CRISTOM MT JEFFERSON PINOT NOIR 1.5L 2022

2022 was off to a cool start with a frost in April, and the folks at Cristom largely dodged it with a little bit of Pommard in the Louise Vineyard suffering a little bit. Spring rolled on into a cool summer with a delay, and then summer moved along slowly. The fruit was still going through veraison in September. With warm temperatures and no rain in September and October, there wasn't much time between veraison and ripening, so there was a concern about tannin. Winemaker Daniel Estrin backed off the extraction because of the number of seeds. He saw as many as 5 seeds per berry, which he had never seen before. The late ripening and quality of the stems meant Daniel really pushed the whole cluster across the red wines at 55%. This is the most estate fruit ever in Mt Jefferson, with 73% of the rest coming from like-minded growers in the Eola-Amity Hills. Estrin likes the fruit they get from Witness Tree and RPG Vineyard. Wonderfully savoury, fresh mint, gravel dust and fresh wild strawberries. Country berries offer an elegant rusticity to the front palate, savoury herbs and white pepper, a new height for Mt Jefferson.

The 2022 Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Pinot Noir includes three-quarters estate fruit and one-quarter purchased fruit sourced from across the Eola-Amity Hills. Fifty-two percent whole clusters were used, and the wine was matured for 10 months in 22% new French oak. It has layered aromas of cranberry sauce, pomegranate, cardamom, forest floor and mushrooms. The medium-bodied palate features concentrated layers of earth-laced fruit structured by clay-textured tannins and vibrant acidity, and it has a long, spicy finish. 11,755 cases were made.