Wine & Wineries

The J. Christopher winery is located in Oregons Northern Willamette Valley, in the Chehalem Mountains AVA. Owned by famed German winemaker Ernst Loosen, it is a small winery that specializes in Pinot Noir made using the traditional methods of Burgundy. The winery is also one of the few in Oregon to produce Sauvignon Blanc, modeled after the great wines of Sancerre. J. Christopher wines are hand-crafted in small lots and are sourced from some of the best vineyards in Oregon. The philosophy at J. Christopher is to produce wines in an Old World style that emphasizes focus, length, and balance. As they like to say, We do not make fruit bombs. We want wines that have a fine balance of fruit, acidity, and texture. We want wines that give you more than just big mid-palate blast wines that are complete. The key to this they firmly believe is patient winemaking it is vital not to rush things and allow the wines to develop naturally. One important example: They would never use cultured yeasts to induce malolactic fermentation in their Pinot Noir. This is a New World technique done to facilitate earlier bottling, but they feel it is damaging to the wines texture and balance. They want the wines to evolve at their own pace, with a minimum of intervention.

Reservations are encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome depending on availability.