The Pinot Noirs from Oregon's Willamette Valley appear to have pulled a triple-header! Hot on the heels of the incredible 2021 and 2022 vintages (a year that has been highly sought-after), the region is now releasing their 2023 Pinot Noirs, and the wines are already receiving breathtaking praise. Today's showcase offers a perennial favorite from Cristom winery, and this wine was just named as one of Wine Spectator's "Hot Wines" and earned a fantastic 95 points!
Family-owned for over 30 years, Cristom Vineyards was established in 1992 by the Gerrie family to grow and craft distinguished wines of place that honor individual sites and traditional techniques. They incorporate a multitude of winegrowing and agricultural paradigms to enrich the soil and enhance the quality of the fruit, including organic and biodynamic farming principles, and integrative pest management.
Their home base in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA of Willamette Valley is a truly special area. Ancient volcanic soils and an ideal elevation range produce classic cool-climate Pinot Noirs that evoke a true sense of place. During the warm growing season, ocean breezes funneled through Oregon's Coast Range blow along the Van Duzer Corridor every evening, chilling this part of the Eola-Amity Hills more than ten degrees cooler than northern Willamette Valley sub-appellations. These maritime winds make for fruit that's lively with acidity and distinct in its freshness of flavor.
The Mt. Jefferson Cuvee is the first of six Pinot Noirs to be released each year and has been produced at Cristom since 1994. It is named for Mt. Jefferson (10,501 ft) in the Cascade Range, which sits due east of Cristom. Made with a blend of grapes from hand selected, well sought out neighboring vineyards, the Mt. Jefferson Cuvee conveys a rich diversity of place. Whole-cluster fermentations by native yeast and extended aging in French oak are the hallmarks of the Cristom winemaking style. This wine ages in barrel for twelve months, and can stylistically be the freshest and most approachable of the Cristom Pinot Noirs in its youth.
We're excited for the 2023 vintage, and if this is a sign of things to come, it's time for Pinot Noir lovers to rejoice! We can't wait to show you the wines as they roll in, but in the meantime, get this while you can. Even though a decent amount was made, a wine at this price and with this score won't be around for long!
WINE SPECTATOR 95 POINTS - "This impressive Pinot is polished and detailed, offering dynamic flavors of raspberry and blueberry, with mineral and brown baking spice hints that build richness toward fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2035."
Family-owned for over 30 years, Cristom Vineyards was established in 1992 by the Gerrie family to grow and craft distinguished wines of place that honor individual sites and traditional techniques. They incorporate a multitude of winegrowing and agricultural paradigms to enrich the soil and enhance the quality of the fruit, including organic and biodynamic farming principles, and integrative pest management.
Their home base in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA of Willamette Valley is a truly special area. Ancient volcanic soils and an ideal elevation range produce classic cool-climate Pinot Noirs that evoke a true sense of place. During the warm growing season, ocean breezes funneled through Oregon's Coast Range blow along the Van Duzer Corridor every evening, chilling this part of the Eola-Amity Hills more than ten degrees cooler than northern Willamette Valley sub-appellations. These maritime winds make for fruit that's lively with acidity and distinct in its freshness of flavor.
The Mt. Jefferson Cuvee is the first of six Pinot Noirs to be released each year and has been produced at Cristom since 1994. It is named for Mt. Jefferson (10,501 ft) in the Cascade Range, which sits due east of Cristom. Made with a blend of grapes from hand selected, well sought out neighboring vineyards, the Mt. Jefferson Cuvee conveys a rich diversity of place. Whole-cluster fermentations by native yeast and extended aging in French oak are the hallmarks of the Cristom winemaking style. This wine ages in barrel for twelve months, and can stylistically be the freshest and most approachable of the Cristom Pinot Noirs in its youth.
We're excited for the 2023 vintage, and if this is a sign of things to come, it's time for Pinot Noir lovers to rejoice! We can't wait to show you the wines as they roll in, but in the meantime, get this while you can. Even though a decent amount was made, a wine at this price and with this score won't be around for long!
WINE SPECTATOR 95 POINTS - "This impressive Pinot is polished and detailed, offering dynamic flavors of raspberry and blueberry, with mineral and brown baking spice hints that build richness toward fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2035."
