Gang of Pour - School's Out - Christom Vineyards!!

Cristom Vineyards

Intro

Portland, Oregon:
Double J's Old Hill Ranch Roundup

Cristom Vineyards

Ann Arbor, Michigan
MoCool 2001

Ogier Tasting

Cleveland, Ohio
Larry & Mary Meehan

North Carolina:
Greg Ellis, High Point

Jim Cowan, Banner Elk

Detroit, Michigan:
Back at Gang Central

Epilogue

List of Wines

I went to Portland to spend some serious time with my daughter Rosie aka Dolphin Girl, and had no intention of dragging her in and out of every winery and tasting room up and down Highway 99, and that’s pretty much the way things went. We played a lot of music, ratted around Portland, and visited Silver Creek Falls State Park, all the while listening to a lot of Lucinda Williams.

Andy Zorzi Still, it didn’t make sense to be that close to wine country and not hit at least one vineyard, so I did a little checking around to see which operations were open to the public. I’d just heard some very good things a few days earlier regarding Cristom Vineyards, and when I asked John Jenness about this producer, he told me that he’d been following them since the very beginning, the first vintage being 1992. That was good enough for me, and on Tuesday afternoon, the 21^st of August, we headed down I-5 to Salem, then took the quick hop up Highway 221 to Lincoln and over to the winery on Spring Valley Road.

We didn’t have an appointment; we were just winging it, figuring that if nothing else, we’d at least get to taste a representative example of their wares. Cellar Manager Andy Zorzi (above) was manning the tasting room, so we bellied up, introduced ourselves and got right down to it. Andy is an affable, informative fellow, and he made our experience most enjoyable, but that would have been for naught had the wines sucked. Happily, such was not the case, as we found the Cristom line to be of very high quality right across the board. We got started with the whites:

1999 Cristom Oregon/Washington Pinot Gris, $13: A small amount (10% or less) of this pale to medium straw sees neutral 3 or 4 year old oak; it shows crisp green apple/mineral flavors and aromas, with good acidity and a nice finish.

1999 Cristom Willamette Chardonnay Germaine Vineyard, $19.00: This medium straw is barrel fermented, seeing about 30-40% new oak, which is reflected in the rich, full toasty pear flavors and aromas. A nice Chard at a nice price, with enough acidity to keep it lively.

1999 Cristom Willamette Viognier Estate Vineyard, $25.00: Only 160 cases of the medium straw were made; it was barrel fermented in neutral oak, "the oldest barrels I can come up with," according to Andy. A beautiful floral/honeysuckle/pear bouquet emanates from the glass and follows through on the palate with good acidity and some added notes of mineral/detergent, which in this case is definitely a good thing.

1999 Cristom Willamette Pinot Noir Mt. Jefferson Cuvee, $24.00: This pretty ruby garnet is an excellent value, showing smoky black cherry with a hint of briar/bramble/garrigue on the nose, and flavors to match, a full body, good concentration and a nice finish. The garrigue adds an intriguing quality, and I like this wine a lot.

1999 Cristom Willamette Pinot Noir Reserve, $36.00: A ruby dark garnet, this is a barrel select blend of Estate and purchased fruit, showing lovely flavors and aromas of smoky black cherry that also develop a hint of garrigue with a little air. Refined, with silky tannins, good acidity and a nice finish, this is a pleasure to sip now, but will improve with some bottle age.

1999 Cristom Willamette Pinot Noir Jessie Vineyard, $39.00: This ruby dark garnet is made from a single block of Estate fruit and shows beautifully perfumed smoky black cherry flavors and aromas, with hints of incense and garrigue that add interest and complexity. Again, silky tannins, good acidity and a long finish are already enticing, but a few years in the cellar will reward those with patience.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to try the ’99 Marjorie Vineyard Pinot Noir, which was scheduled for release the week after our visit, and Bobby Parker’s 94 rating of this wine may make it difficult to come by. Nevertheless, I went home with two each of the Pinot Noirs that we tasted, ruing the fact that I didn’t have room in my suitcase for any of the whites. Winemaker Steve Doerner, Vineyard Manager Mark Feltz and Cellar Manager Zorzi are doing great things here; I found Doerner’s comment that "Only Pinot Noir can give you a silky finesse that also has depth and power…" to be particularly appropriate in describing these wines.

Owners Paul and Eileen Gerrie have much to be proud of in Cristom Vineyards, named after their children, Christine and Tom. If you haven’t had the chance to try these wines yet, take a tip from old Bastardo and do so at your earliest opportunity. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

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