(2023) Grown on limestone and sandstone, there's just a touch of residual sugar in a wine that shows hints of beeswax and honey, and ripe apple fruit. In the mouth it has a lightly slippery texture and very pure and expressive riesling flavours; lemony and intense, with a bracing, salt-licked finish.
(2021) Eileen is Cristom's largest Pinot vineyard, and also one of the highest rising from 165- to 220-metres, planted on a range of basalt soils. Clones are dominated by Wädenswil and Dijon 777, then a fairly even split between Dijon 115, 114 and Pommard. Maybe slightly darker in colour than the Jessie, and though that lovely floral nuance is there again, it's a little tighter, cooler and darker in fruit profile too. Wonderfully sweet and ripe black and red berries flood the palate; a real welterweight of creamy and dense fruit here, sumptuous, but again the polish of the fine tannins and juiciness of the cherry and plum-skin acidity give terrific balance.
(2021) A wine from the steep, east-facing hillside of the Jessie vineyard which rises from 98- to 168-metres elevation, and is planted with six different clones of Pinot Noir. Attractive pale- to medium-ruby/crimson colour, the nose is suffused with soft, pulpy red fruits and a mellow oak. Fragrance here, a wisp of smoke and flowers. Fabulously sweet, ripe and plush fruit on the palate, spices coming through strongly too, the combination of mellow oak and fleshy fruit buttressed by smart acidity and silky, but powerful tannins.
(2021) The first vineyard Cristom planted in 1993, Louise is divided into 'upper' Louise and 'lower' Louise across its 88- to 134-metre elevation. Upper is composed of deep Jory and Nekia basalt soils, known to be mineral rich, while Lower is stongly influenced by the Missoula Flood silts known as Helvetia, a deep loam over clay. Clones are Dijon 113, 114, 115, 777 and Pommard. Similar colour to the Eileen, and the aromas lightly touched by garrigue herbs and flowers, a touch of coal or graphite, and deep red and black fruits. Again marvellous depth of sweet, ripe, juicy and supple fruit, but there's a layering of vanilla and toast here, a chicory bite of bittersweetness, and tannins that clamp the finish tightly. This one finishes on spice and taut fruit, grippy tannin, and certainly seems built for the long haul.
(2021) The 2017 vintage from the Louise Vineyard is more transluscent than the 2018, the aromas developing into more of the forest floor and woodland mushroom, but spices and fruit are still solidly there, a hint of floral perfume. In the mouth there's a blast of a bitter orange and endive to this, a powerful acid and tannin pincer movement on the core of supple fruit. Some coffee and nibbed cocoa bean adds a layer beneath and its a fine Pinot, but that slightly too bitter finish notches this one down just a point or two for me.
(2021) Translucent, a little more mellow in colour than the Louise 2017, there's a coolness, pure fruitiness, light graphite character to this, a hint of forest floor then it smooths into light, creamy vanilla and the red berry fruit. In the mouth it is still quite sharply delineated by the tannins and punchy acidity, but it doesn't display the same bitter edge as the Louise, finishing with a little more elegance, supple and spicy fruit compote and good balance.