2012 Cristom Pinot Noir Mt. Jefferson Cuvée

Brilliant red. A lively, sharply focused nose displays zesty red berry and floral scents, along with hints of succulent herbs and rose. Taut, mineral-tinged redcurrant and strawberry flavors open up and deepen slowly with air, showing very good clarity. Showing appealing finesse and vivacity, with no excess fat or rough edges, finishing with resonating florality and sneaky, harmonious tannins.

The 2012 Mt Jefferson Cuvée Pinot Noir comes from vines located above the winery augmented by purchased fruit from notable vineyards. It contains around 40% whole-cluster fruit (one of the central tenets at Cristom), and only undergoes one racking during its 12 months in barrel: one just before filtration and then just before bottling. It has an attractive tertiary/woodland-scented bouquet with dried rose petal notes coming through, much less fruit driven than many other 2012 Pinot Noirs. The palate is medium-bodied with a gentle grip on the entry. It is quite sappy in style with crisp black fruit rather than red, leading to a focused, slightly austere, tobacco-tinged and saline finish. I would afford this a year in bottle for this "classic" style of Oregon Pinot.