Cristom Vineyards

Cristom Vineyards was founded in 1992 by Paul Gerrie, an engineer, and his wife Eileen. They were based in Pittsburgh, far from wine country, but were passionate about wine, and more specifically about Pinot Noir, and the potential of Oregon.

They spoke to Mike Etzel, founder of Beaux Frères vineyard, and settled on a site in the Eola Amity Hills, which became Cristom.

At Cristom Vineyards, family is everything. The name, Cristom, is a portmanteau of Paul and Eileen’s children, Christine and Tom, while the names of the vineyards paying homage to family matriarchs. Now, under the leadership of adult son Tom Gerrie, the estate is looking forwards. They’re open in their 100-year vision for the estate, which impacts all decisions the family makes for the future of the land, and the business as a whole. 

That’s led them to begin conversion to biodynamic viticulture, under the watchful eye of winemaker and vineyard manager Daniel Estrin. He came from Littorai, where as assistant winemaker he’d pushed forward the biodynamic program, and had also worked at global wineries including Bodega Chacra, Mount Langi, and Burn Cottage.

In the cellar, the Pinot Noirs are defined by the use of whole bunch fermentation, with amounts differing based on the wine, and the vintage. The team here feel that this brings complexity to the aromatics, as well as terroir-defining tannins to the palate.

Based in the heart of the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, an area influenced by the cool afternoon breezes that blow off the Pacific Ocean, these are wines defined by purity, structure and freshness. While Cristom Vineyards focus on single vineyard expressions of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, their blends from across the AVA, the Mount Jefferson Pinot Noir and the Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnay are wonderful expressions of the potential of Oregon to produce world-class wines.