93pts James Suckling

What a pretty nose of white peaches, white lavender, hazelnuts and salted almonds. Full-bodied yet fresh, with sleek, salty layers. Excellent texture and complexity. Drink or hold.

91pts Wine Enthusiast

Ripe cantaloupe, sweet hay, coconut and butter aromas make for a nice introduction to this wine. Tangy acidity frames pear, lemon tart, mint and toasted filbert flavors. The wine feels crisp and fresh in the mouth. Some Dungeness crab cakes would make a nice dinner companion.

Winemaker Notes

Though Cristom is no stranger to Chardonnay, having produced the varietal since our founding in 1992, our Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnay marks the joyful expansion of this wine program, both through collaboration with extraordinary winegrowers we're fortunate to call neighbors, as well as the increase of Chardonnay plantings on the Cristom Estate. Exhibiting an exquisite texture created by full malolactic fermentation in barrel, the 2021 Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnay offers racy acidity with notes of white peach and Meyer lemon zest before delivering a lengthy, refreshing finish.

Winery Notes

Cristom Vineyards is a family-owned and operated winery that has established itself as a top producer of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the Eola-Amity Hills district of Oregon's Willamette Valley. Second-generation proprietor Tom Gerrie leads the production team, which includes long time winemaker Steve Doerner and recently arrived vineyard manager & winemaker Daniel Estrin. Each bring experience from working at top Pinot/Chardonnay producers in California: Doerner from Calera and Estrin from Littorai. Tom’s parents, Paul and Eileen Gerrie, founded the winery in 1992.

The estate is divided into five single vineyards: Jessie, Eileen, Marjorie, and Louise (all named for Matriarchs in the Gerrie family); and the newly added Paul Gerrie vineyard, acquired in 2012. There are 95 acres on vine throughout the 240-acre property. The majority vineyards are planted at a high density of around 2,300 vines per acre and heavily cropped to produce about 2 tons of fruit per acre.