TN: 2014 Cristom Pinot Noir Eileen Vineyard

WINE TALK
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  • 2014 Cristom Pinot Noir Eileen Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills (5/7/2017)
    While only decanted an hour, I enjoyed this while watching The Fellowship Of The Ring DVD (extended edition of course!) so had plenty of time to get to know this gal. Having had bought / tasted quite a few of the 14’s from the top houses, I expected a forward, charming, easy to drink of under lying complexities, mid term ager yadda yadda. What I found was a pinot that did have some of the Cristom typicy on the nose, brown sugar spices paired with floras, a tint of the exotic. But the palate was the star: The fruit was no where near as immediate as its 14 brethren, but when sensed, a delightful energy ball of red currant that had both a sweet and slightly tart thing working for it. A little new wood is detected but not one trace of vanilla- more texture related, a subtle gloss if you will. Around this was a sphere that tasted like the of juices stemming from the alchemy of a slow cooked delicious roast dripping off into my Riedel stem. Utterly seamless. This might be candadite for extending cellering, Cristom has the track record. In my top ten of young OR Pinots ever tasted. Apologies for being long winded. This one excited me. (94 pts.)

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Thanks for the sacrifice!
Mine are buried.

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Had a bottle of the 2005 Signature Reserve last night. Quite good. Savory and primary. Really nice.

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I have about 4 each of '04 and '05 signature. I was thinking they’re still not even in their drinking window yet since I tried an '04 Eileen last year and it still needed more time.

Is the '05 ready to go or is it worth waiting?

OP that’s great to hear you enjoyed this. I have a really hard time opening any of my club pickups from Cristom because I know how good they are ten years down the line.

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Had the 2014 Eileen and Marjorie side by side recently. The Marjorie came out to play early and gave tons of immediate pleasure while the Eileen was the more serious wine with more stuffing. Agree that the Eileen should benefit from aging.

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I have six each of 2002 Jessie’s and Eileen in my cellar somewhere. Should be reaching their prime window by now.

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Dale, thanks for the note. I have tried a couple of the 2012/2013 Cristom SVDs recently and really like the style. Good to know the 14s are also well made. [cheers.gif]

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You are in for a real treat with the 02 Jessie Mitch, I’m jealous that you have a half a dozen corks to pull. Post a note when you crack one, love to hear how its progressing - I had my last bottle a year ago and it was superb.

Does anyone else find it a bit surprising how well Cristoms pinots seem to age? To me, they are medium and sometimes low acidity, usually show well young, often with a ton of fruit which on paper, wouldn’t conclude they hold the fort so well. But clearly they do!

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94 points for the Eileen? Oh come on.

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I was going to type a rebuke Chris and then…

Clever, well played. champagne.gif

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Does anyone else find it a bit surprising how well Cristoms pinots seem to age? To me, they are medium and sometimes low acidity, usually show well young, often with a ton of fruit which on paper, wouldn’t conclude they hold the fort so well. But clearly they do!

When I first got into Oregon pinot about a dozen years ago, the names that came up most often with reverence when talking to winemakers included Cristom, which someone instructed me to pronounce “Chris-Tom” corresponding to how the name was derived. On top of that, a friend with an unusually sharp ability to peg wines always touted Cristom’s Jessie’s and Eileen so my answer is “no, not surprised”. Not a terribly exciting winery to visit-based on my one and only visit there-but that means nothing. My guess is that there is something about the vineyards that make the resulting wines stand apart from most. They don’t get talked about as much as they should-like Eyrie and Brick House-all three of which are old stalwarts and masters of the trade.

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Not surprising at all, I’ve had a bunch of the early 80’s Calera that Steve made and they have aged amazingly well, Oregon Pinot ages just as well.