Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Perhaps the best thing to be said about this wine is how much it compelled us to want to drink more of it. Grown at Cristom’s highest-elevation vineyard, this is captivating from start to finish, by turns propulsive and generous, light and penetrating, invigorating in its earthy lavender scents, its wisp of bergamot and cherry. Fully ripe, it maintains a light tone, propelled by vigorous acidity and suspended by a pulsing, mineral grip. (940 cases)
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James Suckling
Subtle aromas of cedar, dark berries, tea and orange peel follow through to a full to medium body, compacted fruit and a fine tannin backbone. Excellent acidity as well. Drink in 2019.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale ruby-purple colored, the 2014 Pinot Noir Eileen is closed to begin with, opening out to expressive Bing cherry, pomegranate and cinnamon stick notes plus suggestions of dried bay leaves, dusty earth and cloves. Medium-bodied, the palate is very fine, fresh and spicy, with wonderfully ripe, silt-like tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long with baking spice nuances.
Rating 92+
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.