Light red. Fragrant nose of strawberry and cherry. Lovely mouthfeel - light on its feet. Clean finish with no tannins remaining but reasonable finish given its age. Great QPR and shows how well the Cristom wines age.
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Complex and ethereal, capturing well the essence of Pinot. Fresh strawberry, cassis bud, cherry coke, vanilla, forest leaves. Not too dissimilar to Burgundy Pinots except for the slightly heavier use of oak. The palate is ample, very aromatic, fairly youthful with some tertiary flavor, oak has blended nicely but could soften a bit further. All the aromas come together nicely, the finish is long. It’s in a very nice place but can definitely age 5-10 more years depending on your tastes.
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Well, yet again a magical moment happened. It was heavily raining all day, my wife and I had a long, tough day, and as we sat we were in the mood for a wine to soothe our souls and give us positive inspiration. Upon seeing this bottle stacked up in my cellar I felt like trying a Cristom for the 1st time. Upon opening and pouring a sublime color of red brick (phasing slight at the rim) and aroma of gorgeous red fruits, flowers(mostly roses), pepper, smokey, very tiny hint of vanilla and the secondary elements of terroir were hitting my olfactive senses, going straight into my soul. In the glass this had a gorgeous hued/red/ruby colors and on the palate it was simply magical. Fragile, yet Intense, poetic yet with long lines of stories to tell. It is one of those uplifting moments that you cherish as this had the power to lift both of us to have exciting and positive conversation for our post Covid projects. Very beautiful, and in transiting period to become a sensual wine soon to be. However don't wait too long as this is just now entering its maturity. Lucky if you have some bottles left in your cellar. Cheers,
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Consistent with previous notes but more accessible. Well-balanced, tart, lighter-style, with cherries, tea, mint, and raspberries. Drink now - 2022. Technical score: 91. Enjoyment score: 93.
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Found this lurking in the cellar. PnP. Light red, clearing at the rim. A bit of stink on the nose. Nice roundness on the palate with red fruits dominating; some restraint on the finish gives this some interest. Not sure this will improve further, but nice wine and very good QPR.
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Opened and decanted about an hour before dinner of grilled king salmon and asparagus, potato salad, and mixed salad. Cloudy, dark ruby with a dominant violet hue. The nose brings candied raspberries, wild herbs, bitter cherries, and rhubarb pie. The palate is medium, tight, and tart, bringing waves of fresh strawberry notes plus hints of lavender, rhubarb, cloves, cola, and raspberry preserves into a finish that brings nice closure. The acidic frame gives this wine a pronounced bite while the tannins are relatively refined. It's probably showing as complex as it will ever get, but this should soften up over the next five years through 2021-2022. Was better with food (salmon). BTW, excellent QPR.
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Smells like red fruit, cinnamon, and Big League Chew. In a good way. Nicely textured and well-balanced in the mouth. Red fruit and some spice. Pleasing and structurally quite nice, but I wish the flavors were more complex.
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Purchased at the winery. I think my score would be higher if I had waited a couple of years. It was almost closed down when I opened it and it was very sharp. And I give them credit. It certainly seems like this was made without manipulation. On day 2 and 3, it was an elegant, medium bodied pinot.
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C: Bright red N: Earthy, forest floor, cranberry, violets. Lovely descrete nose, no signs of oak. P: Smooth, red fruits, cranberry, easy tannins smoothly throughout the wine, balanced. Good grip on the end, still young, not over the top at all. O: Great Pinot Noir without being hugely complex. Great acidic backbone and structure with lovely flavours. Smooth.
After 24 hours open in bottle: Even smoother, resolved tannins. Fantastic. 91-92pts
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Moderate weight win that is acidic upon opening but really softened with a couple hours air. Cherry, meat, and a hint of sandalwood round this out. Seemed to be more of an earlier drinking bottle.
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For the Pinot connoisseur, this must be pure joy. The nose expresses pure red fruit including sour cherry and red currant. The palate is elegant and medium-bodied with a very forward and nice acidity as well as rather good balance. Tannins are integrated but still noticeable. I am quite surprised by this style as I would never have guessed this was a US wine if tasted blind. Still a very nice interpretation of this varietal.
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maroon in color. spice, earth, cherry, smoke, on the nose. blackberry, toast, vanilla, earth, smoke, white pepper, on the palate. medium acid on the finish.
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Light translucent color and lightly red-fruit nose. On the palate, very light-bodied and lacking complexity, but also very tasty and easy to drink. Very nice.
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Ok. Red fruits, bright. Just the slightest hint of something savory. Plenty of acidity and structure. Though tannins fairly polished. Length a bit modest. Never really opened up over a few days.
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Quite light color, skinny legs, opened up tight, but got better. Nose is a bit of mixed earths and construction smells. Raspberry, or maybe blackberry...
My first Oregon Pinot, but has piqued my interest.
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Popped & poured - drank over several nights - light ruby color; good pinot although I still am not a huge fan of the grape - like something with more body
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Translucent garnet in the glass. Spicy, earthy nose. Palate is pretty tightly wound, but there's a core of red fruit, followed by good acidity and tanins. Spiciness continues throughout. Medium to full bodied.
This could definitely use some time to come together, but there are a lot of interesting elements here. Nice wine at a good price.
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5/1/2023 - rosenst1 wrote: 91 Points
Light red. Fragrant nose of strawberry and cherry. Lovely mouthfeel - light on its feet. Clean finish with no tannins remaining but reasonable finish given its age. Great QPR and shows how well the Cristom wines age.
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1/8/2022 - Monsieur Grenache Likes this wine: 94 Points
Complex and ethereal, capturing well the essence of Pinot.
Fresh strawberry, cassis bud, cherry coke, vanilla, forest leaves. Not too dissimilar to Burgundy Pinots except for the slightly heavier use of oak.
The palate is ample, very aromatic, fairly youthful with some tertiary flavor, oak has blended nicely but could soften a bit further. All the aromas come together nicely, the finish is long.
It’s in a very nice place but can definitely age 5-10 more years depending on your tastes.
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9/7/2020 - swyang wrote:
Well, yet again a magical moment happened. It was heavily raining all day, my wife and I had a long, tough day, and as we sat we were in the mood for a wine to soothe our souls and give us positive inspiration. Upon seeing this bottle stacked up in my cellar I felt like trying a Cristom for the 1st time.
Upon opening and pouring a sublime color of red brick (phasing slight at the rim) and aroma of gorgeous red fruits, flowers(mostly roses), pepper, smokey, very tiny hint of vanilla and the secondary elements of terroir were hitting my olfactive senses, going straight into my soul.
In the glass this had a gorgeous hued/red/ruby colors and on the palate it was simply magical. Fragile, yet Intense, poetic yet with long lines of stories to tell. It is one of those uplifting moments that you cherish as this had the power to lift both of us to have exciting and positive conversation for our post Covid projects. Very beautiful, and in transiting period to become a sensual wine soon to be. However don't wait too long as this is just now entering its maturity. Lucky if you have some bottles left in your cellar. Cheers,
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8/14/2019 - Newbie Vino Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great with steak
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11/5/2018 - jlhkiss Likes this wine: 93 Points
Consistent with previous notes but more accessible. Well-balanced, tart, lighter-style, with cherries, tea, mint, and raspberries. Drink now - 2022. Technical score: 91. Enjoyment score: 93.
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9/2/2018 - rfras Likes this wine: 89 Points
Light Pinot Noir that has ample raspberry and red fruit flavors, but lacks a little on the finish.
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8/19/2018 - Rjlamb Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice pleasant aroma
Probably another year or so to drink
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10/24/2017 - rosenst1 wrote: 89 Points
Found this lurking in the cellar. PnP. Light red, clearing at the rim. A bit of stink on the nose. Nice roundness on the palate with red fruits dominating; some restraint on the finish gives this some interest. Not sure this will improve further, but nice wine and very good QPR.
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6/27/2017 - jlhkiss Likes this wine: 91 Points
Consistent with previous note from a year ago. Nicely balanced.
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6/26/2016 - jlhkiss Likes this wine: 91 Points
Opened and decanted about an hour before dinner of grilled king salmon and asparagus, potato salad, and mixed salad. Cloudy, dark ruby with a dominant violet hue. The nose brings candied raspberries, wild herbs, bitter cherries, and rhubarb pie. The palate is medium, tight, and tart, bringing waves of fresh strawberry notes plus hints of lavender, rhubarb, cloves, cola, and raspberry preserves into a finish that brings nice closure. The acidic frame gives this wine a pronounced bite while the tannins are relatively refined. It's probably showing as complex as it will ever get, but this should soften up over the next five years through 2021-2022. Was better with food (salmon). BTW, excellent QPR.
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2/22/2015 - mkmast wrote: 91 Points
Very nice wine. I really enjoyed the balance of this wine. On the tart side with the acid level, the fruit still held it's own. Strong value for $30
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10/17/2014 - jshearer Likes this wine: 89 Points
Smells like red fruit, cinnamon, and Big League Chew. In a good way. Nicely textured and well-balanced in the mouth. Red fruit and some spice. Pleasing and structurally quite nice, but I wish the flavors were more complex.
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4/13/2014 - oropeza Likes this wine: 91 Points
Garnet in the glass. Red fruit / floral nose. Cherries, rich mouthfeel, earthiness / minerality, slight graham cracker finish. Great balance.
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3/9/2014 - ekenneth wrote: 89 Points
Purchased at the winery. I think my score would be higher if I had waited a couple of years. It was almost closed down when I opened it and it was very sharp. And I give them credit. It certainly seems like this was made without manipulation. On day 2 and 3, it was an elegant, medium bodied pinot.
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3/2/2014 - chatters wrote:
Pinot Lunch at Franks place (Frank's place in Matraville): cream, red berries, earth, toast, biscuit. In the mouth red berries, peppery, spicy and earth notes, long and very nice if not, perhaps a touch light in the body.
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10/20/2013 - Engy Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep color, hint of blackberry in the nose....very nice experience
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9/29/2013 - ttuominen wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 2 hours.
C: Bright red
N: Earthy, forest floor, cranberry, violets. Lovely descrete nose, no signs of oak.
P: Smooth, red fruits, cranberry, easy tannins smoothly throughout the wine, balanced. Good grip on the end, still young, not over the top at all.
O: Great Pinot Noir without being hugely complex. Great acidic backbone and structure with lovely flavours. Smooth.
After 24 hours open in bottle: Even smoother, resolved tannins. Fantastic. 91-92pts
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9/25/2013 - davestenton wrote:
The Dirty Dozen Tasting 2013 (Il Botaccio, London): Cherry fruit but there's a more earthy (beetroot) note in there too. Sweet, ripe and silky initially then more savoury to finish. Good. 17/20.
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9/7/2013 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Moderate weight win that is acidic upon opening but really softened with a couple hours air. Cherry, meat, and a hint of sandalwood round this out. Seemed to be more of an earlier drinking bottle.
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9/2/2013 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine: 92 Points
For the Pinot connoisseur, this must be pure joy. The nose expresses pure red fruit including sour cherry and red currant. The palate is elegant and medium-bodied with a very forward and nice acidity as well as rather good balance. Tannins are integrated but still noticeable. I am quite surprised by this style as I would never have guessed this was a US wine if tasted blind. Still a very nice interpretation of this varietal.
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8/3/2013 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Willamette Valley Oregon Trip 4 & 1/2 Days; 7/29/2013-8/4/2013 (Willamette Valley, Oregon): Had this bottle at the Wayfarer in Cannon Beach. Pretty nice selection on the wine list. This was drinking well, no formal notes.
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7/24/2013 - affordableCollector wrote: 87 Points
maroon in color. spice, earth, cherry, smoke, on the nose. blackberry, toast, vanilla, earth, smoke, white pepper, on the palate. medium acid on the finish.
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6/25/2013 - riversedge wrote: 88 Points
Nice ruby color. Spice and cedar.
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6/23/2013 - ewsds wrote: 89 Points
Light translucent color and lightly red-fruit nose. On the palate, very light-bodied and lacking complexity, but also very tasty and easy to drink. Very nice.
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6/13/2013 - yossarian.livez wrote: 86 Points
Ok. Red fruits, bright. Just the slightest hint of something savory. Plenty of acidity and structure. Though tannins fairly polished. Length a bit modest. Never really opened up over a few days.
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5/26/2013 - Patrickmcw Likes this wine: 89 Points
Quite light color, skinny legs, opened up tight, but got better. Nose is a bit of mixed earths and construction smells. Raspberry, or maybe blackberry...
My first Oregon Pinot, but has piqued my interest.
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4/6/2013 - nogohawk wrote: 89 Points
Popped & poured - drank over several nights - light ruby color; good pinot although I still am not a huge fan of the grape - like something with more body
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3/18/2013 - trucrime wrote: 90 Points
Balanced, dry, bright red fruit with a little bit of unfiltered funkiness to it.
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1/13/2013 - ecola Likes this wine: 87 Points
Funky nose of smoke, petrol, and red berries. Thin midpalate and finish drops off quick. Tasted blind and guessed to be burgundy.
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12/3/2012 - gortonator wrote: 89 Points
Light but elegant, peppery on the finish, it needs time to develop to is rather delicious
Vertical 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 tasting notes at http://gortonator-on-wine.blogspot.com/2012/12/cristom-mt-jefferson-vertical-tasting.html
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11/24/2012 - Michael Davidson wrote:
Translucent garnet in the glass. Spicy, earthy nose. Palate is pretty tightly wound, but there's a core of red fruit, followed by good acidity and tanins. Spiciness continues throughout. Medium to full bodied.
This could definitely use some time to come together, but there are a lot of interesting elements here. Nice wine at a good price.
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11/14/2012 - joaopedrolopes wrote: 85 Points
mushroom, earthy, raspberries
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10/17/2012 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
2012 Wine & Spirits Top 100 Tasting (City View at Metreon, San Francisco, California): Medium cherry red color; roses, sous bois nose; tight, roses, sous bois, tart cranberry, mineral palate; needs 3 years; medium-plus finish
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