Cristom Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Pinot Noir 2018, 750ml, Willamette Valley, Oregon

Mt. Jefferson Cuvée is a blend of the Cristom estate Pinot Noir vineyards along with exceptional fruit that is sourced 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. After multiple tastings of every lot of the vintage, it is the ‘Mt. Jeff’ blend that the winemaker crafts first. Whole-cluster fermentations by native yeast and extended aging in French oak are the hallmarks of the Cristom winemaking style. This wine aged in barrel for 11 months, and can stylistically be the most fresh and approachable of the Cristom Pinot Noirs in its youth. Vintage Note: The 2018 growing season was onoe of the driest years in the agricultural history of the Willamette Valley, and the driest year in Cristom’s 27 years of farming this land. The overwhelming majority of the Cristom Estate is dry-farmed, thus creating challenges with low water availability. Fortunately, the older vines fared well, their deep roots driving down into the volcanic hillsides, seeking out the water held there. This allowed more “hang-time” for the fruit, creating brighter, blue-fruited wines. Showing surprising complexity and firm structure in their youth, these wines will age well for years to come.