Winemaker Notes
Showcasing the traditional winemaking techniques that are the hallmarks of Cristom's house style - whole-cluster fermentations by native yeast, extended aging in French oak barrels, and no filtration - Cristom's flagship Pinot Noir offers tremendous complexity of flavor, approachability in its youth, and unparalleled value.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
A lively, precise and well-composed pinot with notes of sour cherries, red currants, crushed roses and mild spices on the nose, followed through to a medium body with bright acidity. It’s crisp and spot-on, with succulent wild berries at the center and verve throughout.
-
Vinous
Wildly exotic, the 2022 Pinot Noir Mt. Jefferson Cuvée captivates with its seductive blend of dried flowers, incense, rosemary and dried strawberries. This is wonderfully fresh, nearly crunchy in feel, with stimulating acidity offsetting its tart red fruits and hints of sour citrus that pucker the cheeks. The 2022 finishes with youthful tension, lightly structured yet cooling and fresh, leaving suggestions of tart raspberry. About 52% whole cluster fermentation.
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2022 Cristom Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Pinot Noir is an incredible value; it rivals some of the best Pinots in the world. This wine excels with aromas and flavors of candied cherries and fragrant strawberries. It would pair perfectly with an oven-roasted chicken. (Tasted: December 13, 2024, San Francisco, CA)
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Pinot Noir includes three-quarters estate fruit and one-quarter purchased fruit sourced from across the Eola-Amity Hills. Fifty-two percent whole clusters were used, and the wine was matured for 10 months in 22% new French oak. It has layered aromas of cranberry sauce, pomegranate, cardamom, forest floor and mushrooms. The medium-bodied palate features concentrated layers of earth-laced fruit structured by clay-textured tannins and vibrant acidity, and it has a long, spicy finish.
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.