Rooted Reflections: Harvest 2024

HARVEST 2024 – Ideal & Gradual

Winemaker & Vineyard Manager Daniel Estrin and Associate Winemaker Chris Butler provide a detailed 2024 harvest recap in this eight-part-question-and-answer VLOG.

VIEW ON VIMEO

Questions:

Q1: Provide a high-level overview of Cristom’s 2024 harvest. 0:32 – 3:38

Q2: What is a typical harvest day like? 3:39 – 9:06

Q3: What fruit do you get the most excited to see arrive on the crush pad? 9:07 – 11:01

Q4: Is there a particular vineyard site that really stands out to you? 11:02 – 13:08

Q5: Have you ever accidentally crashed a forklift on the crush pad during “the forklift dance”? 13:09 – 14:11

Q6: What are you looking for when creating a good blend? 14:12 – 17:46

Q7: What do you think will be the best outcome in the wine from this vintage? 17:47 – 20:07

Q8: Now that harvest is over, what will the crew do for the rest of the year? 20:08 – 22:52

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September 9, 2024

Rooted Reflections: Summer 2024

2024 GROWING SEASON – SUMMER UPDATES

Sustainable winegrowing through holistic farming practices

Cristom Vineyards Winemaker and Vineyard Manager Daniel Estrin Collects Biodynamic Farming Prep 500 Horn Manure

Farming is one of the most unpredictable businesses, making the rewards much sweeter or “ripe.” The farm was a buzz all summer, and as we head towards fall, veraison is 99% complete across the estate, bringing the 2024 growing season closer to our busiest time of year—harvest. Let’s look at our farming practices and how the vintage has developed.

BLOOM + FRUIT SET

Cristom Louise Vineyard Block 15 Chardonnay Bloom on 6.6.24

Cristom Louise Vineyard Chardonnay Flowering on 6.13.24

Louise Vineyard Chardonnay Block 15 bloomed on June 6, 2024, and flowering on June 13, 2024

Bloom was slightly later this year than the average for the past 10 years. The earliest parts of the vineyard, such as our Chardonnay block in Louise Vineyard, began flowering the first and second weeks of June. Bloom and berry development slowed with the arrival of cooler temperatures and rain on the weekend of June 15th, slowing the progression of bloom across the estate.

Cristom Vineyards Vine Shoot Positioning Louise Vineyard Pinot Noir 7.19.24

Cristom Vineyards Pinot Noir Clusters in Marjorie Vineyard Block 1 on 7.12.24

Soon after, temperatures warmed, and the later blocks were quickly through bloom and into fruit set. Our dedicated vineyard team moved through the estate, positioning shoots for the remainder of the growing season, and overall, we experienced a good fruit set across the estate.

Cristom Vineyards Estate Volcanic Basalt Soils

Cristom Vineyards Early July 2024 Vine Canopies

Nearly all of our Estate is dry-farmed. Good soil moisture reserve allowed the vines to grow and tolerate the heat wave we experienced in early July. We had yet to pull leaves; their canopies protected the fruit from direct sunlight.

We spotted veraison on the Pinot Noir fruit in our Jessie Vineyard at the beginning of August. As the month drew to a close, veraison is complete in all but a few of the latest blocks on the Estate.

Cristom Jessie Vineyard Clone 113 on 8.2.24

Jessie Vineyard Pinot Noir Clone 113 on August 2, 2024

SUSTAINABLE WINEGROWING

Cristom Vineyards Louise Vineyard Chardonnay Block

We practice organic and biodynamic farming principles and integrative pest management across our 240-acre Estate. These methods not only enrich our soil but also foster biodiversity, and cultivate a more resilient ecosystem.

For our biodynamic preps, we are making almost all of our own, with most of the plant matter they need coming from our estate; the balance is locally sourced.

Cristom Buried BD Prep 500 Horn Manure Dug Up

Cristom Vineyards Biodynamic Farming Prep 500 Horn Manure Burial Dug Up

In mid-June, our Winemaker and Vineyard Manager, Daniel Estrin, along with Assistant Vineyard Foreman Ivan Orozco, unearthed one of our key biodynamic preparations—500 Horn Manure—from the Paul Gerrie Vineyard, where it had been buried the previous fall.

Throughout the cold, wet winter, the cow manure packed into the horns transformed into rich humus, rich with enzymes, natural hormones, beneficial bacteria, fungi, and digestive juices.

Biodynamic Farming Prep 500 Humus Collection

After retrieving the cow horns, we collected the humus and blended handfuls of it with pure Spring water from our Estate, stirring it alternately clockwise and counterclockwise for one hour. This biodynamic spray is then applied across our vineyards throughout the year, stimulating microbial activity, fostering humus development in the soil, improving water absorption and retention, and promoting root growth.

BD Prep 500 Spray Preparation on the Waning Moon 8.27.24

BD Prep 500 Spray Application on the Waning Moon 8.27.24

On the waning moon, August 27^th, we sprayed our third application of 500 prep for the 2024 growing season.

Biodynamic Stags Bladder Hanging in Louise Vineyard

Around the same time, we initiated another biodynamic preparation—502 Yarrow. Daniel Estrin obtained a stag’s bladder from a hunter friend, carefully drying it around a balloon to form a vessel for stuffing with yarrow flowers. We hung this preparation in a tree within the small forest near the spring at Louise Vineyard, where it remains throughout the summer. In the fall, it is retrieved and buried for the winter. Ultimately, this preparation is incorporated into our compost to invigorate the soil and promote adaptability to the unique conditions of our site. This is particularly beneficial when the compost is spread on young vines and those growing in shallow, rocky soils.

Cristom Vineyards Winemaker & Vineyard Manager Daniel Estrin Checks on our Compost in June 2024

Daniel Estrin checks on the health of our compost piles

In addition to improving soil health, our sprays and compost actively contribute to increasing biodiversity on our land.

We aim to cultivate and expand biodiversity across our farm, fostering a healthier ecosystem for all living organisms. Sightings of snakes and tree frogs, which are especially sensitive to harsh chemicals, are a welcome indication of the vitality of our Estate and the diversity of life thriving here.

Daniel Estrin chopping fallen oak for Mason Bee Boxes

Expanding biodiversity on our Estate extends to the plant life surrounding our vineyards. We crafted Mason bee boxes from a fallen oak branch near our spring to support these essential pollinators. Mason bees play a critical role in our ecosystem, pollinating over 95% of the flowers they visit.

Cristom Vineyards Winery and Gardens Summer 2024

Cristom Vineyards Jessie Delarbre Hoeing the Food Garden

In early spring, we started growing plants in our greenhouse, and by late May, we transitioned them into raised garden beds we prepared alongside the winery and our Louise Vineyard. These gardens nourish our employees, their families, and even Members who attended our July Appreciation party. The surplus produce is donated to a local food bank. This year, our garden flourished with 29 different vegetables and flowers, allowing us to surpass our previous donation totals. In 2023, we donated 253 pounds of produce, providing 211 meals for local families. Throughout August, we contributed 365 pounds of surplus squash, eggplant, sweet peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos, cucumbers, herbs, and watermelon, and another 120 pounds on September 3rd to Yamhill Community Action Partnership.

Farming’s unpredictable challenges can also bring cherished surprises. On July 26th, we joyfully welcomed a new lamb to our flock—meet Whoopsie Daisy! While summer’s dry months can make it more challenging for young animals due to less nutrient-dense grasses, our dedicated team is committed to their well-being. With extra care and the right supplements, we’re helping Whoopsie Daisy and the rest of our flock prosper.

HARVEST SEASON KICKS OFF

Our harvest crew arrived in early August and immediately received new French oak barrels and glassware. In mid-August, we bottled the first of our 2023 Pinot Noirs—including our flagship, Mt. Jefferson Cuvée. Equipment was prepped for harvest, and the team calculated vineyard lag weight estimates to forecast 2024 vintage volumes. The anticipation was palpable coming off of Labor Day weekend.

2023 Mt Jefferson Cuvee Pinot Noir bottled August 13 2024

On Monday, September 9, clear skies and sunny weather welcomed the beginning of harvest season—the first grapes from the Estate were picked from Louise Block 7 Pommard clones!

Louise Block 7 Pommard Clone PN Harvested 9.9.24

P.S. WINEMAKING ANNOUNCEMENT

Cristom Vineyards Associate Winemaker Chris Butler

Associate Winemaker Chris Butler performs a cork trial

We’re thrilled to announce the promotion of Chris Butler to Associate Winemaker! Since joining Cristom in 2019 as our Enologist and Cellar Master, Chris has quickly risen through the ranks, becoming an essential part of our Production team. His leadership in blending trials, cork trials, bottling, our harvest intern program, and inventory management has been invaluable.

Chris holds a Master’s Degree in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis, along with dual B.S. degrees in Fermentation Science and Microbology from Oregon State University. Affectionately nicknamed “The Professor” by our team, Chris has elevated our winemaking processes through meticulous data and analysis, further enhancing the complexity and balance of our wines.

Before joining Cristom, Chris honed his skills working harvests at renowned wineries including Selbach-Oster in Germany, Leeuwin Estate in Australia, Chehalem Winery here in the Willamette Valley, as well as in Washington state and New Zealand’s Marlborough region. Chris and his partner, Draga also founded Liska Wine Co.—a wine + art brand featuring micro-lot aromatic white and red varietals with hand-crafted linocut artwork labels.

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July 29, 2024

WHOLE CLUSTER FERMENTATION: ANOTHER DIMENSION OF TANNIN

A FOURTH DIMENSION OF TANNIN

SKIN, SEED, OAK, AND STEM.

Hand drawn graphic artwork throughout courtesy of Matt Vuylsteke

That special time of year is approaching. Currently, our team is racking for our upcoming August bottling. “This marks the beginning of Harvest in many ways as it makes room for the next vintage in the cellar,” remarks Winemaker & Vineyard Manager Daniel Estrin. Plans are being made, and Whole Cluster is a hot topic.

WHOLE CLUSTER FERMENTATION 101

Hand-picked grapes come into the winery as “whole bunches.” In the winemaking process, fruit is often “destemmed” before fermentation begins. Whole cluster fermentation is the practice of leaving grapes attached to their stems (also known as “jacks”) throughout the fermentation process. This choice alters the chemistry, tannin level, and the resulting aromas, flavors, and texture.

The process of whole cluster fermentation

Winemaking with whole bunches is making wine with great intention. The use of whole clusters elevates the aromatic complexity with lifted spice notes and adds another dimension of tannin, providing enriched texture and length while deepening terroir expression.

What do stems & berries contribute?

WHOLE CLUSTER USAGE IN WINEMAKING

Cristom Vineyards Whole Cluster Pinot Noir Winemaking Process

Cristom Pinot Noir winemaking process

The ratio of whole cluster use depends on the farming, soil type, rootstock, clone combinations, acid levels, vintage, and empirical knowledge. Our holistic farming practices help to produce balanced fruit with healthy cluster sets, which is crucial to whole cluster usage.

Cristom Pinot Noir grape bunches being harvested

The shallow volcanic soils on our site yield fruit with smaller, looser clusters and lower yields, so we use fewer whole clusters in fermentation to balance the skin-to-juice ratio. The deeper volcanic soils on our estate provide a fuller fruit set with bigger berries. That fruit intensity and a higher skin-to-juice ratio can handle more whole cluster bunches in fermentation. Additionally, the fruit grown in these soils has higher acid levels, which is crucial to whole-cluster fermentation.

Cristom Volcanic Soil Types_Credit John Valls_digital

Volcanic soil types on Cristom Estate

The growing season during the vintage is also key to the ripeness of the stem (lignification). Vintages with more hang time allow greater use of whole cluster fermentation. For the 2022 vintage, we had near-perfect conditions for bloom in late June, which yielded a generous fruit set of tight clusters and large berries. The long, warm, sunny summer extended the growing season into October, providing the perfect circumstances for greater whole-cluster inclusion.

Additionally, our dedicated winegrowing team of 16 men and women, who average over nine years on our farm, and our Winemaker and Vineyard Manager, Daniel Estrin, have intimate knowledge of the vineyards.

Dedicated Cristom Vineyard Team

Our choice to include whole bunches depends on the specific site, the growing season, and the age of the vines, though it typically results in 40%-50% whole clusters in final blends.

Cristom Pinot Noir fermenter activity

WHOLE-CLUSTER HALLMARKS

“Whole cluster winemaking is part of the foundation, part of the life blood of who we are as a brand and a company, and it’s been a part of our winemaking style from the get-go.”
-Owner & Winegrower, Tom Gerrie

Cristom is a pioneering practioner of whole cluster and native yeast fermentation in the US along with unfined and unfiltered wines.

Early in Cristom Winemaker Emeritus Steve Doerner’s career, he was a protégé of Josh Jensen, founder of Calera Winery, an early pioneer of creating truly Burgundian-style Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the Central Coast of California. Josh Jenson arranged for Steve Doerner to travel to Burgundy to stay with Jacques Seysses of Domaine Dujac in Morey-Saint-Denis, France. This trip shaped Doerner’s winemaking philosophies and ultimately built the framework of Cristom’s winemaking style today—a low-intervention approach guided by patience and the use of natural yeasts and whole clusters to express distinctive single vineyard sites.

Cristom Harvested Pinot Noir Whole Bunches

“One of the things we talk about is sort of a fourth dimension of tannin. There’s skin tannin, seed tannin and then new wood provides oak tannin. The use of whole clusters in fermentation introduces a fourth dimension of tannin. The stem tannin can be fairly pronounced.
It’s very, very long.
It’s very textured.
It has a great deal of weight.
So it gives it a great deal of length to the Cristom wines.”
-Owner & Winegrower Tom Gerrie

WHAT DOES WHOLE CLUSTER FERMENTATION BRING?

We welcomed the Whole Cluster Series as an educational opportunity to discuss the intention behind our Craftsmanship and the ‘Why?’ behind it all. This series shows why Whole Cluster fermentation is such an important piece of our history as a family-owned company. Whole cluster fermentation is an expression of the site, the vintage, and how the vines set that year- enhancing the expression of place and time.

Cristom Vineyards Whole Cluster Series Wines

The series debuted with the 2021 vintage. Moving forward with the 2022 vintage, you continue to taste how the varying levels of stem inclusion in winemaking manifest on the nose and the palate. The series continues to represent three fermentations, all from the same block of our estate Louise Vineyard, with one important variable isolated: varying levels —0%, 50%, and 100% —of whole clusters in a fermenter.

On the nose, you’ll pick up savory and spicy aromatics and secondary and tertiary characters of mushroom and forest floor.

What do the different bottlings represent?

0% Whole Cluster Pinot Noir: represents all destemmed berries and showcases the purity of the fruit with high-toned red fruit character and bright acidity

50% Whole Cluster Pinot Noir: allows the fruit character to show, enhanced by the additional tannin characters from the whole cluster, typical of Cristom’s style

100% Whole Cluster Pinot Noir: the expanded tannin showcases the power and intense structure of the wine with steeped black tea characters

These wines can easily be enjoyed on their own, but the series also makes for an interesting and lively conversation with friends and family when you compare all three together, especially when blind tasting!

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April 11, 2024

Rooted Reflections: Winter + Spring 2024

2024 GROWING SEASON – WINTER & SPRING UPDATES

Cristom Vineyards Spring 2024 cherry trees blooming 4.7.24

As the crisp chill of winter gives way to the gentle warmth of spring, Cristom Vineyards comes alive with a breathtaking display of nature’s beauty. Our vineyards are abuzz with the promise of a new vintage. Discover some of the highlights below and we invite you to partake in the spring air yourself on your next visit.

Budbreak—Chardonnay buds began appearing in Louise Vineyard on March 21st, and varying degrees of bud burst can be found across the estate vineyards. It’s a sure sign spring has arrived.

Shearing Our Flock—Our flock of sheep was shorn on March 20th. Always striving to be interconnected on the farm, the wool was used to cover the young fruit trees we planted.

New “Z Orchard”—Speaking of fruit trees, we recently planted 40 fruit trees below the Viognier vines in Louise Vineyard: 10 apple, 10 pear, 10 peach, and 10 nectarine trees. The orchard is named “Z Orchard” in honor of our longest-serving team member (three decades) whose contributions are innumerable, Andy Zorzi, aka “Z.”

Planting the Seeds—We’ve begun preparing raised garden beds and growing plants in our greenhouse. Once the beds are ready and the daily low temperatures are high enough, we’ll transition the plants to the ground.

The garden and the orchard (in the long term), help us to foster biodiversity on our farm and nourish our team, their families, and the local community via the food bank we support.

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The Estate is in Bloom—It’s a wonderful time to visit and experience the incredible bloom of our cherry trees, daffodils, daisies, tulips, and more. A tasting on our patio also treats you to views of our vibrant pollinator gardens.

Biodynamics in Action—While we’re still a month or two away from digging up the preps buried post-harvest, we have begun spreading the Valerian prep to the compost to help promote light and warmth. This month, we will also aim to perform our first spray of Prep 500 during the next waning moon cycle.

Blending Trials To Begin!—Over a nine-week period, we’ll conduct blind evaluations of each individual barrel of the 2023 vintage Pinot Noir and use that data to construct blends. We’ll blindly evaluate those blends and continue to refine. After two to three blending sessions, we decide on final blends for each wine.

spring bloom on the Cristom Vineyards estate: Fawn Lilys under the Dogwood Tree

WILLAMETTE VALLEY AVAS

WILLAMETTE VALLEY AVAs: BORN FROM FIRE & WATER

200+ MILLION YEARS IN THE MAKING—VOLCANIC BASALT AND MARINE SEDIMENTARY SOILS DIFFERENTIATE THE VALLEY AND MAKE IT UNIQUELY PERFECT FOR GRAPE GROWING.

This article content was aided by/adapted from information and imagery courtesy of the Oregon Wine Board via a Creative Commons License.

SUBDUCTION > IRRUPTION

The Willamette Valley is located within the “Ring of Fire,” an area of volcanic activity (75% of the world’s volcanoes and 90% of the world’s earthquakes) surrounding the edges of the Pacific Ocean. Just off the coast of the Pacific Northwest lies the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) caused by the Juan de Fuca Plate moving east toward the North American Plate (continent) and subducting underneath it.

The Willamette Valley and its unique soils and topography are the result of hundreds of millions of years of volcanic activity. Over 200 million years ago, Oregon was under the Pacific Ocean. The gradual subduction of the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate created Oregon’s oldest mountains and added land mass.

Roughly 16-6 million years, the plate continues to subduct, uplifting sedimentary soils, such as Willakenzie and Wellsdale, developed from sandstone and siltstone on the ocean floor to form the Coast Range above water and land mass in the Chehalem Mountains, Ribbon Ridge, and Yamhill-Carlton districts.

Multiple fissures created one of the largest volcanic events on Earth, and lava flows throughout northern Oregon, creating Basalt bedrock that formed the valley and the Cascade Mountain Range and accumulating enough landmass for Oregon to be above water. Over the millions of years that followed, the weathering of the Columbia River Basalt bedrock created the basalt soils that form a patchwork of volcanic soil series predominantly found in the Chehalem Mountains, Dundee Hills, McMinnville, and Eola-Amity Hills sub-AVAs.

Willamette Valley Subduction of Juan de Fuca plate

Willamette Valley Volcanic Irruptions map 16-10MM Years Ago

THE VALLEY AT LARGE

The Willamette Valley stretches 150 miles (240 km) long – from the Columbia River in Portland in the north to the Calapooya Mountains outside Eugene in the south – and 60 miles (97 km) wide. It is largely protected by the Coast Range to the west and the Cascade Range to the east. The valley experiences damp, cool winters and warm, dry summers. It has an extended growing season due to the northern latitude providing extended daylight hours, which are tempered by a large diurnal temperature shift from day to night.

The AVA was established in 1983, and subsequently, sub-AVAs were formed within its borders which now total 11.

Willamette Valley AVA_boundary_map_credit Willamette Valley Winery Association

Willamette Valley AVA Map courtesy of the Willamette Valley Wineries Association

45° NORTH: EOLA-AMITY HILLS AVA

Halfway between the North Pole and the Equator, and the same latitude as Burgundy, lies the Eola-Amity Hills (EAH) sub-AVA of the Willamette Valley, home to the 45th parallel North and the Cristom Vineyards Estate. Both experience similar daylight lengths and cool climates. Though, they differ in soil types.

The north and east sides of the AVA and the upper hills are predominantly Basaltic soils, including Jory, Nekia, Witzel, and Gelderman, among others, while the west has a concentration of Sedimentary soils. Missoula Flood Silts can be found along the lower-lying edges surrounding the EAH. It is common to encounter multiple soil types in a single vineyard, depending on its altitude. This JancisRobinson.com article provides more insight on the soil’s impact on the wines of this region.

Soils of the Eola-Amity Hills_Credit Oregon Wine Board

The Eola-Amity Hills AVA is influenced and primarily defined by the predictable, cool afternoon breezes that blow off the Pacific Ocean and enter the valley through the Van Duzer Corridor, which is due west of the region. These winds significantly temper the vineyard temperatures after warm sunny days, cooling the fruit to create small berries with great natural acid retention and thick skins, which leads to a higher skin-to-juice ratio in winemaking.

The Cristom Estate is nestled into an east-facing volcanic hillside that rises from 200-800 feet in elevation. We are stewards of five world-renowned estate vineyards – tributes to our founders, Paul and Eileen Gerrie, and family matriarchs – which are unique in their varied aspects, richly diverse soils, clonal diversity, and micro-climate.

Our east-facing orientation allows the morning sun to warm the patchwork of volcanic soils across the Estate, which range from shallow – only 18-24 inches of topsoil before transitioning to fractured Basalt parent material – to deep – over six feet of topsoil. This soil diversity is a true hallmark of our property and lends itself to diverse single-vineyard bottlings and harmonious cuvées, such as our Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Pinot Noir.

Cristom partners with several esteemed neighboring vineyards that contribute to our flagship Pinot Noir. Additionally, the 2021 vintage included single-vineyard designates from Eola Springs and Seven Springs vineyards, and the 2022 vintage sees the launch of a single-vineyard Pinot Noir from nearby Björnson Vineyard, from whom we also source Gamay fruit for our AVA blend. Witness Tree, our direct neighbor to the north, and Five Points vineyard have provided the Pinot Noir we use to craft our Rosé. Beginning with the 2021 vintage, we crafted single-vineyard Chardonnay from Royer and Seven Springs vineyards.

The wines from the Eola-Amity Hills AVA are bright, fresh, and structured, with a slightly darker and edgier personality creating a balance of tension and generosity.

Cristom Vineyards Winery + Louise Vineyard

THE ‘RED HILLS OF DUNDEE’: DUNDEE HILLS AVA

The Dundee Hills are defined by the ancient (15 millon years), deep Jory volcanic soil, volcanic basalt known for excellent drainage and the oxidized red coloring – famously known as the “red hills of Dundee.”

Additionally, the climate is slightly warmer than other Willamette Valley AVAs due to its position between the Coast Range and Chehalem Mountains, which shelters it from Pacific Ocean breezes.

Oregon wine pioneers David Lett of The Eyrie Vineyards, Dick Erath, Erath Winery, and Susan Sokol and Bill Blosser planted many of Oregon’s first vineyards in the mid-1960s to early 1970s in what would later be established as the Dundee Hills AVA in 2004.

Cristom has a partnership with pioneering Arcus and Durant Vineyards, both established in 1973. The fruit we source comprises our Dundee Hills AVA Pinot Noir blend, as well as our Durant Vineyard Pinot Noir.

The wines from this AVA are pure and elegant, offering distinctly bright, penetrating red fruit and florals in cooler vintages to notes of plum, earth and chocolate in warmer vintages.

COAST RANGE FOOTHILLS: McMINNVILLE AVA

Vines in the McMinnville AVA are planted in some of Oregon’s oldest and most geologically complex soils. Thin topsoil on top of unique marine bedrock, called the Nestucca Formation, forces vine roots deep into the earth, causing them to struggle and resulting in dark, complex flavor profiles.

Similar to the Eola-Amity Hills, the region is influenced by the cool ocean winds blowing through the Van Duzer Corridor to the south. The effect is the same – the cool and dry microclimate leads longer hangtimes, producing distinctly pronounced wines with bright acidity, great structure, and increased tannins.

Cristom has a partnership with pioneering Hyland Vineyard (est. 1971, one of the oldest vineyards in Willamette Valley) and Meredith Mitchell Vineyard (est. 1988 with own-rooted vines). The fruit we source comprises our McMinnville AVA Pinot Noir blend, as well as our Meredith Mitchell Vineyard Pinot Noir.

The wines from the McMinnville AVA are intense, with powerful tannins, high acidity, and fruit-forward profiles displaying flavors of dark fruit, spice, earthy, and mineral notes.

Meredith Mitchell Vineyard McMinnville AVA

AN “ISLAND-LIKE” RIDGE: RIBBON RIDGE AVA

The Ribbon Ridge AVA is a separate uplift nestled within the Chehalem Mountains that extends 6.1 square miles and rises to 680 feet, giving it an island-like appearance. The ridge comprises 40 to 50- million-year-old marine sedimentary Willakenzie soil. The well-drained, consistently fine, and moderately deep soils derived from sandstone and siltstone typically produce perfumed wines with floral and spicy characters and defining bright acidity.

Similar to the Dundee Hills, the region is shielded from the cool ocean winds from the surrounding higher-elevation AVAs. Less rainfall and warmer temperatures produce perfumed Pinot Noirs with red florals—from rose hip to potpourri—and citrus notes—from ruby red grapefruit to candied citrus peel—depending on the warmth of the vintage.

Cristom has a partnership with the pioneering Ridgecrest Vineyard, established in 1982, and Tristaetum Vineyard. The fruit we source comprises our Ribbon Ridge AVA Pinot Noir blend, as well as our Trisaetum Vineyard Pinot Noir.

The wines from the Ribbon Ridge AVA are typical expressions with bright acidity, floral and spicy aromatics, and complex dark fruit flavors.

AN EXPRESSION OF TIME & PLACE

Cristom Vineyards was established in 1992 by the Gerrie family to grow and craft distinguished wines of place that honor individual sites and traditional techniques – which extends beyond our own estate vineyards. Since our founding, we’ve also sourced fruit from world-class vineyard sites across sub-AVAs within the Willamette Valley.

This fruit is vinified using the same neo-classical methods—whole-cluster fermentation (Pinot Noir) or whole-cluster pressed (Chardonnay) and native yeast fermentations—indicative of our hallmark style. Barrels are selected to add complexity, texture, and layers to our Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Pinot Noir and Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnays and our AVA Series Pinot Noir. Some barrels are designated to craft dynamic single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay expressions that translate a specific site and vintage. All of these wines offer the opportunity to explore structured, cool-climate, volcanic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Willamette Valley of Oregon.

Cristom flagship Mt Jeff Pinot Noir + EAH Chardonnay

AN EXPLORATION IN TERROIR

Cristom’s flagship 2022 Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Pinot Noir and flagship 2022 Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnay as well as our single vineyard Chardonnay, Winery Exclusive Pinot Noir, 2022 Gamay Noir, and Gathering Kits featuring our AVA Series and Single Vineyard Partner Grower Pinot Noir highlight the distinctive profiles of three of Oregon’s premier AVAs mentioned above. Many of these are winery-exclusive wines, available for purchase in our online shop or in our tasting room.

Cristom Vineyards AVA Series Pinot Noir 2021

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October 27, 2023

ROOTED REFLECTIONS: HARVEST 2023

HARVEST 2023 – EXHILARATING & PROMISING

Forklift Dances & Pinot Punchdowns

Photo courtesy of Cristom Vineyard Foreman, Luis Armando Orozco

Harvest 2023 harvest began with a flurry on September 7^th, with the first tons of Chardonnay being hand-harvested from Eola-Amity Hills partner, Stiling Vineyard. The following day, we harvested Chardonnay from the 6 acres planted on the volcanic soils of our Paul Gerrie estate vineyard. Two days later, we began harvesting Pinot Noir from the steep, volcanic soils of our Jessie Vineyard and some of our oldest vines in Louise Vineyard on September 10^th.

Cristom Vineyards Harvesting team toasting

Cristom Harvest 2023 Jessie Vineyard Pinot Noir_Photo by Owner-Winegrower Tom Gerrie

Cristom Harvest 2023 Louise Vineyard Pinot Noir_Credit Tom Gerrie

For the month of September, our incredible winegrowing team brought in 10+ tons of fruit almost daily, and our all-star production team worked in a beautifully synchronized manner to flip fermenters, barrel down to the cellar, and make room for new arrivals.

Cristom Harvest 2023 Production Forklift Dance

The compressed harvest timeline was made possible by our incredibly talented, hardworking, and well-rounded winegrowing and winemaking teams, who picked record numbers of grapes in a day and who punched away (pun intended) on Pinot Noir punch-downs and pump-overs and completed Chardonnay rack and returns.

As of September 26^th, we’d finished the rack and returns on our estate Chardonnay, and completed the Royer Vineyard Chardonnay in the following days.

Pinot Noir fermentations were steady and aided by a key improvement in the temperature control of our fermenters, which aids the quality of the wine. The first fermenters of this vintage were pressed and went to barrels by the end of September, and we are really pleased with the Pinot Noirs going down into the cellar. As of October 27th, we completed Pinot Noir fermentations and pressings.

The small lot of Gamay Noir carbonic maceration fermentation also progressed nicely.

Cristom Harvest 2023 Production Shovel Fermenter_Credit John Valls

Cristom Harvest 2023 Production Winemaker Daniel Estrin Barrels Down Pinot Noir_Credit John Valls

Cristom Harvest 2023 Production Barrel Down

Cristom Harvest 2023 Production Assitant Winemaker Chris Butler Pours Over Carbonic Gamay Noir_Credit John Valls

As of Friday, September 29th, 85% of our grapes were in the winery. We paused picking during the rains and found it to be a real benefit to the remainder of the fruit hanging as it refreshed the vines, elongated the fruit development, and seemingly broadened the flavor profile, which was already showing incredible promise.

After the welcomed break, the last blocks of Pinot Noir were harvested on October 7th. With a final pick of Syrah on Sunday, October 8th, we concluded a fast-paced yet fantastic harvest.

Cristom Eileen Vineyard Pinot Noir harvested on 10.7.23

2023 GROWING SEASON

The 2023 growing season was warm and dry, albeit for the rain at the end of September and early October, and in many ways is comparable to the 2022 growing season. In several of our estate vineyards, we saw a one- to two-day difference in the length of the growing season compared to 2022 and generous yields at or slightly above the previous vintage.

The incredible quality and yields of the Chardonnay 2023 vintage mark a real turning point in Cristom’s ability to showcase the capability of our vines and terroir to produce world-class Chardonnay.

Cristom Eileen Vineyard Growing Season 2023_Credit B. Kochvar

2023 VINTAGE INITIAL THOUGHTS

Structurally, the 2023 vintage fruit appears to be in between the 2021 and 2022 vintages with bright acidity, leaner tannin, modest alcohol, and gorgeous aroma and flavor characteristics. We are extremely excited about the quality of this vintage — our third great vintage in a row — and look forward to how the wine takes shape and when we can share it with you!

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HARVEST 2024 – Ideal & Gradual

Winemaker & Vineyard Manager Daniel Estrin and Associate Winemaker Chris Butler provide a detailed 2024 harvest recap in this eight-part-question-and-answer VLOG.

Questions:

2024 GROWING SEASON – SUMMER UPDATES

Sustainable winegrowing through holistic farming practices

BLOOM + FRUIT SET

SUSTAINABLE WINEGROWING

HARVEST SEASON KICKS OFF

P.S. WINEMAKING ANNOUNCEMENT

A FOURTH DIMENSION OF TANNIN

SKIN, SEED, OAK, AND STEM.

WHOLE CLUSTER FERMENTATION 101

WHOLE CLUSTER USAGE IN WINEMAKING

WHOLE-CLUSTER HALLMARKS

WHAT DOES WHOLE CLUSTER FERMENTATION BRING?

What do the different bottlings represent?

2024 GROWING SEASON – WINTER & SPRING UPDATES

WILLAMETTE VALLEY AVAs: BORN FROM FIRE & WATER

200+ MILLION YEARS IN THE MAKING—VOLCANIC BASALT AND MARINE SEDIMENTARY SOILS DIFFERENTIATE THE VALLEY AND MAKE IT UNIQUELY PERFECT FOR GRAPE GROWING.

SUBDUCTION > IRRUPTION

THE VALLEY AT LARGE

45° NORTH: EOLA-AMITY HILLS AVA

THE ‘RED HILLS OF DUNDEE’: DUNDEE HILLS AVA

COAST RANGE FOOTHILLS: McMINNVILLE AVA

AN “ISLAND-LIKE” RIDGE: RIBBON RIDGE AVA

AN EXPRESSION OF TIME & PLACE

AN EXPLORATION IN TERROIR

HARVEST 2023 – EXHILARATING & PROMISING

Forklift Dances & Pinot Punchdowns

More Recipes

STAY IN TOUCH

RESOURCES

CONTACT

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