Cristom Vineyards Tour

by Lisa Marcus

Part 1 of a three-winery field trip organized by the WSA for the Spring 2008 WSET Advanced Certification course.

It is morning in the winery. The hills surrounding are six Cristom vineyards, all named after relatives of owner Paul Gerrie. This fall they will bear pinot noir, pinot gris and syrah – the first estate-grown of its kind in the Willamette Valley. For now the vines are pruned and bare, waiting for the warmth of spring.

We are about to tour Cristom Vineyards with Paul’s son Tom as our guide. And it is here in the winery where we learn the family traditions of turning grapes into wine. We learn about what winemaker Steve Doerner considers to be the key in creating some of the best-known pinot noir in the valley: slow fermentation. Everything here at Cristom is hands on. From picking the grapes to punch downs.

Steve is humble. His winemaking approach combines scientific skill with a strong intuition. Cristom uses one-ton individual fermenters because he feels the size is perfect to allow a long and slow fermentation. In anything from outsourcing fruit to every step of the process along the way, Steve takes a very hands-on, but trusting approach. He allows the vineyard managers to make their own decisions in producing the highest quality fruit possible. All the way down to the microbial actions taking place, he emphasizes faith in the process. His background in biochemistry gives him the confidence to allow the yeast and bacteria to do their work and bring depth and character to the wine. He has little use for lab analysis and data tracking, instead relying on taste.

We descend into the cellar for a bit of barrel tasting. It is cold but it smells familiar – a bit romantic and mysterious. We taste the 2007 Eileen out of two barrels from different coopers. Next we drink a sample of the Louise, followed by some Marjory. We compare depth and flavor differences. Tasting straight from the barrels in the cellar you get a real sense of the magic created here at Cristom. A magic based on skill, intuition and family tradition.

Visit Cristom Vineyards online.