I am of the opinion that Cristom had some bottling issues with their 2015 vintage. I got all my 2015s via the wine club upon release. My one bottle of Hirschy vineyard was seeping through the capsule by 2019 when I opened it. It tasted flat - not awful, but definitely “off” with a short finish lacking in fruit. When I opened this bottle of Jessie tonight, the cork spun in the neck of the bottle on the corkscrew before coming out, and was soaked 3/4 of the way up. It too tasted flat. A shame. I have not experienced this with any other vintages of any Cristom wines, and also have opened many excellent 2015s from them. I remain a fan.
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Opened 2 plus hours before tasting. Similarly impressive to the 2015 Louise vineyard we had last night. Impressive nose, complexity and length. This is seriously good Burgundian style Pinot
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Upon opening tonight the ‘15 Jessie came off as a pleasant enough representation of blue fruit forward Eola-Hills volcanic terroir Pinot. Several hours in with no decant and only slow-ox exposure this gets more complex with rich cola and 5 spice notes and lingering finish. Nothing earth shaking although more than decent company for Alaska sockeye cedar plank salmon.
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Color: bright ruby Nose: cherry, flowers Taste: cherries, spice, flowers This had lots of fruit upfront with few secondary flavors, a touch of flowers and spice with no real finish to describe. I am a bit disappointed - had hoped for more. Not sure this has the stuff to go for a long time. Best part was the upfront fruit. Enjoy with lighter foods.
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I had much higher hopes for this wine having tasted other vintages so in some ways this is a big disappointment. Yes, it was very very nice, but perhaps this wine is still going through a clumsy phase? It wasn't as elegant as I generally find their Eileen bottlings to be and it seemed to be very blueberry focused and lacking in depth.
Interestingly, there are a lot of bottles still in people's cellars - so I opened it way too early? Also, while the tasting scores are generally pretty high, the individual descriptions are all over the place, leading me to conclude that this is a wine that is still finding itself. I have more bottles and will open my next in a few more years to check on its progress.
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Beautiful color, lighter than many Pinots. Fruity, complex nose, some spice and earth. Palate was smooth right out of the bottle. Cherries lurking, but not dominant. Darker fruits, a hint of pear, long, smooth finish. Got better with a bit of air. Our guests absolutely loved it.
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Very Willamette nose of cranberries, lingonberries, orange slices. Evolved grape aromas of peppery cologne. Cranberry palate, notes of lemon and sage. Cooling. Perfect with salmon on a warm Independence Day evening.
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Medium color. Black fruits, perhaps a bit of strawberry on the nose. Fruit forward, with black cherry on the palate. Light tannins. Black cherry and a hint of licorice on the long finish. Excellent overall but needs to be enjoyed now before it looses more fruit structure.
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Medium color with black fruits, cherry on the nose. Black cherry, black fruits, hint of plum on the palate. Very balanced and smooth with light acidity and minerality. Satisfying and balanced long fruit finish. Truly outstanding. Drink now.
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Ending the evening the way we started it. Lovely Pinot offering bright aromas of red/black berry fruit, black tea, hints of gunflint and brushes of vanilla & nutmeg. Crisp, complex and well-balanced. Some stem inclusion, but not overplayed for a second. Long finish that lasts even after tasting 15 wines. Looking forward to drinking this again, as it will age beautifully in the years to come.
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Decanted 6 hrs. To nobody’s surprise, another strong wine from this producer, soaring aromatics of spicy red fruits and Chinese 5 spice, sassafras, you get the idea. Very much on point on the palate, the usual blend of exotic red fruits that carry a slight edge of a roasted game bird. The use of whole cluster and stems is evident but not over played either. After the first glass, it became apparent that the distinctive feature of this 15 is strength of the back end tannic structure, very masculine, and leading to big pop on the finish. I always have found the Cristom single vineyard pinots to drink well early, and this is no exception, but this has some real underlying structure, and would certainly benefit immensely for another 3 to 5 years to round into form.
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Tasted at the Skurnik Grand Portfolio Tasting in NYC. Poured by Steve Doerner, winemaker. This was a good deal softer to me than the Eileen or Louise bottlings. Very approachable and less tannic. Still juicy with acidity with rounder fruit (cherry, raspberry and cranberry) flavors.
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4/29/2024 - wilkinsmd wrote: flawed
I am of the opinion that Cristom had some bottling issues with their 2015 vintage. I got all my 2015s via the wine club upon release. My one bottle of Hirschy vineyard was seeping through the capsule by 2019 when I opened it. It tasted flat - not awful, but definitely “off” with a short finish lacking in fruit. When I opened this bottle of Jessie tonight, the cork spun in the neck of the bottle on the corkscrew before coming out, and was soaked 3/4 of the way up. It too tasted flat. A shame. I have not experienced this with any other vintages of any Cristom wines, and also have opened many excellent 2015s from them. I remain a fan.
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5/28/2023 - neilsforest wrote:
Opened 2 plus hours before tasting. Similarly impressive to the 2015 Louise vineyard we had last night. Impressive nose, complexity and length. This is seriously good Burgundian style Pinot
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11/10/2022 - 3fifty3 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Loved this wine
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1/23/2022 - LetItRide Likes this wine: 92 Points
Upon opening tonight the ‘15 Jessie came off as a pleasant enough representation of blue fruit forward Eola-Hills volcanic terroir Pinot. Several hours in with no decant and only slow-ox exposure this gets more complex with rich cola and 5 spice notes and lingering finish. Nothing earth shaking although more than decent company for Alaska sockeye cedar plank salmon.
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9/16/2021 - smahk wrote: 90 Points
Color: bright ruby
Nose: cherry, flowers
Taste: cherries, spice, flowers
This had lots of fruit upfront with few secondary flavors, a touch of flowers and spice with no real finish to describe. I am a bit disappointed - had hoped for more. Not sure this has the stuff to go for a long time. Best part was the upfront fruit. Enjoy with lighter foods.
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4/20/2021 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 90 Points
I had much higher hopes for this wine having tasted other vintages so in some ways this is a big disappointment. Yes, it was very very nice, but perhaps this wine is still going through a clumsy phase? It wasn't as elegant as I generally find their Eileen bottlings to be and it seemed to be very blueberry focused and lacking in depth.
Interestingly, there are a lot of bottles still in people's cellars - so I opened it way too early? Also, while the tasting scores are generally pretty high, the individual descriptions are all over the place, leading me to conclude that this is a wine that is still finding itself. I have more bottles and will open my next in a few more years to check on its progress.
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3/17/2021 - Tony Poli Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful color, lighter than many Pinots. Fruity, complex nose, some spice and earth. Palate was smooth right out of the bottle. Cherries lurking, but not dominant. Darker fruits, a hint of pear, long, smooth finish. Got better with a bit of air. Our guests absolutely loved it.
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7/4/2020 - Doc90 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very Willamette nose of cranberries, lingonberries, orange slices. Evolved grape aromas of peppery cologne. Cranberry palate, notes of lemon and sage. Cooling. Perfect with salmon on a warm Independence Day evening.
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5/22/2020 - SyrahForth310 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Medium color.
Black fruits, perhaps a bit of strawberry on the nose.
Fruit forward, with black cherry on the palate. Light tannins.
Black cherry and a hint of licorice on the long finish. Excellent overall but needs to be enjoyed now before it looses more fruit structure.
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5/10/2020 - krhaugh Likes this wine: 92 Points
Similar notes from 2018. Maybe a touch softer now. Really good wine.
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3/14/2020 - SyrahForth310 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium color with black fruits, cherry on the nose.
Black cherry, black fruits, hint of plum on the palate.
Very balanced and smooth with light acidity and minerality.
Satisfying and balanced long fruit finish. Truly outstanding.
Drink now.
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8/31/2019 - Gmblnman Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious! Great balance of fruit and earth notes.
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7/13/2019 - kkleg wrote: 93 Points
Earthy cherry and nutmeg notes on the nose and palate. Medium length finish. This bottle did not last long. Drinking beautifully right now.
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6/2/2019 - D!n@sh Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nice minerality. Good complexity.
Probably a bit too ripe.
Overall liked it a lot.
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1/31/2019 - grapenomad wrote: 92 Points
Ending the evening the way we started it. Lovely Pinot offering bright aromas of red/black berry fruit, black tea, hints of gunflint and brushes of vanilla & nutmeg. Crisp, complex and well-balanced. Some stem inclusion, but not overplayed for a second. Long finish that lasts even after tasting 15 wines. Looking forward to drinking this again, as it will age beautifully in the years to come.
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12/16/2018 - Dale M wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 6 hrs. To nobody’s surprise, another strong wine from this producer, soaring aromatics of spicy red fruits and Chinese 5 spice, sassafras, you get the idea. Very much on point on the palate, the usual blend of exotic red fruits that carry a slight edge of a roasted game bird. The use of whole cluster and stems is evident but not over played either. After the first glass, it became apparent that the distinctive feature of this 15 is strength of the back end tannic structure, very masculine, and leading to big pop on the finish. I always have found the Cristom single vineyard pinots to drink well early, and this is no exception, but this has some real underlying structure, and would certainly benefit immensely for another 3 to 5 years to round into form.
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6/13/2018 - krhaugh Likes this wine: 92 Points
Short decant. Tons of ripe red fruit, raspberry and cherry being primary. Nice spice. Drinking very well right now. Tasty.
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6/9/2018 - td1836 Likes this wine:
Willamette Valley Trip - June 2018; 6/8/2018-6/11/2018: More subtle on the nose compared to the Eileen Vineyard. Cool red fruits, less overt oak influence, more feminine. Loved it.
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5/17/2018 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Lots of spice and tang. Apparently Steven suppurier thinks it’s volnay.
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3/5/2018 - oldwines Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasted at the Skurnik Grand Portfolio Tasting in NYC. Poured by Steve Doerner, winemaker. This was a good deal softer to me than the Eileen or Louise bottlings. Very approachable and less tannic. Still juicy with acidity with rounder fruit (cherry, raspberry and cranberry) flavors.
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