2021 Cristom Pinot Noir Marjorie Vineyard

Darkly alluring, the 2021 Pinot Noir Marjorie Vineyard is perfumed with dusty violets and lavender, giving way to dried black cherries. Luxuriously round, with juicy acidity, this cascades across the palate with crisp raspberry fruits as rosy inner florals amass toward the close. Hints of blood orange pucker the cheeks as the 2021 finishes staining and long with long lingering chalky mineral tones.

Hand-harvested, 46% whole-cluster fermented. Ambient-yeast fermentation. One to three punch downsdaily with occasional pumpovers in 1.5- to 5- ton open-top fermenters. Pressed to tank, settled overnight and moved to barrel. Unfined and unfiltered. 18 months on lees in 35% new French oak barrels. Pale ruby in colour. The oakiest on the nose thus far. Vanilla and cedar. Very dark on the palate with plum-skin texture and high, vibrant acid. Needs time to unwind. Very firm tannin. Somehow toes the line between dark, brooding fruit, juicy sweetness and warming spiciness. (SCJ)

Dark ruby, the 2021 Pinot Noir Marjorie Vineyard takes on a darker mineral profile with forward aromas of wet stone, black raspberry preserve, and layers of baking spices and crushed purple flowers. Moving to the palate, the wine is medium-framed, with ripe tannins, an angular texture, fresh acidity, and a spicy finish. This certainly needs more time and will gain complexity with time in cellar. Drink 2026-2038. The wines for this report were tasted at the winery, where I toured the vineyards with winemaker Daniel Estrin in the Eola-Amity Hills. Daniel joined the team in 2019, following his work with Ted Lemon at Littorai, where he began as an intern and worked his way up to assistant winemaker. Although he has certainly taken a page from Ted’s farming and biodynamic practices, the estate is not certified, and they prefer not to work within the proscriptive confines for certification.