2021 Cristom Pinot Noir

52% estate fruit from Eileen, Jessie, Louise, Marjorie and Paul Gerrie vineyards with the remaining 48% sourced from 22 different vineyards in the Eola-Amity Hills. All fruit was hand-harvested. 44% whole-cluster fermented. 100% ambient-yeast fermentations. 1–3 punchdowns daily with occasional pumpovers in 1.5- to 7-ton open-top fermenters. Matured 11 months in 20% new French oak barrels. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. TA 5.9 g/l, pH 3.51. Pale purple turning to ruby. Vibrant nose with black and red fruit, violets and a forest-floor earthiness. The palate is still coiled tight with racy acidity, fine tannin and a pleasing spicy whole-bunch character. Less concentration than the 2022 Mt Jefferson but very pleasing with a lengthy fresh finish. (SCJ)

The flagship wine of the house, the jeweled rub-colored 2021 Pinot Noir Mt. Jefferson Cuvée is flush with pure primary fruit up front, including notes of ripe wild cherry, crushed flowers, and dusty earth. Medium to full-bodied, it displays good purity and ripeness on the palate, with mouth-filling fruit and a clean finish. Long on the palate, this is a killer value to drink over the next 5-7 years. The wines for this report were tasted at the winery, where I toured the vineyards with winemaker Daniel Estrin in the Eola-Amity Hills. Daniel joined the team in 2019, following his work with Ted Lemon at Littorai, where he began as an intern and worked his way up to assistant winemaker. Although he has certainly taken a page from Ted’s farming and biodynamic practices, the estate is not certified, and they prefer not to work within the proscriptive confines for certification.