Winemaker Notes
For over 20 years, Cristom Vineyards founder Paul Gerrie dreamt of acquiring an especially stunning 100-plus acre parcel of land that laid to the north of the original Cristom estate. Shortly before his retirement in 2012, Paul was able to secure this land - capping his legacy with Cristom Vineyards.
Cristom is proud to name the Paul Gerrie Vineyard in his honor, as it represents both the culmination of knowledge gained from over a quarter-century of farming in the Eola-Amity Hills, as well as the winery's commitment towards producing estate-based wines that possess balance, intensity, and complexity.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The newest addition to the estate vineyard, this was planted in 2014, so this is the first vintage to be released. It's brimming with the freshness and vitality of young vines. Pretty cherry fruit, smooth tannins and a lovely whiff of lavender are among many highlights.
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.