TN: 2008 Cristom Pinot Noir Jessie Vineyard

[Matt Mauldin]

• 2008 Cristom Pinot Noir Jessie Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills (11/30/2018)
  Decanted for an hour. Medium-ruby color with clarity. Nicely secondary and complex aromatics of autumn foliage & soil, mushroom puree, allspice berries, cardamom, smoked paprika, highlighted with sweet fig fruit. Sumptuous and rich on the attack, with beautifully textured red fruit offset with savory secondary layers consistent with the nose. Medium-bodied, with a dense and broad middle, showing terrific flavor development with a masculine-elegant style. Acid and tannins are very well-integrated and finely polished. All this and more through the finish. Early secondary stage, still relatively youthful but very expressive and well-integrated.

Posted from CellarTracker

[Marcus Goodfellow]

Great note, and good to see the 08s are starting to wake up!

[Scott Brunson]

Excellent
We drank the 09 recently. It was delicious, but could use a little more time.

[Dale McClaran]

Thanks a bunch for the TN Matt, I was wondering about this exact wine a few weeks ago and when to open my last bottle, sounds like no harm to open now nor a hurry to let it sleep further. I had the 02 Jessie last year and it was sublime. I simply adore the single vineyard pinots from Cristom, so unique and full of intrigue. I find them to drink well young too.

[Matt Mauldin]

Thanks for the comments.

Marcus, to your point, this was definitely more lively and experssive than the 375ml I had a few years ago. I picked up the half-bottle later when visiting the winery to check in on the evolution... Glad I did. Dale, yes that was my take - in a great place now and no regrets on timing, but definitely no hurry either.

BTW, K&L has a good 'Insider Advantage' price on the 2014 Cristom Estate {inot Noir that's worth checking out.

[dsimmons]

Thanks for the note Matt. Love Cristom Pinots and have an '05 Jessie in the drinking queue.

[Brandon J.]

I just relocated a half case of '08 ladies, I figured they'd need at least another 3 years before I should even consider opening them. I went with a '04 Eileen and it was gorgeous but could CLEARLY go longer since it hardly had any secondary notes as of yet! Cristom's ability to age is incredible!

[Peter Simpson]

Please forgive me for veering off track, but do you Oregon experts have any thoughts on when the 2008 St Innocent White Rose might be ready to drink?

[Brandon J.]

Please forgive me for veering off track, but do you Oregon experts have any thoughts on when the 2008 St Innocent White Rose might be ready to drink?

I had that a year ago and it was a very nice wine. Still had plenty of tannin and primary fruit to go another 3-5 years depending on how you like your pinots. If I had multiples, I'd start drinking them over the next 5 years. If I had one, I'd wait 2 more years at least.

[Doug Lee]

Great note, Matt. This is a very good house.

Cheers,
Doug

[Peter Simpson]

Please forgive me for veering off track, but do you Oregon experts have any thoughts on when the 2008 St Innocent White Rose might be ready to drink?

I had that a year ago and it was a very nice wine. Still had plenty of tannin and primary fruit to go another 3-5 years depending on how you like your pinots. If I had multiples, I'd start drinking them over the next 5 years. If I had one, I'd wait 2 more years at least.

Thanks Brandon, I still have most of a case so might pull one to try in the new year.

[Jason T]

This isn’t a criticism of Matt’s note (which is great)...what he indicates as “early secondary evolution” - is it secondary or tertiary?

[Marcus Goodfellow]

Please forgive me for veering off track, but do you Oregon experts have any thoughts on when the 2008 St Innocent White Rose might be ready to drink?

I had that a year ago and it was a very nice wine. Still had plenty of tannin and primary fruit to go another 3-5 years depending on how you like your pinots. If I had multiples, I'd start drinking them over the next 5 years. If I had one, I'd wait 2 more years at least.

Thanks Brandon, I still have most of a case so might pull one to try in the new year.

Given the quality of vintage, producer, and vineyard, with most of a case left, i would look to make this last through the next decade. White Rose is one of Oregon’s best sites, and 20 years from vintage should be well within reach.

[James Lyon]

Please forgive me for veering off track, but do you Oregon experts have any thoughts on when the 2008 St Innocent White Rose might be ready to drink?

St. Innocent has a current ageability chart on their website. They indicate a drinking window through 2019, but some of the other 2008 single vineyards are through 2021/22. Reviewing the chart, it doesn't seem that Mark V. is as bullish about 2008 as some earlier vintages.

There's been some discussion on this board regarding the 2008 vintage. I have a few mixed cases of 2008's (no St. Innocent, mostly PGC), but I haven't had one in a year or so. I'm a believer in 2008 and I hope that they turn the corner in a few years. Time will tell.

Marcus G. provides some great advice above.

James

[lleichtman]

For me, this wine has been sleepy. In fact, all of the 08's have been sleepy and not yet drinking correctly. If the drinking window is correct, wonder if they will ever be drinkable.

[Matt Mauldin]

This isn’t a criticism of Matt’s note (which is great)...what he indicates as “early secondary evolution” - is it secondary or tertiary?

Thanks Jason. Early secondary, definitely not tertiary.

[Peter Simpson]

Thanks for all the advice. I must admit I had been getting impatient with the amount of space the Oregon '08s were taking up in my cellar. I've consumed about a dozen bottles of different '08s over the last three or four years and none of them came close to being outstanding. I'm beginning to think all the critics got this vintage completely wrong.

I know the St Innocent White Rose has the pedigree to be great, that's why it's the last of my '08s, and why I still have most of a case! I promise to be more patient, and open one a year for the next decade. If the miracle occurs, I'll definitely report back.

[Kirk.Grant]

Thanks for all the advice. I must admit I had been getting impatient with the amount of space the Oregon '08s were taking up in my cellar. I've consumed about a dozen bottles of different '08s over the last three or four years and none of them came close to being outstanding. I'm beginning to think all the critics got this vintage completely wrong.

I know the St Innocent White Rose has the pedigree to be great, that's why it's the last of my '08s, and why I still have most of a case! I promise to be more patient, and open one a year for the next decade. If the miracle occurs, I'll definitely report back.

Some '05s are just starting to open. The 2008's may need more time, but that's because they're from a very structured vintage...If you can be patient and drink the vintages that are more enjoyable now, hopefully it will pay off in the long run.

[G. Bienstock]

I agree with Kirk, drink the 05's now and wait on the 08's although I have been getting mostly bottled that were opening for business while still showing structure. Most recently 08 Westrey Justice.