Cristom Louise Vineyard Pinot Noir

Cristom Vineyards is the result of a 25-years-plus collaboration between an engineer, an oenologist and a farmer. Together in the winery from day one, they produce some of the best Pinot Noirs around in the United States, in the state of Oregon, whose expressiveness and straightforwardness are right up there with some of the noble Burgundy expressions. The four Pinot Noir vineyards - Eileen, Jessie, Louise and Marjorie - are named after the women of Paul Gerrie's family, who at the helm of the winery, and are grown and vinified in full compliance with the micro territorial features. The vineyards and cellar are certified by Low Input Viticulture and Enology (LIVE). With minimal intervention during the winemaking process, Steve Doerner guides the wines from vineyard to bottle. Now at the head of one of the world's most extensive vineyard estates, Cristom Vineyards actually delivers some small gems of international red wine.

Among them, the Louise Vineyard is a Pinot Noir vinified with only indigenous yeasts and aged 18 months in French wood, just over half of which is new. The vineyard, planted in 1993, is the least elevated on the estate, and produces a Pinot Noir that is ready, fruity and immediately pleasant. With fragrant aromas of small red and black fruits, it expresses its aromatic bouquet against a background of earth and spices. On the palate it is medium-bodied, velvety and very fruity. It reveals sparkling acidity, silky tannins and a long, lively mineral finish.