James Suckling 96
"Very attractively vivid raspberry, strawberry and red-cherry aromas on offer here. This is really bathed in ripe fruit and expressed in a very pure mode. The palate has intensity of flavor and piercing depth. The red cherries and plums run so deep and crescendo into an explosive, upbeat finish. Wow factor is high. Drink or hold."

Vinous Media 95
"Brilliant garnet. Assertive red berry preserve, cherry and floral aromas are complemented by sexy Asian spice, incense and smoky mineral accents. Shows impressive depth and sharp delineation on the palate, offering spice-tinged red and blue fruit liqueur, cola and spicecake flavors that pick up candied rose and blood orange nuances with air. Finishes extremely long and pure, with fine-grained tannins providing shape and grip to lingering black raspberry and five-spice powder notes.
-- Josh Raynolds"

The Wine
Louise Vineyard was named for founder Paul Gerries maternal grandmother and was the first vineyard Cristom began planting in 1993. Louise Vineyard is distinctly different from our other estate Pinot Noir vineyards on the hillside because it can be divided into upper Louise and lower Louise across the 290 feet to 440 feet (88 m to 134 m) elevation change. Upper Louise is planted at 2,311 vines/acre (5,710 vines/ha) in very deep Columbia River Basalt soils known as Jory that grades downslope to moderately deep Nekia. Both of these soils are known to be mineral rich and very well draining allowing the roots to drive deep in the ground. The upper corner of the 9.31 acres (3.77 hectares) vineyard lies in a sun shadow and is often the last fruit harvested off of the estate.

Lower Louise has a strong influence of Missoula Flood deposits in addition to the moderately well drained soils formed from sedimentary rocks. The Pinot Noir vines planted closest to the winery are planted at 1,815 vines/acre (4,485 vines/ha) entirely on Missoula Flood silts and is often the first fruit harvested at Cristom. Louise Vineyard is the only Pinot Noir vineyard on the Cristom estate that can claim this dramatic soil diversity and we believe it has contributed to the balance in the wines that have come from this densely planted vineyard since its initial 1996 release.

Hand harvested and hand sorted, sustainably farmed estate fruit
32 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 1-5 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 18 months in French cooperage, 42 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