Cristom Eileen Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017

About

The development of Cristom Vineyards is the result of a twenty-plus-year collaboration between an engineer, a winemaker and a farmer – who are, first and foremost, stewards of the land. Founder Paul Gerrie hired Cristom’s winemaker Steve Doerner and Vineyard Manager Mark Feltz in 1992. Together at the winery since day one, they have consistently produced masterful and expressive Pinot Noirs. The four estate Pinot Noir vineyards – Eileen, Jessie, Louise and Marjorie – are named for Gerrie family matriarchs. Each single vineyard has its own natural variances in soil, elevation and exposition, and Steve strives to craft wines that are an honest recording of both the vineyard and vintage. While we are widely recognized for our single vineyard wines, nowhere is Steve’s gift for blending more apparent than in our hallmark Pinot Noir cuvees, Mt. Jefferson Cuvee and Sommers Reserve. Our winegrowing philosophy begins with respect for our land and estate vines, and the natural process of fermentation. The vineyards and winery are Certified Sustainable by Low Input Viticulture & Enology (LIVE) and are thoughtfully and meticulously farmed with a focus on quality. With minimal intervention during the winemaking process, Steve guides the wines from vineyard to bottle, producing the ultimate expressions of the stellar fruit Mark grows every vintage. The story of the Cristom estate is continuing to grow and evolve as we began planting a fifth single vineyard in 2014 named after our founder, Paul. A spectacular east-facing site in the Eola Hills, Paul Vineyard will help Cristom to become one of the greatest wine estates in the world.

Eileen Vineyard tends to produce a wine that is the most precocious of our four estate vineyards and it’s often the first wine we release into the market. It is always the wine we show first in a line-up of Cristom Pinot Noir. We often find them softer, meaning rounder on the palate with less minerality. Typically, Eileen is textured, layered and creamy on the palate and often recognizable by its bouquet of sweet spices.

Cristom Eileen Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017 is bright red in color. An intensely perfumed bouquet displays ripe red/blue fruit, baking spice, incense qualities and a strong, mineral overtone. Offers sweet, penetrating raspberry, blueberry, cherry pit, lavender pastille and spicecake flavors that show serious depth as well as vivacity. Displays impressive clarity and spicy thrust on the finish, which features smoothly interwoven tannins and suave, clinging floral and mineral notes.