Cristom

Cristom


Site selection, low yields, native yeasts, grapes grown from well-established vines on east-facing volcanic hillsides - Cristom gets everything right. From beginnings thirty years ago in a derelict barn in the Eola-Amity hills, this has become one of Oregon`s premier wineries, producing top-flight Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It was the vision of Paul Gerrie, an engineer brave enough to throw over the day job to pursue a love of Pinot Noir. He scoured the Americas for the ideal spot to found a winery, and after a long search, spotted the potential of some abandoned vineyards in the Willamette Valley.

The Eola-Amity sub-region is defined by the corridor of cool afternoon breezes that come directly off the Pacific. They lower vineyard temperatures after summer days, helping to preserve acidity and structure in the wines. And while we don`t tend to associate Pinot Noir with the volcanic soils here, it is in fact an inspired match, bringing an unusually-inflected complexity to hedonistic Oregon Pinot. These days, Cristom is managed by Paul`s son Tom. He joined Cristom after working harvests at wineres that inspired him across three continents; latterly he has been transitioning Cristom to biodynamic viticulture.

Paul named each of the Cristom vineyards after one of the Gerrie family matriarchs. Low-lying Louise has dramatic soil diversity, typically producing the darkest fruit and the fullest wines, while with fabulous views to the Cascade Mountains, high-sited Eileen makes a lighter, very aromatic style full of sweet spices. Jessie was a virgin site that Paul understood from the start had enormous potential. They planted Pinot Noir here in 1994, and Paul now characterises Jessie as the most savoury of the Cristom wines. But Marjorie was the site that originally caught his eye. The fruit from this vineyard is consistently among Cristom`s best, and Marjorie is the brightest and most red-fruit driven of the Cristoms. (NT 08/07/20)

Vintage Description Cs Sz Bt Sz Cs Bts Cs ib Cs incsort ascending Bt inc
2018 drink or keep Cristom Pinot Noir Louise Vineyard
default
6x 75cl 3 5 £270.00 £343.24 £63.95 Buy
2021 drink or keep Cristom Pinot Noir Mount Jefferson Cuvee
default
12x 75cl 2 0 £342.00 - - Buy
2021 drink or keep Cristom Pinot Noir Eileen Vineyard
default
6x 75cl 6 0 £390.00 - - Buy
2021 drink or keep Cristom Pinot Noir Marjorie Vineyard
default
6x 75cl 5 0 £390.00 - - Buy
2021 drink or keep Cristom Chardonnay Eola-Amity Hills
default
12x 75cl 3 0 £396.00 - - Buy