J. Christopher
Founded in 1996 by Oregon native Jay Christopher Somers, J. Christopher specializes in Pinot Noir made in the classic style of Burgundy and Sauvignon Blanc modeled after the great wines of Sancerre. Traditional Old World and biodynamic vineyard management principles are followed: don’t force the vineyard, don’t over-irrigate, don’t use chemicals, and do all the hand labor right. J. Christopher winery and the Estate vineyard are located in the picturesque Chehalem Mountains at the Northern end of the Willamette Valley: a region beautifully suited to this natural winegrowing philosophy. In 2010 Jay Somers formed a partnership with famed German winemaker Ernst Loosen - a fellow self-described “Pinot freak” - who shared Jay’s extraordinary passion for Pinot Noir and commitment to crafting small lot, terrior-driven wines. J. Christopher wines do not try to replicate Burgundy or Sancerre in the New World, but rather to bring an Old World sensibility to the creation of New World wine — a sensibility that favors great structure and expression of place.
| Website | www.jchristopherwines.com/ |
|---|---|
| Country | America |
| Region | Oregon |
| Appellation | Eola-Amity, Willamette Valley, Oregon, Chehalem Mountains, Dundee Hills, Yamhill-Carlton |
From this Winery
Located in Oregon’s Northern Willamette Valley, J. Christopher Wines is a small winery that specializes in Pinot Noir made in the traditional style of Burgundy, and in Sauvignon Blanc modeled after the great wines of Sancerre.
A small amount of Chardonnay is also produced with fruit sourced from long-standing grower relationships.
The winery is owned by Ernst Loosen, of the Dr. Loosen estate in Germany. The philosophy here is to produce wines in an Old World style that emphasizes focus, length and balance.
Sauvignon Blanc is the second largest variety produced at J. Christopher. Although it is not widely planted in Oregon’s Northern Willamette Valley, Sauvignon Blanc is ideal for this climate and makes fantastic wine here. Made in the clean, fresh style of France’s Loire Valley, this wine is cool-fermented and matured for four months in stainless steel and does not go through malolactic fermentation. The result is a classic, highly aromatic Sauvignon Blanc with excellent acidity.
[90] Wine Enthusiast
“The winery makes a pair of Sauv Blancs, this one done in an herbal, Loire Valley style, crisply defined with a green edge and gooseberry fruit. There’s good concentration and penetration,
The Basalte bottling is sourced from our own Appassionata estate vineyard, the Medici Vineyard, which we farm, and our neighbors at Lia’s Vineyard.
The Chehalem Mountains are geologically complex and diverse, formed over millenia by lava flows, wind-blown silt (loess), and uplifted sedimentary seabeds.
Our vineyards have the extremely rocky volcanic basalt soils that lend themselves to full-bodied, firmly structured wines.
The new Volcaniquebottling is sourced from our favorite volcanic soil vineyards in the Dundee Hills AVA. Home to the first Pinot Noir vines ever planted in Oregon, the Dundee Hills are iconic and established the Willamette Valley as a serious wine region. The deep, well-drained, volcanic Jory clay soil gives us beautifully savory wines with purity and a finely focused structure.
The new Volcaniquebottling is sourced from our favorite volcanic soil vineyards in the Dundee Hills AVA. Home to the first Pinot Noir vines ever planted in Oregon, the Dundee Hills are iconic and established the Willamette Valley as a serious wine region. The deep, well-drained, volcanic Jory clay soil gives us beautifully savory wines with purity and a finely focused structure.
This is a cuvée of the most intense barrels from excellent vineyard sites in the red volcanic clay of the Dundee Hills AVA. It shows the sanguine depth and fruity elegance that are typical of this area. The Dundee Hills developed as a result of the collision of the Pacific
and North American plates. Located about 40 miles inland from the Oregon Coast, this growing area is protected from severe weather by the Coast Range.
The Eola-Amity Hills AVA lies about 15 miles southwest of the winery, where the Van Duzer Corridor has a significant influence on the vineyard climate. It is a notch through the Coast Range that allows cool ocean winds to flow in from the west, dropping temperatures dramatically during late summer afternoons, which helps to retain firm acidity in the fruit.
Named in tribute to Django Rheinhart’s “Nuages,” one of winemaker Jay’s favorite gypsy jazz tunes, the Nuages Pinot Noir is selected from the winery’s neighboring vineyards in the Chehalem
Mountains AVA. The name “Nuages,” which is French for “clouds,” also pays homage to the moderating influence of
Oregon’s autumn cloud cover, which slows ripening to allow for the long hang time that creates fully developed flavors.
Über-Sauvignon is a single-vineyard Sauvignon Blanc from the excellent Croft vineyard. Mineral-driven aromas, with bracing acidity and a refined texture, make this one of the most interesting wines that we produce. Although not widely planted in Oregon’s Northern Willamette Valley, we feel Sauvignon Blanc is ideal for this climate and makes fantastic wine here. We have planted two acres of it in our own Appassionata vineyard.