Cristom MT Jefferson Cuvee Pinot Noir 2019

This is very seductive on the nose with ripe strawberry, spice, flowers and hints of cloves. Full-bodied, but very reserved and tight with chewy, polished tannins and a long, long finish. Racy and structured. Try after 2024.

The caliber of the 2019 Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Pinot Noir, Cristom's largest-production SKU, is impressive this vintage. Medium ruby-purple, it features savory cranberry sauce, orange peel and tar aromas with tones of dried flowers and spice. The medium-bodied palate offers the pleasing, gently grippy tannins and bright freshness characteristic of Cristom's generous whole-cluster inclusion, and it finishes with intense, layered fruits and floral accents.

This is the non-estate, value-priced Pinot from Cristom, and it is always a fine value. The winery style is much in evidence, with minimal intervention, native yeast and a percentage of whole clusters in the ferment. It's a tight, herbal, steely wine with compact cranberry and wild raspberry fruit at the core. Youthful and fresh, it has a peppery character and green tea highlights in the finishing tannins. Drink now and over the rest of this decade.