Cristom 'Eileen Vineyards' Pinot Noir 2018

Vinous Media 95
"Deep scarlet. A complex, highly perfumed bouquet evokes spice-tinged raspberry liqueur, cherry and potpourri, along with a deeper cola nuance and a hint of smoky minerality. Velvety and seamless on the palate, offering expansive red and blue fruit, lavender pastille and spicecake flavors underscored by a vein of juicy acidity. Shows impressive delineation and finishes extremely long and spicy, with polished tannins and resonating floral and cherry notes.-- Josh Raynolds"

The Wine
Eileen Vineyard is named after founder Eileen Gerrie, wife of Paul Gerrie, and at the top of our hillside has commanding views of the Cristom estate, the Cascade Range to the east and the Coastal Range to the west. Planting began in 1997 on the south and southeast facing slopes to Dijon clones and Pommard clone of Pinot Noir on American rootstocks.

The maritime climate of Eileen Vineyard has moderately warm days and especially cool nights, allowing the vines to retain acidity and produce intense and fragrant aromas and flavors. Often recognizable by its bouquet of sweet spices, Eileen offers forward focused fruit and gentle tannins that coat the mouth. The vineyard tends to produce a wine that is textured, layered and creamy on the palate.

Hand harvested and hand sorted, sustainably farmed estate fruit 30 whole clusters
No cold soak before primary fermentation
Minimum effective additions of sulfur and tartaric acid
Native yeast fermentations
1-3 punch downs daily in 1-7 ton open-top fermenters
Gently pressed in a pneumatic bladder press and moved to barrel by gravity, and never racked, unless necessary
Undergoes a full malolactic fermentation in barrel
Fined with egg whites, unfiltered

Aged 19 months in French cooperage, 50 new oak

The Estate
It was the promise of great wines that first drew Paul and Eileen Gerrie, owners of Cristom Vineyards, to Oregon. They conceived of a place where the succulent Pinot Noir grape could achieve its fullest expression complex, hand crafted wines that are bold yet balanced: both powerful and elegant. Their wines evolve as they age, revealing ever greater richness and complexity with time. The abundance of soils and slopes in the hills of Oregon defined the Gerries vision of world class Pinot Noir. The warm winds of summer held the promise of rich Chardonnay, the cool sunny autumn yielded tart Pinot Gris. Since the inaugural vintage in 1992, the Gerries, along with winemaker Steve Doerner, have been producing wines that are considered the benchmark in Oregon and have made Cristom, named after their children, Christine and Tom, a veritable household name.

Farming Practice:Practicing Organic

Cristom Vineyards

It was the promise of great wines that first drew Paul and Eileen Gerrie, owners of Cristom Vineyards, to Oregon. They conceived of a place where the succulent Pinot Noir grape could achieve its fullest expression – complex, hand crafted wines that are bold yet balanced: both powerful and elegant. Their wines evolve as they age, revealing ever grater richness and complexity with time. The abundance of soils and slopes in the hills of Oregon defined the Gerrie's vision of world class Pinot Noir. The warm winds of summer held the promise of rich Chardonnay, the cool sunny autumn yielded tart Pinot Gris. Since the inaugural vintage in 1992, the Gerries, along with winemaker Steve Doerner, have been producing wines that are considered the benchmark in Oregon and have made Cristom, named after their children, Christine and Tom, a veritable household name.

Farming Practice: Practicing Organic