Cristom Marjorie Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016
-
Spirits
Wine & -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine & Spirits
Cristom wines usually reflect some sort of tension between smoky, whole-cluster spice flavors and firmly expressed, finely wrought fruit. This 2016, from Marjorie, an 8.5-acre site on the lower slopes of the property, reflects a generous vintage with a smoky, Volnay-like suppleness, a velvety texture and gentle persistence, like waves lapping on a lakeshore. It lasts like this for days after opening, the flavors delicate and complex as it mingles with air.
-
James Suckling
Such impressive depth and grace here with a graphite-like, woody thread and abundant, rich, red-cherry and dark-berry aromas. Wild-herb nuances, too. The palate has a very concentrated core of ripe, smoothly rendered tannins with good density and exceptional balance. Approachable now, but will age well over the next eight to ten years.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby in color with a hint of purple, the 2016 Pinot Noir Marjorie Vineyard is scented of raspberry jam, cinnamon stick, black cherries and cardamom with notes of autumn leaves and porcini mushroom. Medium-bodied, it fills the mouth with dark fruits and spicy/earthy accents, held together with fine, firm tannins and mouthwatering acidity, finishing long and spicy.
-
Wine Enthusiast
This vineyard has the lowest production and gets the most (75%) new French oak. Black fruits abound, with generous streaks of cola and mocha. The tannins are substantial, the mouthfeel a bit grainy, and there's a pleasing, chewy toasty character to the finish.
Other Vintages
2021- Vinous
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Enthusiast
Wine
- Vinous
-
Suckling
James -
Spirits
Wine & -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine - Decanter
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Wong
Wilfred -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Spirits
Wine & -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine
- Decanter
-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James
-
Parker
Robert -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
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.