Cristom Vineyards Oregon Wine Tasting with Special Guest Winemaker Daniel Esterin Friday, April 24, 2026 7:30 PM and all the Cristom wines in the store on SALE!!
"It's a hard grape to grow. As you know. Right? It's, uh, it's thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. It's, you know, it's not a survivor like cabernet, which can just grow anywhere and thrive even when it's neglected. No, pinot needs constant care and attention. You know? And, in fact, it can only grow in these really specific, little tucked-away corners of the world. And only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it, really. Only somebody who really takes the time to understand pinot's potential can then coax it into its fullest expression."
Miles - Sideways
I remember my trip to Oregon in the summer of 1994 for the IPNC (International Pinot Noir Celebration) this is one of the best wine parties that I have ever attended. The festival is limited to 500 attendees as it is hosted by McMinnville College and that is all they can accommodate in their lecture facilities. I remember not only were the quality of the wines at the highest level but the people in attendance were some of the most passionate Pinot Noir lovers that I had ever come across. And although winemaking began in the 19th century in this state it is only recently that its potential has been recognized by the rest of the world.
It was in 1979 when serious wine producers started to look at the potential of this area as Eyrie Vineyards' 1975 South Block Pinot Noir placed in the top 10 of Burgundy-style wines at the Gault-Millau French Wine Olympiades, and was rated the top Pinot Noir. This send the news around the wine world and shortly after Robert Drouhin, head of Burgundy's legendary Maison Joseph Drouhin, was visiting America's west coast promoting the Drouhin Burgundies. The California wine industry was just starting to receive its first recognition back then, but there was little if anything going on in Oregon. Robert's first visit to the Northwest and its earliest vineyards left him with the impression that it quite possibly would be Oregon, not California, that would ultimately prove to be the best place to grow the great grape of Burgundy - Pinot noir.
Inspired by his trip to Oregon and the results of 1979 tasting that was held in Paris, where, for the first time, the best new Oregon Pinot noirs were tasted in competition with the finest Burgundies. Robert decided to hold his own blind tasting in 1980 at the Drouhin cellars in France, with several of the best Oregon Pinot noirs going up against the finest Drouhin Grand Crus. It was a Drouhin Grand Cru that took first place this time, but an Oregon wine (the now legendary 1975 Eyrie Vineyards South Block) placed 2nd by a very narrow margin with the French experts. News of this tasting brought the first widespread international attention to Oregon Pinot noir.
After a few years’ time Robert's daughter Véronique just graduated with an advanced degree in enology from the University of Dijon, and wanted to expand her experience by working in Oregon. Véronique interned with Adelsheim Vineyards, Bethel Heights, and Eyrie for the 1986 vintage. Later on, Robert mentioned to David Adelsheim that it might be interesting to buy a piece of land in Oregon, to see what it might produce. What started as a passing thought began its transformation into reality when Adelsheim phoned the Drouhins in Beaune not long thereafter to tell them of a property that was for sale that they might be interested in. The rest is history and with one of Burgundies foremost wine producing families moving to Oregon the writing was on the wall that this wine producing region would soon get its much deserved recognition as one of the world's premier Pinot Noir growing regions.
Today, the state of Oregon in the United States has established an international reputation for its production of wine. Oregon has several different growing regions within the state's borders which are well-suited to the cultivation of grapes; additional regions straddle the border between Oregon and the states of Washington and Idaho. Wine making dates back to pioneer times in the 1840s, with commercial production beginning in the 1960s.
Currently there are over 1,100 wineries in Oregon and a bustling tourism industry has developed around wine tasting. Much of the tourism focuses on the wineries and tasting rooms in and around the Yamhill Valley southwest of Portland.
Join us as we welcome the winemaker for Cristom Vineyards, one of our favorite Oregon wineries, to town on Friday April 24th. The fee for this tasting which includes dinner and gratuity is $195 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com
Cristom Vineyards Oregon Wine Tasting
with Special Guest Winemaker Daniel Esterin
Friday, April 24, 2026
7:30 PM
2024 Cristom Louise Vineyard Viognier Willamette Valley
2023 Cristom Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnay Willamette Valley
2023 Cristom Seven Springs Chardonnay Willamette Valley
2024 Cristom Mt. Jefferson Cuvee Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
2014 Cristom Mt. Jefferson Cuvee Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
2023 Cristom Louise Vineyard Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
2018 Cristom Eileen Vineyard Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
2022 Cristom Louise Vineyard Syrah Willamette Valley
Menu
Selection of Cheese and Charcuterie
Sea Scallop Carpaccio with candied Citrus and Lavender Aioli
Chicken Kiev with Bearnaise Sauce
Bing Cherry BBQ Pork Belly served over Florida grits
Beef Short rib with Pinot Noir Demi
Brie and Cherry tart
The fee for this tasting which includes dinner and gratuity is $195 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com. Please let us know when you make your reservation if you have dietary restrictions and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you.
A bit about Cristom Vineyards:
Cristom Vineyards began a quarter of a century ago as a collaboration between an engineer and a biochemist who each possessed a deep-rooted respect for the land, the natural winemaking process, and Pinot Noir. 25 years later, second-generation winegrower and owner Tom Gerrie leads winemaker Steve Doerner and our tenured viticulture team in tending our Estate vineyards, and producing elegant, dynamic wines, recognizable by our hallmark style of whole-cluster fermentation by native yeasts.
Our winemaking philosophy begins with respect for our land and estate vines. We're proud to be Certified Sustainable by Low Input Viticulture & Enology (LIVE), both in our winery which we run responsibly, and in our fields, that are thoughtfully and meticulously farmed with a focus on quality.
The four estate Pinot Noir vineyards - Eileen, Jessie, Louise and Marjorie, named for Gerrie family matriarchs - each possess natural variances in soil, elevation and exposition. With minimal intervention during the winemaking process, Tom, Steve and team strive to craft wines that are an honest recording of both the vineyard and the vintage, producing the ultimate expressions of the stellar fruit we’re fortunate enough to work with. Recognized globally as a leading producer in our beloved Willamette Valley, our wines continue to be a unique blend of tradition, modernity and finesse.
A bit about the Founding Fathers Paul Gerrie:
After graduating from University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Engineering, I became interested in wine. I started with French bottles (with the occasional California jug tossed in) and can still remember my first exceptional Pinot noir. It was a 1980 Echezeaux and it was astonishing. From that point on I was hooked on Pinot!
Around 1990, I started looking for a career change that would be interesting and challenging. Despite the fact that I lived on the East Coast, the first thing that came to mind was the wine business. Around that time, some friends invited my wife and me to attend the International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) in McMinnville, Oregon. During our 1991 visit, we fell in love with Oregon and began to think it would be a good place to raise our young family. Soon after, I was introduced to Mike Etzel who helped me to find land that would produce great Pinot noir grapes. Mike found the site that is now Cristom.
In the summer of 1992, my wife Eileen and our children, Christine and Tom and I moved from Pennsylvania to Oregon. There has been no looking back. Through serendipity and good fortune, we were able to hire Steve Doerner as our winemaker, and Mark Feltz as our vineyard manager. Our first vintage was in 1992 and we were up and running. Twenty years later, we are still trying to make the best Pinot Noir on the planet!
A bit about our Host Winemaker Daniel Esterin
Despite growing up in the Willamette Valley, Daniel had no early exposure to wine until 2000, when his car broke down in LA, and he took a job stocking shelves at The Wine House. With a little help from his Uncle Mark (founder of Red Car Wines), Daniel developed a passion for the craft. After a couple of harvests at Red Car, he found his way to Craggy Range in New Zealand, where he became intoxicated with the idea of making wine as a life-long pursuit.
In 2012, he graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, with a B.S. in Viticulture and minors in Soil Science and Plant Protection. Soon after, Daniel accepted a highly coveted internship at Littorai Wines. It was at Littorai that Daniel truly found his place in the wine world. For seven years, Daniel worked under Proprietor/Winemaker Ted Lemon. Rising through the ranks, Daniel became an Associate Winemaker and helped push forward Littorai’s biodynamic program by bringing animals to the property and creating fertility on the farm. In addition to Littorai, he has been grateful to have worked at Mount Langi Ghiran, Domaine de la Cote, Bodega Chacra, and Burn Cottage.
In July 2019, Daniel returned to his Oregon roots with his wife and two pups to work for Cristom. His expertise in biodynamic and organic practices has helped to make Cristom a more self-sustaining farm and has been integral to crafting wines that are an honest recording of the vineyard and vintage.
All the wines from Cristom Vineyards in the store on SALE!
2024 Cristom Viognier Louise Vineyard Willamette Valley
Price: $33.00 Your Price: $29.70 Quantity in Stock: 2
The Cristom Estate Viognier exhibits the pure, nearly textbook characteristics of this varietal, with floral aromas of orange blossoms, honeysuckle, clover and anise, as well as ripe fruit aromas of peach, apricot, and lychee. Slightly viscous on the palate, with bright and mouth-watering acidity that support the fruit structure of the wine, it is well integrated and perfectly balanced.
2023 Cristom Viognier Louise Vineyard Willamette Valley
Price: $34.25 Your Price: $30.80 Quantity in Stock: 9
Cristom Vineyards has played a unique role in the pioneering of Viognier in the Willamette Valley. We were among the first to grow the varietal with our original estate plantings in 1993, and the first winery to produce an estate bottling of Viognier with our 1996 vintage release. Additionally, Cristom winemaker Steve Doerner previously produced the varietal during his 14 year tenure with California’s legendary Calera Wine Company; making him America’s longest running winemaker of Viognier, having produced the varietal for nearly all 40 vintages of his winemaking career. The Cristom Estate Viognier exhibits the pure, nearly textbook characteristics of this varietal, with floral aromas of orange blossoms, honeysuckle, clover and anise, as well as ripe fruit aromas of peach, apricot, and lychee. Slightly viscous on the palate, with bright and mouth-watering acidity that support the fruit structure of the wine, it is well integrated and perfectly balanced.
2024 Cristom Estate Chardonnay Willamette Valley
Price: $30.00 Your Price: $27.00
(90 Points) "The 2024 Chardonnay Willamette Valley, a new wine from Cristom, is made primarily from estate fruit, plus 20% purchased fruit, and comes from 10 different vineyards. Matured for nine months in 5% new French oak, it has pure aromas of lemon peel, beeswax, bread dough, roasted almonds and floral perfume. The medium-bodied palate is mouth-coating with honeyed white fruit flavors. It™s balanced by bright acidity and has a long, flavorful finish. 4,895 cases were made." Wine Advocate, Date2025-11-06
2023 CRISTOM CHARDONNAY EOLA AMITY HILLS
Price: $46.50 Your Price: $41.85
Cristom’s flagship Chardonnay is a blend of benchmark vineyard sites in the Eola-Amity Hills, including the Cristom Estate. The combination of volcanic soils, elevations, aspects, clones, and the cool marine influence yield a concentrated and layered Chardonnay with tension and generosity.
Winemaking: Hand-harvested and whole-cluster pressed; the juice settles overnight and is moved to barrels. It undergoes native yeast fermentation and full malolactic fermentation. It's aged for eleven months on its lees in 21% new French oak barrels, followed by five months in stainless steel tanks. 13.0% ABV
Tasting Notes: Bright and expressive, this Chardonnay captures the essence of its origins with aromas of Meyer lemon, brioche toast, ocean spray, and sweet citrus. A touch of saline enhances vibrant flavors of lemon zest, Lemonhead candy, and green accents of fern leaf and nettle, all unfolding on a textured mid-palate. A phenolic, salivating finish lingers with hints of graham cracker crust for added depth.
2021 CRISTOM CHARDONNAY EOLA AMITY HILLS
Price: $45.00 Your Price: $40.50 Quantity in Stock: 8
(91 Points) “Ripe cantaloupe, sweet hay, coconut and butter aromas make for a nice introduction to this wine. Tangy acidity frames pear, lemon tart, mint and toasted filbert flavors. The wine feels crisp and fresh in the mouth. Some Dungeness crab cakes would make a nice dinner companion.” Wine Enthusiast.
2024 CRISTOM PINOT NOIR WILLAMETTE VALLEY
Price: $30.00 Your Price: $27.00
The Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is a blend of barrels from benchmark vineyards across the region, including the Cristom Estate. Crafted with the same meticulous care as our Mt. Jefferson Cuvée and single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, this cuvée is designed to represent the broader Willamette Valley AVA. It offers a compelling expression of the vintage—elegant, balanced, and unmistakably Cristom—at a remarkable value.
2020 Cristom Pinot Noir WIllamette Valley
Price: $38.0 Sale Price: $30.00 Quantity in Stock: 5
The 2020 Cristom Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is a fresh wine of precision and focus defined by crunchy acidity and bright red fruit.
2024 Cristom Pinot Noir Mount Jefferson Willamette Valley
Price: $54.00 Your Price: $48.60 Quantity in Stock: 11
(93 Points) This is the 30th Anniversary bottling of the wine known colloquially as Mt Jeff, with fruit from four of the five Cristom estate vineyards, with only Marjorie not playing a role in this bottling. Pure Willamette character on the nose, with forest floor, tart cranberries, and mint leaves, is balanced by a kiss of sea salt. The palate is a melange of juicy red berries, salty mineral glimpses, and savoury amaro herbals. A classic, after all these years. Decanter
2022 Cristom Pinot Noir Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Willamette Valley
Price: $46.25 Your Price: $41.63 Quantity in Stock: 4
(94 points) "A lively, precise and well-composed pinot with notes of sour cherries, red currants, crushed roses and mild spices on the nose, followed through to a medium body with bright acidity. It’s crisp and spot-on, with succulent wild berries at the center and verve throughout. Drink or hold." James Suckling
2021 Cristom Pinot Noir Mount Jefferson Willamette Valley
Price: $62.50 Your Price: $56.25 Quantity in Stock: 4
Mt. Jefferson Cuvée is a blend of the Cristom estate Pinot Noir vineyards along with exceptional fruit we source from neighboring vineyards in the Willamette Valley. These vineyard sites have been thoughtfully selected over the years, and are planted on a variety of soil types, elevations and aspects, representing the Willamette Valley Appellation as a broader whole. These vineyards are farmed by committed winegrowers we are proud to partner with, with each site adding to the character, fruit, and structure of the wine, giving “Mt. Jeff” its deserved reputation as one of the most stylistically consistent Pinot Noirs in the world.
Wine Watch Review: A pretty bouquet of wild strawberry and red cherry berry fruit with notes of exotic spices, dried flowers and hints of smoky nuance. Smooth and silky texture on the tongue with a good amount of bright red berry fruit, exotic spices and a firm hand of acidity holding things together nicely. This wine is delicious right out of the bottle but has the structure to age at least 5-7 years or more in your cellar. Finish 40+ Excellent
2022 Cristom Jessie Vineyard Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills
Price: $90.00 Your Price: $81.00 Quantity in Stock: 5
The Jessie Vineyard, named for winegrower-owner Tom Gerrie’s great-grandmother Jessie Summers, was established in 1994 after the Gerrie family saw great potential in planting a steep, east-facing hillside to a variety of Pinot Noir clones. Ranging in elevation from 320 ft to 550 ft (98 m to 168 m), this 11.53 acre (4.67 hectare) site is one of the steepest in Oregon, and the most challenging to farm on the Cristom Estate. Jessie is strategically planted at a high density of 2,311 vines per acre (5,710 vines/hectare), based on the philosophy that dense planting creates competition amongst neighboring vines, forcing roots deeper into the topsoil to yield smaller clusters with more concentrated flavors. -cristomvineyards.com
2023 Cristom Louise Vineyard Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills
Price: $90.00 Your Price: $81.00
(96 Points) By contrast, the 2023 Pinot Noir Louise Vineyard is from the lowest elevation site, where the vines are sheltered from the wind and can be ten degrees warmer than the Eileen Vineyard. This wine is brighter by comparison in the glass and lifted with notes of cinnamon, pomegranate, pine needles, dried earth, and potpourri. Medium-bodied, it has a chalky texture, a refined feel, fine-grained tannins, and savory elements that shine through, with mushroomy earth on the finish. Drink 2025-2040. Jeb Dunnuck
2022 Cristom Louise Vineyard Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills
Price: $90.00 Your Price: $81.00 Quantity in Stock: 5
(95 Points) Most diverse soils on the property the Louise is the only site without 100% volcanic soils. The warmest site on the property, protected from the Van Duzer winds from a horseshoe of forest is about radiance of warmth for winemaker Estrin. This site can get big fast, so he picks them a bit earlier than the others and has to pay attention to the extraction, exotic spice aromatics, Chinese five spice and Oolong tea. This is a bit more broad-shouldered and the tannins intimate that this will go the distance. The palate leans into savoury spice, with black tea, wild anise blackberries and mint. Brooding and elegant. Decanter
2023 CRISTOM EILEEN VINEYARD PINOT NOIR EOLA-AMITY HILLS
Price: $90.00 Your Price: $81.00
(96 Points) A deeper ruby/magenta color, the 2023 Pinot Noir Eileen Vineyard was aged in 48% new French oak. It offers layered depth in its notes of black raspberries, cherries, orange peel, baking spice, strawberry preserves, violets, mossy earth, and fresh leather. From the highest elevation site at 800 feet, and as Daniel Estrin describes it “born from the wind,” it has floral lift, with concentrated richness and a relatively full-bodied frame. Mouthwatering and stunning now, it will drink well over the next 20 years. Jeb Dunnuck
2021 Cristom Eileen Vineyard Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills
Price: $90.00 Your Price: $81.00 Quantity in Stock: 1
The Eileen Vineyard is named for Cristom’s co-founder, Eileen Gerrie, mother of second-generation winegrower-owner Tom Gerrie. Original planting of the Eileen Vineyard began in 1997 and was later expanded in 2006, resulting in a total of 16.61 acres. Perched atop the Cristom estate, Eileen is also our highest-elevation vineyard, with commanding views of Oregon’s Cascade Range to the east, and Coastal Range to the west
2023 Cristom Estate Pinot Noir PAUL GERRIE Eola-Amity Hills
Price: $90.00 Your Price: $81.00
Named after Cristom’s founder, Paul Gerrie Vineyard is a consistent, gentle sloping bench of deep volcanic soil just to the north of the original estate in the Eola Hills. For over twenty years, founder Paul Gerrie dreamt of acquiring the land and made the purchase shortly before his retirement in 2012, capping his legacy with Cristom Vineyards.
With an unwavering commitment to grow estate fruit, we have been developing Paul Gerrie Vineyard since 2014 to be the cornerstone of Cristom’s future. The site combines some of the greatest aspects of the Cristom Estate — deep volcanic soils, bracing winds, and high elevation — into a single vineyard. It represents the culmination of knowledge gained from three decades of farming in the Eola-Amity Hills.
The 22 acres of Pinot Noir produce a wine with powerful tannins, lively acidity, and persistent juicy, minerally, and spicy flavors.
2021 Cristom Estate Pinot Noir PAUL GERRIE Eola-Amity Hills
Price: $90.00 Your Price: $81.00 Quantity in Stock: 6
(96 Points) Spicy cologne lifts from the 2021 Pinot Noir Paul Gerrie Vineyard, with both high-toned and darker notes of sage, menthol, bergamot, and cranberry cocktail. Medium to full-bodied, it’s tightly coiled, with tremendous length, gripping ripe tannins, a bright spine of acidity, and mouthwatering salinity that lasts long on the finish. It offers up great mineral texture and will need 3-5 more years in bottle. Jeb Dunnuck
2023 Cristom Jessie Vineyard Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills
Price: $90.00 Your Price: $81.00
(95 Points) A bright red color, the 2023 Pinot Noir Jessie Vineyard is spicy and layered, with notes of cherries, raspberries, cardamom, and fresh leather. From a very steep site with a mix of Dijon and Pommard clones, the wine is medium-bodied, with refined tannins and balanced acidity. It begins to reveal underlying umami tones and a gravelly earthiness as it opens in the glass. Winemaker Daniel Estrin has begun significantly reducing the new oak usage, as is evident in this wine, which saw 26% new oak versus around 60% in past vintages. Drink 2025-2040. Jeb Dunnuck
2023 Cristom Marjorie Vineyard Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills
Price: $90.00 Your Price: $72.00
First established in 1982, the Gerries re-named the existing vineyard after Paul’s mother when they purchased the estate in 1992. Marjorie Vineyard is situated on a gently sloping bench of moderately deep volcanic soil in the heart of the hillside between Louise Vineyard and Eileen Vineyard. Now mostly replanted beginning in 2004, just over five acres of Pinot Noir continue to produce very small, highly concentrated clusters that retain the signature concentration, grace, texture, and elegance that make this a distinguished site.
Vintage Notes: The 2023 vintage began with a customary cool, wet spring in the Willamette Valley. While bud break was delayed, warm temperatures arrived in May, and bloom advanced quickly. Summer was consistently warm and dry, creating ideal, low-stress conditions for vineyard vigor—a brief heat wave in mid-August accelerating ripening. Harvest in the Willamette Valley began early and with a flurry, with Cristom commencing on September 7th. The harvest season was compressed, and by late September, 85% of the grapes were picked before late September rains refreshed the remaining fruit on the vines, elongating the fruit development and broadening the flavor profile.
Winemaking: hand-picked and hand-sorted; 45% whole cluster and 100% native yeast fermentations. Aged 18 months in 31% new French oak barrels. Unfined, unfiltered. 13.5% ABV
Tasting Notes: Electric red fruit aromas of Bing cherries, raspberries, and strawberries carry through to the palate, deepened by sultry bramble and herbaceous dried thyme. Full, elegant tannins guide the wine toward a long, graceful finish.
2021 Cristom Pinot Noir Whole Cluster Series 50%
Price: $52.00 Your Price: $46.80 Quantity in Stock: 10
The Whole Cluster Series represents three fermentations, all from the same block of the Louise Vineyard at the Cristom estate, with one important variable isolated - varying levels of whole clusters (grape bunches on their stems) in a fermenter. (Typically, red wines have their stems removed before fermentation by a de-stemmer machine.)
The 0%, 50%, and 100% whole cluster bottlings allow you to evaluate how this classic winemaking method manifests on the palate.
2021 Cristom Pinot Noir Whole Cluster Series 0%
Price: $52.00 Your Price: $46.80 Quantity in Stock: 4
The Whole Cluster Series represents three fermentations, all from the same block of the Louise Vineyard at the Cristom estate, with one important variable isolated - varying levels of whole clusters (grape bunches on their stems) in a fermenter. (Typically, red wines have their stems removed before fermentation by a de-stemmer machine.)
The 0%, 50%, and 100% whole cluster bottlings allow you to evaluate how this classic winemaking method manifests on the palate.
2022 Cristom 'Estate' Syrah Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon
Price: $68.00 Your Price: $61.20
We craft limited quantities of Syrah from only 400 vines planted on one-third of an acre in Louise Vineyard. Since 2003, we’ve produced a classic cool-climate expression with savory and spicy characters. However, we only make the wine if the conditions are right. The previous 2021 vintage was the first expression in three years.
Winemaking: 73% whole cluster and native yeast fermentations; aged 17 months in neutral French oak barrels and a concrete egg. Unfined and unfiltered. 13.5% ABV
Tasting Notes: Perfumed aromas of violet, black cherry, and dried herbs, interwoven with savory notes of peppered charcuterie and tapenade. The palate is elegantly textured, offering flavors of blueberry tart, crushed gravel, brined olive, and black tea, leading to a lingering, savory finish.
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