| Northwest Wine Fan visits Cristom Vineyards |
| Talk To The Cellarmasters: Tim & Carolyn Sinniger northwestwinefan@msn.com |
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| With fruit sourced from 8 different estate vineyards, Cristom has become a must visit in the Willamette Valley! As you're leaving Salem heading up Wallace Road turn left on to Zena Road. About 2 miles out you will turn right on to Spring Valley Road. Another mile and you arrive at Cristom Vineyards. The driveway up to the tasting room is beautifully lined with trees that were in full bloom the day we visited. Cristom Vineyards was founded in 1991 by Paul & Eileen Gerrie and their first release was the 1994 vintage from Marjorie Vineyard. They produce over 12,000 cases a year of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Viognier and Syrah all under the supervision of their talented winemaker Steve Doerner. Estate vineyards planted to Pinot Noir are Marjorie, Louise, Jessie and Eileen. Emilia is planted to Pinot Gris while Germaine is planted to Chardonnay. The above vineyards are named in honor of family matriarchs. The other vineyards are aptly named Viognier and Syrah and are planted exclusively to those varietals. Viognier vineyard was one of the first dedicated to this varietal in the Willamette Valley. All vineyards are dry farmed, high density planted, with a focus on low yields. Beside single vineyard wines Cristom also produces Sommers Reserve and Mt. Jefferson Cuvee Pinot Noirs. The Visit Rebecca was our host and took great care of us, all while juggling three different groups at one time. While tasting we noticed some open cases of older vintages and when we inquired she told us that they had just made some of their library wines available to the public. Score! We brought home a nice "Jessie Vineyard" vertical with us from the 2000, 2001 and 2002 vintages (see picture above). We sampled through their wines starting with the 2008 Pinot Gris and The 2009 Viognier. The Viognier was especially nice. Pinots tasted included the Sommers Reserve, Eileen, Jessie and Louise, all from the 2007 vintage. They were all showing a depth and complexity that place these 2007 Pinots near the top of the list that we have tasted. The only 2008 Pinot Noir released so far has been the Mt. Jefferson Cuvee which is sold out. They will release the 2008 Eileen and Jessie Pinot Noirs around Memorial Day with the Louise and Marjorie to be released later in the summer to early fall. We have limited quantities available of some of the wines that mentioned here, including some of the 2007 Pinots! These and other fine wines are available from Northwest Wine Fan. Contact us at 541-948-4350 or by email at northwestwinefan@msn.com |
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| Cristom Vineyards Founders & Owners Paul & Eileen Gerrie Winemaker Steve Doerner Tasting Room 6905 Spring Valley Road NW Salem, OR 97304 503-375-3068 Hours January & February Open By Appointment ----------------------- March to December Tuesday thru Sunday 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM Website www.cristomwines.com |
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