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. Daniel Estrin joined the team as winemaker and vineyard manager in 2019 after several years at Littorai in Sonoma County. "I was trepidatious about the amount of stems, after using only about 30% at Littorai," he says, "but I leaned into it, and it does a lot for Oregon Pinot, which can be very fruity." About 10,000 cases were made.

The 2018 Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Pinot Noir is the first iteration labeled with the Eola-Amity Hills appellation. Proprietor Tom Gerrie is still developing new vineyards at Cristom, and he hopes to source at least 80% of the fruit for this bottling from the estate in the future. This vintage contains about 60% estate fruit; it was made with 46% whole cluster and aged 11 months in 21% new French oak. It has a medium ruby color and savory aromas of cured meats and tar, layered with blackberries, rhubarb and licorice hints. The palate is light-bodied, firm and fresh with earth-laced fruits and a perfumed finish. Cristom's largest cuvée, the Mt. Jefferson overdelivers at this price point. 10,200 cases are available.

Tom Gerrie, second-generation owner and winegrower at Cristom, says the Mt. Jefferson Cuvée is now found in about 30 countries, "so it's a major focus for us." About 9,000 cases are made annually. It has always been a Willamette Valley wine, but that may be changing soon. "This 2017 may be the last time it's Willamette Valley," Gerrie says. "It's about 95% Eola now, mainly from Eileen vineyard, and we may begin to label it as Eola. I think it will be the right call for the future of this wine, to be more focused on Eola." The 2017 Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Pinot Noir also contains some fruit from Dundee, Yamhill and McMinnville. Pale to medium ruby-purple, it's scented of red and black cherries, red currants, crushed stone, warm earth and dried leaves with a soft framing of spice. The medium-bodied palate features restrained, spicy fruits, a softly chalky frame and good freshness on the long finish. It was made with 47% whole clusters and aged 11 months in 20% new French oak. 9,835 cases produced.

The 2016 Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Pinot Noir is pale to medium ruby with a hint of purple. It has a lovely spicy nose of Bing cherries, red licorice, cranberries and black cherries over a core of cardamom, wet leaves, bergamot and cinnamon stick. Medium-bodied and silky textured, it has wonderful concentration of dark fruits in the mouth with great layers of earth and spice—wet leaves, mushroom, clove—with firm tannins to hold up all those layers and delightfully juicy acidity to carry the long, spicy finish.

Pale to medium ruby-purple in color, the 2015 Mt Jefferson Cuvee Pinot Noir has vibrant red cherry and black raspberry notes with suggestions of baking spices, fertile soil and violets. Medium-bodied with a good core of rich, ripe red berry flavors and a solid backbone of grainy tannins, it finishes with a refreshing lift.