2023 Cristom Vineyards Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 750 ml

Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa has what’s widely considered America’s most revered and extensive wine list. Over the decades, certain producers have won places of honor, with dozens of selections: Dominus, Ridge, and Château Margaux, among others. 

Then there’s Cristom, which has spanned multiple pages on this legendary tome, boasting more Pinot Noir listings than any other American winery.

Cristom has some of the oldest and best vineyards in Eola-Amity Hills. They’ve got winemaker Daniel Estrin, a BRILLIANT alum of Littorai and a biodynamic farming sage. Winemaker emeritus Steve Doerner enjoys near-shamanic standing among his peers after 30 harvests in Oregon, and the winery has landed on the Wine & Spirits Top 100 ELEVEN times out of the last twelve years. 

Cristom’s 2023 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir not only contains some of their iconic Eola-Amity Hills estate fruit—Eileen, Jessie, and Louise ($75+), but also carefully selected grapes from partner growers in Dundee and Ribbon Ridge that sell for $60+ on their own. In the PHENOMENAL 2023 vintage that’s already getting best-in-the-decade hype, these sites shined.

In the glass, the 2023 is exactly what we’ve come to love from Wine & Spirits magazine’s #1 restaurant Pinot producer: vibrant, ruby-hued Pinot Noir with aromas of dark cherry, crushed cranberry, and black plum, with a kiss of hibiscus tea in the backdrop. Round and elegant in composure, the wine lets Cristom’s pedigree ring through, crystal-clear.

Not only are Cristom’s Eileen, Jessie, and Louise some of the most revered vineyards in the Willamette Valley, but this wine also contains fruit from their Paul Gerrie Vineyard and some other sought-after sites like Bjornson and Durant.