2016 Cristom Cuvee Eileen Pinot Noir 375ml, Eola-Amity Hills

Throughout the Spring, Summer and Fall of 2016, the sun was generous and warm and our vineyards trended 2-3 weeks early at every physiological stage with budbreak in March, bloom by the end of May and Harvest within the first few days of September. We had some variable weather and heat spikes throughout bloom leading to some very small berries and clusters, and after some thinning we achieved optimal yields that lead to wines of depth, intensity and concentration. In terms of heat accumulation, 2016 was actually on the ‘cool’ side of average with 2,340 growing degree days, yet with an unprecedentedly early start to the season, heat spikes in late August pushing things forward and the small berries and low yields makes this a much darker, richer and more powerfully structured vintage than the heat accumulation would suggest.