Let's talk little, let's talk wine
Located in the Willamette Valley, in northwest Oregon, Cristom’s Marjorie Vineyard is nestled on the slopes of the Eola-Amity Hills, an area renowned for its cool winds from the Pacific Ocean. Planted primarily on volcanic basalt soils, it benefits from well-drained slopes and varied exposures that promote a slow and balanced ripening of the grapes. This cool terroir, combined with meticulous viticulture, allows for the creation of precise, elegant, and structured wines, faithfully reflecting the identity of this historic parcel.
The grapes for this Pinot Noir are hand-harvested, with a variable proportion of whole clusters, then fermented in open-top tanks with indigenous yeasts, with gentle punch-downs and pump-overs to delicately extract color and tannins. After pressing, the wine is gravity-fed into French oak barrels, mostly new or one-year-old, where it undergoes malolactic fermentation and ages on fine lees for an extended period before bottling without systematic fining and with minimal filtration.
This wine reveals notes of red fruits, dark fruits, and dried flowers, complemented by hints of sweet spices and a subtle woodiness with accents of cedar and vanilla. The palate offers a silky texture, supported by a vibrant acidity that prolongs the sensation of freshness, while fine tannins provide structure. The finish is persistent, with a delicate and harmonious aromatic return that underscores the elegance of the terroir.
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, bordered 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, bright summers with long days, and cool nights that preserve natural acidity and slow ripening, 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, each sub-appellation leaving its distinct mark. 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 demonstrate how in barely sixty years, the valley has become 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.