Cristom Paul Gerrie Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018
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Winemaker Notes
The 2018 growing season was one of the driest years in the agricultural history of the Willamette Valley, and the driest year in Cristom’s 27 years of farming this land. The overwhelming majority of the Cristom Estate is dry-farmed, thus creating challenges with low water availability. Fortunately, the older vines fared well, their deep roots driving down into the volcanic hillsides, seeking out the water held there. This allowed more "hang-time" for the fruit, creating brighter, blue-fruited wines. Showing surprising complexity and firm structure in their youth, these wines will age well for years to come.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has some earthy aromas, as well as dried red flowers, lightly leafy tones and a gently herbal edge. Complex pinot. The fruit aromas and flavors sit in the ripe red-cherry and red-plum zone. Smoothly rendered tannins and fresh acidity to keep the red fruit fresh across the finish. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Pinot Noir Paul Gerrie Vineyard comes from the youngest vines at Cristom, planted in 2014 and dry farmed. It was made with 46% whole clusters and aged in 50% new French oak for 17 months. Pale ruby, it offers bright licorice and spice on the nose with savory blackberry and rhubarb fruit. The palate is medium-bodied, savory and firm, with just enough soft freshness to lift the spicy finish.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Cristom Paul Gerrie Vineyard Pinot Noir dazzles with its lovely and bountiful fruit. TASTING NOTES: This wine presents aromas and flavors of ripe red and blue fruits. Enjoy its smooth and persistent textures with a lightly-seasoned, oven-roasted Porchetta. (Tasted: October 28, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
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Cristom Vineyards is a family-owned and operated winery that has established itself as a top producer of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the Eola-Amity Hills district of Oregon's Willamette Valley. Second-generation proprietor Tom Gerrie leads the production team, which includes long time winemaker Steve Doerner and recently arrived vineyard manager & winemaker Daniel Estrin. Each bring experience from working at top Pinot/Chardonnay producers in California: Doerner from Calera and Estrin from Littorai. Tom’s parents, Paul and Eileen Gerrie, founded the winery in 1992.
The estate is divided into five single vineyards: Jessie, Eileen, Marjorie, and Louise (all named for Matriarchs in the Gerrie family); and the newly added Paul Gerrie vineyard, acquired in 2012. There are 95 acres on vine throughout the 240-acre property. The majority vineyards are planted at a high density of around 2,300 vines per acre and heavily cropped to produce about 2 tons of fruit per acre.
Cristom farms its estate vineyards according to the biodynamic practices originated by Rudolph Steiner. In 2017 Tom began to implement biodynamic principles to bring the true expression of the vineyard into its wines. Cristom has been a leader in natural winemaking practices, including native yeast and an early pioneer of whole-cluster fermentation in the US. The vineyards and winery are Certified Sustainable by the Oregon LIVE program (Low Input Viticulture and Enology).
Vintage after vintage, Cristom produces top-quality wines, no matter how easy or challenging the elements make it. This consistency is a testament to the deep knowledge of the vineyard, the respect for the land, and a light touch in the cellar. Recognized globally as a leading producer in the beloved Willamette Valley, their wines continue to be a unique blend of tradition, modernity and finesse.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Running north to south, adjacent to the Willamette River, the Eola-Amity Hills AVA has shallow and well-drained soils created from ancient lava flows (called Jory), marine sediments, rocks and alluvial deposits. These soils force vine roots to dig deep, producing small grapes with great concentration.
Like in the McMinnville sub-AVA, cold Pacific air streams in via the Van Duzer Corridor and assists the maintenance of higher acidity in its grapes. This great concentration, combined with marked acidity, give the Eola-Amity Hills wines—namely Pinot noir—their distinct character. While the region covers 40,000 acres, no more than 1,400 acres are covered in vine.