Eileen 2021

Name: Cristom - Eileen - 2021
Brand: Vin du Monde
Price: 96.0 EUR
Availability: OutOfStock

Cristom

192,00 €

A high-altitude Pinot Noir from the Eola-Amity Hills, combining freshness, aromatic depth, and a silky texture.

UNITED STATES

Vin Red

14%

5 to 10 years

100% Pinot Noir

750ml
Set of 2 bottles (75cl)

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Let's talk little, let's talk wine

Located in the Willamette Valley, in northwest Oregon, Cristom's Eileen vineyard spans the volcanic slopes of the Eola-Amity Hills, near the city of Salem. Planted at high altitude on well-drained slopes, it benefits from basaltic-volcanic soils and the refreshing influence of sea breezes that cross the Van Duzer Corridor. This cool, windy exposure allows for slow grape ripening, preserving natural acidity and aromatic finesse, while producing structured, deep, and elegant wines, emblematic of this renowned terroir.

Grapes from the Eileen plot are hand-harvested, carefully sorted, then transferred to vats as whole clusters and partially destemmed. Fermentation takes place in open-top vats, with gentle pump-overs and punch-downs to delicately extract color, aromas, and tannins. The wine is then racked into French oak barrels, including a proportion of new wood, for extended aging aimed at preserving the purity of the fruit, the finesse of the tannins, and the expression of the volcanic terroir of this Pinot Noir.

This wine reveals notes of red berries and black cherry, complemented by floral nuances of violet and dried rose, as well as spicy touches of pepper and clove. Woody accents of cedar and vanilla, combined with a subtle mineral dimension, bring complexity and depth. On the palate, the texture is silky, supported by lively acidity, fine and ripe tannins, and a long, precise finish that maintains freshness and elegance.

Where are we traveling?

Willamette Valley

It is located in northwest Oregon, stretching nearly 150 miles from south of Portland to the foothills of the Calapooya Mountains, framed by the Coast Range to the west and the Cascades to the east. The vineyards are mainly concentrated on the slopes and rolling hills bordering the valley, between 200 and 1,000 feet in elevation, in a lush landscape of fir forests, hazelnut orchards, and small family farms. The viticultural history began in 1965, when David Lett, a young enology graduate from UC Davis, planted the first Pinot Noir vines in Dundee Hills, convinced that this corner of Oregon offered conditions similar to Burgundy—a gamble everyone deemed insane at the time. Recognition came in 1979, during a blind tasting organized by Robert Drouhin in Paris, where Lett's 1975 Pinot Noir ranked among the best, prompting Drouhin himself to plant vines in the valley a few years later. The climate is cool and maritime, marked by mild, rainy winters, dry and bright summers with long days, and cool nights that preserve natural acidity and slow maturation, ideal for Burgundian grape varieties. The soils are remarkably diverse, from the ancient volcanic clays of Dundee Hills to the basalts of Eola-Amity Hills and the marine sediments of McMinnville, with each sub-appellation imparting its distinct signature. Willamette Valley has established itself as Burgundy's great rival for Pinot Noir, producing wines of striking elegance and complexity, with aromas of black cherry, damp earth, sweet spices, and undergrowth, accompanied by increasingly respected taut and mineral Chardonnays, and a handful of refreshing Pinot Gris and Rieslings that bear witness to a valley that has become, in just sixty years, one of the world's great winemaking regions.

The little history of the country

UNITED STATES

In the United States, 90% of the wine produced comes from California. It was the influx of gold prospectors to California that revitalized the Californian wine industry in the mid-19th century, particularly in the Sonoma and Napa regions. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were 800 wineries. From 1919 to 1933, Prohibition decimated the vast majority of the Californian wine industry, so that by 1933, only 140 wineries remained. It wasn't until 1960 that the wine industry began to recover from Prohibition, and California was primarily known for producing fortified wines (in the style of Port). It was also in the 1960s that some of the most famous wineries were established (Mondavi, Heitz Wine Cellars, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, etc.). In 1976, a landmark event took place: the legendary tasting competition better known as the "Judgment of Paris." It pitted the greatest French wines against the new American upstarts. On May 24th, an unexpected result shook the wine world, as, to everyone's surprise, the United States emerged victorious. This competition, however, remains relatively unknown to the general public. Today, there is no doubt that the United States produces great wines. While California largely dominates the reputation of American wines with its excellent Zinfandels, the state of Oregon produces some of the best Pinot Noir in the world, and Washington State offers excellent Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

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