2018 Cristom Pinot Noir Louise Vineyard

Planted in 1993, Louise Vineyard was named for Cristom winegrower and owner Tom Gerrie’s great-grandmother, Louise Dinkelspiel. The lowest-elevation Pinot Noir planting on the Cristom estate, Louise Vineyard can be distinctly separated into an 'upper' and 'lower' section, divided by a 150 ft (46 m) slope. Because of this unique topography, Louise typically has both some of the earliest and latest fruit harvested each year. Biodynamically farmed. A very dry year, especially for dry-farmed vines. 49% whole clusters of hand-harvested and hand-sorted fruit ,100% ambient-yeast fermentations, 1–3 punchdowns daily in 1- to 5-ton open-top fermenters. Undergoes full malolactic conversion in barrel. Fined with egg whites, unfiltered. 17 months in French oak, 55% new. TA 5.2 g/l, pH 3.72.  Unnecessarily heavy bottle, as all the Cristom Pinots. Mid cherry red. Darker and darker-fruited than the 2017, more savoury and almost a touch charry in the oak character at this youthful stage. Firm and rich in fruit, nicely balanced by the perception of freshness even though the pH is relatively high – perhaps this comes from the whole-cluster component. Fine-boned and dry in texture, surprisingly elegant for a young wine. Deep in fruit but the oak needs time to recede. (JH)

The 2018 Pinot Noir Louise Vineyard comes from vines planted in 1993-1995. This iteration was made with 49% whole clusters and was aged 17 months in 55% new French oak. The nose offers concentrated cranberries and rhubarb, blood orange and violet with accents of tobacco and prosciutto. Medium-bodied, the palate is powerful, concentrated, firmly framed and fresh, and it finishes very long and flavorful. It's enjoyable now if you love a fully fruited Pinot, or it will age well in the cellar over the next 3-5+ years. 814 cases produced.

Brilliant garnet. Assertive red berry preserve, cherry and floral aromas are complemented by sexy Asian spice, incense and smoky mineral accents. Shows impressive depth and sharp delineation on the palate, offering spice-tinged red and blue fruit liqueur, cola and spicecake flavors that pick up candied rose and blood orange nuances with air. Finishes extremely long and pure, with fine-grained tannins providing shape and grip to lingering black raspberry and five-spice powder notes.