THE UPPER LEFT
OREGON
TERROIR-FOCUSED WINES FROM THE HEART AND SOIL OF OREGON’S WILLAMETTE VALLEY
THE NICHE
Produced in Oregon’s Northern Willamette Valley, the range of J. Christopher Wines follows a patient winemaking approach that clearly expresses the unique character of their cool-climate roots. Owned by renowned Mosel winegrower, Ernst “Erni” Loosen (of Dr. Loosen), the wines are hand-crafted in small lots and are sourced from some of the finest sustainably managed vineyards in the area.
The goal of J. Christopher Wines is to showcase the Old-World finesse and elegance that Erni has always pursued in his German wines. The key to this is unhurried winemaking, which allows the wines to evolve at their own pace, with a minimum of intervention.
Owner: Ernst Loosen
Winemaker: Tim Malone
Est: 1996
VINEYARD SOURCES: CHEHALEM MOUNTAINS: Appassionata & Medici
DUNDEE HILLS AVA: Baptista-Maresh, Kolb, & La Colina
EOLA-AMITY HILLS: Bieze
YAMHILL CARLTON: Yamhill Vineyard
KEY SELLING POINTS
• Owned by internationally renowned German winemaker Erni Loosen.
• Focused on Pinot Noir, which has found a special home in the Willamette Valley, and two classic white varieties: Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
TOP SKUS
J. Christoper Basalte Pinot Noir
• Long-standing relationships with growers who believe, as we do, that high quality is vastly more important than high yields.
• Vineyards throughout the Northern Willamette Valley, primarily in the two major soil types, volcanic clay and marine sediment, which bring complexity and finesse to the wines.
Bedrock bottling from the Willamette Valley, sourced from vineyards that have fairly thin volcanic clay topsoil over fractured basalt. This type of very rocky soil lends itself to muscular, firmly structured wines, with persistent length. The Basalte captures this expressive character of the soil, with deep red fruit and a fine tannic structure with elegance.
J. Christopher Volcanique Pinot Noir
A selection of outstanding barrels from vineyards we work with in the Dundee Hills. It showcases the savory quality, the fruit purity, and the fine-grained texture that characterizes the deep, red volcanic clay of these hills with a delicately floral fruit aromas, silky texture and structural finesse
J. Christopher Sol et Soleil Chardonnay
Fermented in large (500-liter) oak casks, where it rested on the full lees for nearly two years. From vineyards in three sub-AVAs: our own Appassionata Vineyard (Chehalem Mountains), as well as Yamhill-Carlton and Eola-Amity Hills. With a fine aromatic richness and an elegant, mineral-infused embrace of the palate, it celebrates stony soils and sunny ripeness.
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
Wine & Spirits Magazine Top 100 Winery – 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019
95 pts Decanter Rock Blocks Pinot Noir 2019
94 pts James Suckling Volcanique Pinot Noir 2019
93 pts & Editor’s Choice, Wine Enthusiast Sol et Soleil Chardonnay 2020
FAMILY OF BRANDS
