Winemaker Notes
From a historical perspective, the wines of 2016 bear more than a passing resemblance to two other highly-acclaimed Oregon vintages: 2012 and 2008, years known for producing low yields of small, concentrated berries. Three separate heat swells in early spring of 2016 resulted in three distinct bloom periods, creating small amounts of millerandage, (“chicks and hens”) within individual clusters – which we welcome with open arms, as we firmly believe this only adds to the character and complexity of our wines.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Seductively floral red-fruit and sweet-spice complexity to this cleverly styled, quality pinot noir. The palate has an x-factor textural quality that holds firm and long, but does so in an ethereal, elegant mode. Seductive, playful finish. Great value. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Pinot Noir is pale to medium ruby with a hint of purple. It has a lovely spicy nose of Bing cherries, red licorice, cranberries and black cherries over a core of cardamom, wet leaves, Bergamot and cinnamon stick. Medium-bodied and silky textured, it has wonderful concentration of dark fruits in the mouth with great layers of earth and spice—wet leaves, mushroom, clove—with firm tannins to hold up all those layers and delightfully juicy acidity to carry the long, spicy finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Cristom's multivineyard blend is a polished effort that overdelivers for the price. Spicy and pungently herbal aromas lead into flavors of tart strawberry and peppery herb. The leaf and bark aspect is forceful but nicely integrated, and the structure suggests aging this a few years for optimal drinking.
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Wine Spectator
Refined and sleekly built, with precise raspberry, hibiscus tea and spice flavors that take on momentum toward polished tannins. Drink now through 2024.
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Wine & Spirits
Mount Jeff is Cristom’s entry-level wine, and one of the best deals in its portfolio, since it’s typically drawn from the winery’s estate vineyards. This one is all cherry juice and bergamot tea, the fruit brightening with air, moving toward raspberry. It’s well-priced for a midweek pinot.
Home of some of the planet’s most amazingly elegant and expressive Pinot noir, the Willamette Valley is a pastoral, mixed landscape of green, bucolic rolling hills, dramatic forestlands and small, independent, friendly wine growers. As a leader in environmental stewardship, the valley has some of the nation’s most protective land use policies, with two-thirds of its vineyards farmed sustainably and over half, organically. While the valley claims a cool, continental climate, and is heavily influenced by the cold, moist winds of the Pacific Ocean, its warm and dry summers allow for the steady, even ripening of Pinot noir.
The potential of Willamette Valley Pinot noir continues to attract the investment of serious growers and winemakers both locally and from abroad, as naturally the finished wines bring accolades from professionals and enthusiasts. With a range of styles from delicate dried cherry, raspberry and hibiscus to stronger notes of truffle, mocha, plum and spice, a fine Willamette Valley Pinot noir is a perfect expression of both character and grace.