Cristom Vineyards

Cristom Vineyards was established by visionary founder, Paul Gerrie and his wife Eileen in 1992, who each possess a deep-rooted respect for the land, the natural winemaking process, and Pinot Noir. More than 25 years later, second-generation winegrower and owner Tom Gerrie leads winemaker Steve Doerner and our tenured viticulture team in tending our Estate vineyards, and producing elegant, dynamic wines, recognizable by our hallmark style of whole-cluster fermentation by native yeasts. 

Our winemaking philosophy begins with respect for our land and estate vines. We're proud to be Certified Sustainable by Low Input Viticulture & Enology (LIVE), both in our winery which we run responsibly, and in our fields, that are thoughtfully and meticulously farmed with a focus on quality.

The four estate Pinot Noir vineyards - Eileen, Jessie, Louise and Marjorie, named for Gerrie family matriarchs - each possess natural variances in soil, elevation and exposition. With minimal intervention during the winemaking process, Tom, Steve and team strive to craft wines that are an honest recording of both the vineyard and the vintage, producing the ultimate expressions of the stellar fruit we’re fortunate enough to work with. Recognized globally as a leading producer in our beloved Willamette Valley, our wines continue to be a unique blend of tradition, modernity and finesse.

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.

Our estate vineyards are certified sustainable LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology), and have been since 2007. The LIVE designation helps remind us to be consciously aware of the long-term health, viability and fertility of the entire property, not just the land under vine.

We’re proud of our commitment. In the vineyard, we work tirelessly to reduce or eliminate synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides. We protect natural our resources including energy, water, soil, and wildlife habitats. We particularly care about the ecological health of Oregon’s watershed, and work with LIVE and Salmon Safe to promote responsible farming practices and help keep our rivers and streams ecologically sound.

At the winery (it’s also LIVE certified) we are using more recyclable materials, bottling with more eco-friendly glass, and lowering our energy consumption and carbon emissions. We’re managing our wastewater more effectively, eliminating high-risk chemicals and cleaning agents, and protecting worker health and safety beyond what’s regulated by the state. We value the personal lives and health of the farmworkers who work on our estate, as well as the employees who work in our offices and tasting room.

Cristom wines are made using responsible viticultural and enological practices. We’re really proud of that.

Tom Gerrie is the Winegrower and second-generation owner of Cristom Vineyards. Originally hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Tom’s parents, Paul and Eileen Gerrie, founded Cristom in 1992, and moved the family west to the Willamette Valley.

After graduating from the University of Washington, Tom went on to work harvests at a number of wineries that have inspired and influenced him, including: Bethel Heights Vineyard in the Willamette Valley; Domaine François Mikulski of Meursault in Burgundy’s Côte de Beaune; and Brian Croser’s Tappanappa Wines in the Adelaide Hills and Medhurst Wines in the Yarra Valley of Australia.

Tom joined the Cristom Vineyards production team full-time in 2007 and became majority owner in 2012, at which time he began overseeing all aspects of production, both in the winery and in the vineyard. He began transitioning the estate to Biodynamic farming in 2017, and is working hard to lead and build on the foundation of the great winegrowing team his father assembled, and inspire innovation to drive the company forward with a 100-year vision.