J. Christopher (Appassionata Estates) 503-554-9572
"If you make a wine and everyone loves it, then you've done something wrong. Every year is a new challenge, it's never the same", adds Jay Somers. "It wouldn't be very fun if the wines every year tasted the same."
In the tradition of the Old World, Jay Somers, winemaker and co-owner of J. Christopher Wines is located in the Willamette Valley's Chehalem Mountains:
They...
Their flag-ship pinot noirs are blends (cuvees) between the different AVAs, which keeps the wines mellow, approachable and food-oriented... From there they focus on terroir, they make a Dundee Hills pinot noir. From there they go to single-vineyard (Sandra Adele label) and then the high-end wines (apachianata label sp?) where Somers has taken his passion for Old World–style elegance to the next level producing impressive wines that tend to need to age for a long time.
The extremely limited bottling (think 200 cases) is aged in acacia wood for eight months, resulting in a mineral-driven wine with aromas of grapefruit, jasmine, and wet stones, embracing acidity and a refined texture.
Spend a few minutes with Jay as you tour the vineyards and learn more about about his Old World endeavors in this beautiful northwest patch of the New World.
J. Christopher Wines
- See more about their old-world winemaking techniques at:
http://www.vinestories.com/video.php?video=117985416
$20 PP
LG GROUPS:
UP TO ABOUT 40
$20 PP refunded w/$75 purchase
No Food
2023:
Hello, Sirpa Peacock here!
We may have worked together previously, or perhaps we haven’t met just yet, but I wanted to bring you up to speed on our operations here at Appassionata Estate & J. Christopher Wines.
As tour drivers and companies, I appreciate how much time you take to curate trips for your guests, and I wanted to let you know that we have many great options here depending on what your guests are looking for. We would also love to welcome you and/or your team anytime. Let me know when you’re available and we’d be delighted to show you the magic your guests will experience!
Here’s what we offer:
We are now open daily from 10-5 with our last appointment booking at 4 pm. We’re available for reservations via Tock, but walk-ins are welcome too. For groups of six or more, we would appreciate an advance appointment on any given day. We are also dog, kid, & picnic friendly! We have a great patio overlooking our vineyard and gardens, as well as our neighboring vineyards up the hill, with a good amount of shade, fire pits and blankets as needed, and undercover seating for those slightly rainy days, in addition to our beautiful tasting room. We also have an upstairs loft in the tasting room where we can seat up to 8 guests for a more focused tasting experience, or a special lunch or happy hour type of visit – we’re flexible! Finally, we have a tour and tasting option that features our Appassionata Estate wines and takes the guests through a brief walking tour of the vineyard and through our barrel caves. This is available through Labor day weekend for now, and will be on pause during harvest (although we are working on a special harvest version), and back again once things settle down in the winery. The tours are always private to the group and will not be combined with others. We appreciate at least 48-hour notice for this to ensure our cellar team can accommodate us as well.
On summer Fridays, we are hosting live music on the patio for extended hours from 3-7 pm. We’ll have a collection of small bites available for purchase, or you’re welcome to bring your own. No cover, walk-ins welcome.
We produce and pour a wide array of wines, including but not limited to a rosé of syrah & grenache from the gorge, chardonnay, riesling, sauvignon blanc, many different pinot noirs, a pinot noir & syrah blend, and a wide array of imported wines that we highlight selectively and have available for purchase.
If you have groups that are looking for smaller after-hours events/happy hours/even small dinners, we are also open to discussing that and making some magic happen!
Second, we want to bring you up to speed on Appassionata Estate & J. Christopher Wines.
Many of you are already familiar with J. Christopher Wines, but not yet familiar with the new Appassionata Estate wines, which made their debut in July of 2022.
Appassionata Estate is the long-term passion project of our owner Ernst “Erni” Loosen. Erni purchased this gorgeous property in the Chehalem Mountains in 2009 and started planting in 2010, with the vision of growing and producing exquisitely expressive wines with extraordinary ageability.
Prior to purchasing the estate, Erni worked in collaboration with J. Christopher Wines to bottle a very limited, highly selected pinot noir in 2005 that he named Appassionata (Inspired by Beethoven’s complex and dramatically expressive “Appassionata” Piano Sonata). This wine has not yet released (amazing, right?!), and we anticipate announcing that release in 2025.
Currently, our Appassionata “Pinot Sonata” features three distinct but intertwined expressions of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir over three tiers, Allegro (2019 vintage), Andante (2017 vintage), and Fortissimo (2012 vintage), each reflective of the different styles of the different movements of the sonata, as well as a way to showcase different characteristics of great Oregon pinot noir, culminating in the ultimate expression of well-aged wine in the Fortissimo.
J. Christopher Wines became a brand fully under Erni’s ownership in 2019, and we continue to craft these great wines here at Appassionata Estate. The primary difference between our two brands comes down to a difference in blending decisions: We focus on the best parcels in terms of ageability for the Appassionata lineup, whereas the J. Christopher wines will have a broader influence, coming from our estate properties and as well as other sources across the valley.
We invite you out to taste with us, enjoy live music on Fridays, and get to know this gorgeous piece of the valley!
Cheers!
The Appassionata Hospitality Team: Sirpa, Forrest, Nathan & Olivia
Sirpa Peacock
Director of Sales & Marketing
Appassionata Estate & J. Christopher Wines
Winery: 503-554-9572
"If you make a wine and everyone loves it, then you've done something wrong. Every year is a new challenge, it's never the same", adds Jay Somers. "It wouldn't be very fun if the wines every year tasted the same."
In the tradition of the Old World, Jay Somers, winemaker and co-owner of J. Christopher Wines is located in the Willamette Valley's Chehalem Mountains:
They...
- Produce Pinot Noir without Malolactic fermentation that favors aromatic complexity and texture, less fruitiness and the wines evolve more slowly. J Christopher wines are getting racked when most other producers are bottling.
- Dry-farm to develop good root systems enhancing minerality and terroir.
- Take a lot from the Bio-Dynamic playbook, though are not certified.
Their flag-ship pinot noirs are blends (cuvees) between the different AVAs, which keeps the wines mellow, approachable and food-oriented... From there they focus on terroir, they make a Dundee Hills pinot noir. From there they go to single-vineyard (Sandra Adele label) and then the high-end wines (apachianata label sp?) where Somers has taken his passion for Old World–style elegance to the next level producing impressive wines that tend to need to age for a long time.
The extremely limited bottling (think 200 cases) is aged in acacia wood for eight months, resulting in a mineral-driven wine with aromas of grapefruit, jasmine, and wet stones, embracing acidity and a refined texture.
Spend a few minutes with Jay as you tour the vineyards and learn more about about his Old World endeavors in this beautiful northwest patch of the New World.
J. Christopher Wines
- See more about their old-world winemaking techniques at:
http://www.vinestories.com/video.php?video=117985416
$20 PP
LG GROUPS:
UP TO ABOUT 40
$20 PP refunded w/$75 purchase
No Food
2023:
Hello, Sirpa Peacock here!
We may have worked together previously, or perhaps we haven’t met just yet, but I wanted to bring you up to speed on our operations here at Appassionata Estate & J. Christopher Wines.
As tour drivers and companies, I appreciate how much time you take to curate trips for your guests, and I wanted to let you know that we have many great options here depending on what your guests are looking for. We would also love to welcome you and/or your team anytime. Let me know when you’re available and we’d be delighted to show you the magic your guests will experience!
Here’s what we offer:
We are now open daily from 10-5 with our last appointment booking at 4 pm. We’re available for reservations via Tock, but walk-ins are welcome too. For groups of six or more, we would appreciate an advance appointment on any given day. We are also dog, kid, & picnic friendly! We have a great patio overlooking our vineyard and gardens, as well as our neighboring vineyards up the hill, with a good amount of shade, fire pits and blankets as needed, and undercover seating for those slightly rainy days, in addition to our beautiful tasting room. We also have an upstairs loft in the tasting room where we can seat up to 8 guests for a more focused tasting experience, or a special lunch or happy hour type of visit – we’re flexible! Finally, we have a tour and tasting option that features our Appassionata Estate wines and takes the guests through a brief walking tour of the vineyard and through our barrel caves. This is available through Labor day weekend for now, and will be on pause during harvest (although we are working on a special harvest version), and back again once things settle down in the winery. The tours are always private to the group and will not be combined with others. We appreciate at least 48-hour notice for this to ensure our cellar team can accommodate us as well.
On summer Fridays, we are hosting live music on the patio for extended hours from 3-7 pm. We’ll have a collection of small bites available for purchase, or you’re welcome to bring your own. No cover, walk-ins welcome.
We produce and pour a wide array of wines, including but not limited to a rosé of syrah & grenache from the gorge, chardonnay, riesling, sauvignon blanc, many different pinot noirs, a pinot noir & syrah blend, and a wide array of imported wines that we highlight selectively and have available for purchase.
If you have groups that are looking for smaller after-hours events/happy hours/even small dinners, we are also open to discussing that and making some magic happen!
Second, we want to bring you up to speed on Appassionata Estate & J. Christopher Wines.
Many of you are already familiar with J. Christopher Wines, but not yet familiar with the new Appassionata Estate wines, which made their debut in July of 2022.
Appassionata Estate is the long-term passion project of our owner Ernst “Erni” Loosen. Erni purchased this gorgeous property in the Chehalem Mountains in 2009 and started planting in 2010, with the vision of growing and producing exquisitely expressive wines with extraordinary ageability.
Prior to purchasing the estate, Erni worked in collaboration with J. Christopher Wines to bottle a very limited, highly selected pinot noir in 2005 that he named Appassionata (Inspired by Beethoven’s complex and dramatically expressive “Appassionata” Piano Sonata). This wine has not yet released (amazing, right?!), and we anticipate announcing that release in 2025.
Currently, our Appassionata “Pinot Sonata” features three distinct but intertwined expressions of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir over three tiers, Allegro (2019 vintage), Andante (2017 vintage), and Fortissimo (2012 vintage), each reflective of the different styles of the different movements of the sonata, as well as a way to showcase different characteristics of great Oregon pinot noir, culminating in the ultimate expression of well-aged wine in the Fortissimo.
J. Christopher Wines became a brand fully under Erni’s ownership in 2019, and we continue to craft these great wines here at Appassionata Estate. The primary difference between our two brands comes down to a difference in blending decisions: We focus on the best parcels in terms of ageability for the Appassionata lineup, whereas the J. Christopher wines will have a broader influence, coming from our estate properties and as well as other sources across the valley.
We invite you out to taste with us, enjoy live music on Fridays, and get to know this gorgeous piece of the valley!
Cheers!
The Appassionata Hospitality Team: Sirpa, Forrest, Nathan & Olivia
Sirpa Peacock
Director of Sales & Marketing
Appassionata Estate & J. Christopher Wines
Winery: 503-554-9572
