Cristom Vineyards

Cristom's founder and owner, Paul Gerrie, used his skills as a petroleum engineer and avid researcher to pursue his passion for wine. On his travels to France he was introduced to the traditional growing practices of the Burgundy region. He learned that soil (terroir) and site were key in developing the complexity of the fruit. After a 1991 visit to the International Pinot Celebration in Oregon, Paul decided the time was right to leave the East Coast and bring his family and his passion for great Pinot Noir to Oregon's burgeoning wine country. Today, the estate can be seen in the eight distinct vineyards on Cristom's 65 acres in the Eola Hills of Oregon's Willamette Valley.

The Mount Jefferson Cuvée Pinot Noir 2013 vintage is bright in colour with red fruit aromatics. A beautifully structured wine with excellent balanced tannins and a persistent acidity. Impressions of pomegranate and mixed berries are evident in this mid-weight wine which has a spicyness on the palate coupled with a velvety texture.

Serve with smoked salmon rillettes.

Hand harvested and hand sorted. 31% whole clusters. No cold soak before primary fermentation. Minimum effective additions of sulphur and tartaric acid. Native yeast fermentations. 1 - 3 punch-downs daily in 1-7 ton open-top fermenters. Gently pressed in a pneumatic bladder press and moved to barrel by gravity, and never racked, unless necessary. Undergoes a full malolactic fermentation in barrel. Fined with egg whites, unfiltered. Aged for 12 months in French cooperage, 18% new oak.