruits, alongside Satsuma orange zest and peat moss tones. Salty and savory, with bright acidity, this beautiful wine has yet to fully hit its stride, but has massive potential. Drink 2021-2035- 94
2018 Cristom ‘Marjorie VIneyard’ Pinot Noir- Really good even so young, the outstanding 2019 ‘Marjorie Vineyard’ Pinot Noir is a gorgeous effort by Steve Doerner. Light smoky and flinty tones combine with baking spices, bright red fruits and red rose petals on the nose. The palate shows plenty of sour red fruits alongside orange rind, tobacco and freshly tilled soils. Finishing long, this outstanding effort really needs an hour in the decanter if enjoying in its youth. Drink 2021-2035- 93
2018 Cristom ‘Louise Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- One of the older Pinot Noir sites in the Willamette Valley, the ’Louise Vineyard’ was planted back in 1993, and was named after Cristom winegrower and owner Tom Gerrie’s great-grandmother, Louise Dinkelspiel. Once on the nose this takes on pretty red florals alongside Bing cherry and hints of wintergreen. Showing plenty of depth, concentration and length, the wine is a beautiful joyride spanning a range of red fruits woven together with smoky minerals, citrus rind and damp earthy tones. Finishing very long this beautiful 2019 Pinot Noir will surely cellar well for another fifteen years or more. Drink 2021-2035- 94
2018 Cristom ‘Jessie Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- Planted back in 1994 ‘Jessie Vineyard’ is a steep, east-facing hillside site that was named after winegrower-owner Tom Gerrie’s great-grandmother Jessie Sommers. The aromas coming from the glass are quite literally a spice rack, as pretty guava and Yakima cherry tones collide with the spicy undercurrents.The palate is refined with a beautiful texture and good length. Layers of red fruits and citrus rind combine with damp earth and stony undertones on the palate. Finishing very long, this glorious effort is great to savor right now and will provide drinking enjoyment over the next fifteen to twenty years. Drink 2021-2036- 94
2019 Cristom ‘Canary Hill Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- Sourced from a site first planted back in 1994, this 2019 Pinot Noir leads with teaberry and red raspberry tones alongside damp earth and tobacco leaf aromatically. The palate is soft with silly tannins that line a pretty core of red fruit flavors alongside shades of blood orange zest and wet stone. Drink 2021-2036- 94
2019 Cristom ‘Meredith Mitchell Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- Located in the McMinnville section of the Willamette Valley, the ‘Meredith Mitchell Vineyard’ is planted to own-rooted Pommard clone Pinot Noir vines. Very soft on the mouth with refined tannins, this unveils bright red fruit flavors alongside suggestions of baking spice dusted orange rind and tobacco leaf with loamy soils. Drink 2021-2033- 93
2019 Cristom ‘Arcus Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- One of the famed sites in the Dundee Hills, the low-yielding ‘Arcus Vineyard’ was planted back in the 1970s. The palate is generous and silky with a beautiful range of wild blackberry and red raspberry flavors alongside suggestions of Mandarin orange zest and a dusting of tilled volcanic soils. This stunning and elegant effort really needs another year to fully amalgamate. Drink 2022-2038- 95