Eileen Vineyard is named after founder Eileen Gerrie, wife of Paul Gerrie, and at the top of our hillside has commanding views of the Cristom estate, the Cascade Range to the east and the Coastal Range to the west. Planting began in 1997 on the south and southeast facing slopes was added to in 2006.
The more recent addition makes Eileen now a total of 16.61 acres (6.72 hectares) and our largest planting of Pinot Noir on the estate. The gentle slopes of Eileen Vineyard are planted to the top of our property ranging from 540 feet to 720 feet (165 m to 220 m) exposing Eileen to the direct cooling winds off the Pacific Ocean and the last rays of the sun encouraging the grapes to ripen slowly and evenly.
The maritime climate of Eileen Vineyard has moderately warm days and especially cool nights, allowing the vines to retain acidity and produce intense and fragrant aromas and flavors. Often recognizable by its bouquet of sweet spices, Eileen offers forward focused fruit and gentle tannins that coat the mouth. The vineyard tends to produce a wine that is textured, layered and creamy on the palate. The 2000 vintage was the inaugural release of the Eileen Vineyard single vineyard Pinot Noir.
Louise Vineyard was named for founder Paul Gerrie’s maternal grandmother and was the first vineyard Cristom began planting in 1993. Louise Vineyard is distinctly different from our other estate Pinot Noir vineyards on the hillside because it can be divided into “upper” Louise and “lower” Louise across the 290 feet to 440 feet (88 m to 134 m) elevation change. Louise Vineyard is the only Pinot Noir vineyard on the Cristom estate that can claim this dramatic soil diversity and we believe it has contributed to the balance in the wines that have come from this densely planted vineyard since its initial release from the 1996 vintage.
Louise will often produce the most firmly structured Pinot Noir of all the single vineyards and can have the darkest fruit profile in the estate lineup. It typically has more acid and tannin than other single vineyard estate Pinot Noirs – a result of its lower elevation and warmer site. Full of deep and silky tannins, Louise lingers on the palate, her story will slowly unfold for years to.
Jessie Vineyard was established in 1994 after founder of Cristom Vineyards, Paul Gerrie, saw the potential of a steep, wooded, east-facing hillside when the property was purchased in 1992. When planting began in 1994, the vineyard was named after Paul’s paternal grandmother Jessie Summers.
Jessie Vineyard tends to produce Pinot Noirs that exude an enticing scent of purple and blue floral notes that make the wine instantly appealing. Drawn in by the deep floral aromas and minerality, Jessie can also be recognized by savory aromas that often call to mind rare-beef. On the palate, black fruits and a deeper-darker-fuller mouth-feel and alluring texture can often characterize Jessie Vineyard Pinot Noirs.
The views from the top of the east-facing Jessie Vineyard are some of Cristom’s most spectacular. On a clear day, the Cascade Mountains (including Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Hood, and Mt. Adams) sparkle. First released with the 1998 vintage, Jessie is typically deep, rich and floral with multiple layers of flavor.