A Conversation With Nicholas Kristof and a Tasting of Kristof Farms Wines

Plus: New releases from Long Shadows, Pamplin, Royer and Seven Hills

Long before we connected via email I knew of Nicholas Kristof as the Pulitzer Prize-winning opinion columnist for the New York Times. In his Times bio he explains that growing up on a family farm in rural Yamhill county, Oregon shaped him as much as his Harvard education and Rhodes Scholar studies at Oxford. First as a Times bureau chief in Hong Kong, Beijing and Tokyo, then after becoming a featured columnist in 2001, his work over the past four decades has kept him globe-trotting (165 countries and counting). Nonetheless, the family farm is still home sweet home.

He complements his reporting on global politics with topics derived from a longstanding interest in health, poverty and women’s rights issues. He shares a Pulitzer Prize with his wife Sheryl for their coverage of the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown, and won a second Pulitzer for reporting on the Darfur genocide. Among his most recent columns are a Thanksgiving piece on the inhumane treatment of pigs (he’s a practicing vegetarian) and a ‘Winners and Losers’ essay analyzing the results of the Syrian conflict.

He spends as much time as possible on the farm where he makes ciders, tends a small vineyard with his wife and son, and guides tours of his rustic tasting room. With the assistance of Elk Cove’s Adam Campbell, Kristof Farms has just released its first three wines. I was surprised and delighted to get a note from Nick (as he signs his emails) asking if I’d taste and review the wines. I jumped at the chance and asked if he’d be willing to do an interview, to which he quickly agreed. Along with my notes on the wines (currently being made at the Carlton Winemakers Studio) I am pleased to publish our correspondence. I’ve shortened my questions but kept his responses exactly as written.

PG: How do you connect your interest in wine with your lifelong involvement in politics? Do they intersect in any way? Or does growing grapes and owning a winery serve principally as an escape from the harsh realities of war, injustice, poverty and human depravity which you have experienced first hand?

NK: “Wine intersects with my journalism in one way, and shields me from it in another. The origin of this project came in 2018 when my wife and I were writing our book "Tightrope" about the struggles of America's working class, told through the kids on my old school bus. At that time, one-quarter of them had died from drugs, alcohol and suicide. I was heartsick, and one response was my brief bellyflop of a campaign for governor. Another response was to use our family farm to try to make a difference. That's when we thought of converting our cherry orchard into wine grapes and cider apples and making wine and cider.

“The idea was that this venture might create some jobs and encourage wine tourism. Our thinking was motivated partly because my home town of Yamhill has a sister community, Carlton, that used to be even more desperate. When I was a kid, those of us in Yamhill tended to look down on Carlton. It was the old mill town, and then all five sawmills shut down. In desperation, it embraced the wine industry, and that created good jobs in tasting rooms, restaurants and bed and breakfasts. Yamhill had resisted the wine industry and had missed those jobs.

“So to the extent my reporting career has focused on people left behind and the need to create new industries that nurture jobs and opportunities in rural America, our tiny little operation is meant to be an example of that.”

PG: And as a shield?

NK: “I return from covering humanitarian crises and find refuge on the farm; it heals my soul. And in my day job, I shout at the world and tell it what to do, and it pays no attention; on the farm, my grapes listen to me and respond. The vineyard is my little sandbox where I have some control over the outcome, and at a time when I'm profoundly frustrated by politics, wars and mass atrocities, it's comforting and distracting to try to make the best Pinot Noir we possibly can.

“One last point: In my role as a liberal columnist, I rarely meet a regulation I don't like. So it builds character for me to have another life as a small businessman and be regularly outraged by efforts to regulate me. Oh, the things I could tell the TTB! I find it healthy to look at the world through a different prism every now and then, and it probably makes me a more pragmatic and wiser columnist!”

PG: How do you balance your decades of globe-trotting with your return to life on a family farm in a small town? Do you find that it’s easier to have a measurable impact on the place and the people when living in a human scale community? Or do you feel it’s more important to tackle the big problems on the big stage?

NK: “Voltaire wrote at the end of ‘Candide’ that "we must cultivate our garden," and there's something to that. In early September I spent a week covering the mass slaughter and starvation in Sudan, and afterward I found peace doing two things: backpacking in the Cascades and fussing over the vineyard and apple orchard. But I don't want to ever forget or neglect those global crises, and I'll continue to try to draw attention to them as long as I'm able.

“When I was writing my 2024 memoir ‘Chasing Hope’ I self-diagnosed myself with a mild case of PTSD for covering too many wars and massacres, and I self-prescribe myself time on the farm in the mountains as my healing mechanism. Wine can heal and soothe even before you drink it.”

PG: We seem to be living in a time when guilt is overtaking the pursuit of what were once seemingly innocent pleasures. Your Thanksgiving essay on the awful treatment of pigs is a good example. And now there a growing worldwide anti-alcohol movement. Entire governments (Finland most recently) are voicing their official disapproval of any and all drinking, and the wine industry is suffering the consequences. Although you may farm your grapes organically or biodynamically, and practice holistic, earth-friendly, non-intervention viticulture, that isn’t going to sway the anti-alcohol zealots who believe you shouldn’t produce any alcoholic beverages at all, is it?

NK: “Sheryl and I have thought a lot about the ethics of alcohol, for this wine venture came about in part because of our horror at deaths of despair, including from alcoholism. Were we being hypocritical in trying to use alcohol to address problems created in part by alcohol? Here's how we see it.

“First, I think it's important to acknowledge that alcoholism is an enormous problem, and I sometimes think the wine industry is too glib about it or too prone to cherry pick research showing benefits. That said, my reading of the evidence is that it's very clear that heavy drinking is extremely unhealthy, but that there's much more ambiguity about the consequences of light drinking. There's more uncertainty in the data and the downside, if there is one, seems modest.

“We've also seen how the wine industry can create jobs in rural America and heal the economic crisis that causes deaths of despair, including from alcohol. If people have jobs and communities are thriving, then people are less likely to self-medicate with either alcohol or drugs. And deaths of despair are in part about social isolation and the fraying of social capital.

“Wine can bring people together and create a sense of community, and that's very much been one of our principles at Kristof Farms – we're all about building community, with our group wine tastings, our book club, our gatherings for wine club and cider club members. At our tastings, we've had everyone introduce themselves to each other, and we always have a brief presentation by a Yamhill friend who overcame seven years of homelessness and now survives by making birdhouses in part out of corks. She sells the birdhouses to visitors, and meanwhile fulfillment for our wine orders is by another old Yamhill friend who has also been on the edge of homelessness and is now getting his life back in shape.

“Finally, wine and cider bring not just togetherness but also joy to life. They give us deep pleasure and knit us together, just as good food sometimes does. A great Pinot Noir -- that's what God created to enrich our lives!”

PG: When you’re in your happy place what do you like to drink?

NK: “I adore a good Pinot Noir. I have a taste for complexity in many domains: I like complex literature, nuanced journalism and sophisticated foods, so how could I not worship at the altar of Pinot Noir? It's exasperating to grow this grape, but it's worth it when you pop the cork.

“I do wish winemaking were a little more focused on the grape growing though; a great wine starts not with the bin of grapes but with the vines themselves, and the way they are nurtured and cared for will affect the land and will shape the wine. Because we live on the farm and because I grew up on it and will some day have my ashes scattered on it, we're probably more farm-focused than some folks, and I deeply believe in the need to get the farming right for the bottle to be right.

“In all honesty, I suspect that my fondness for Pinot Noir is in part chauvinism. I find food and drink a way to remind myself of things and places I care about, so when I eat Sichuanese food I think of my years living in China, just as sushi uplifts memories of years as Tokyo bureau chief for The Times. And I came of age just as Oregon Pinot Noir was coming of age, so it has a special place in my heart.

“Pinot Noir also brings a rush of memories about how helpful our winery neighbors have been as we've started this effort. Adam Campbell of Elk Cove took on our winemaking when he had so much else going on, and friends at Brick House and Fairsing and Sokol Blosser and others have been so immensely helpful to us. These days we're part of Carlton Winemaker Studio, where Anthony King and his colleagues provide constant counsel, so in Pinot Noir we detect notes not only of dark fruits but also of friendship and mutual support.

“Don't tell my Chardonnay vines, but I'm frankly much less of a white wine person. I'll raise friends' eyebrows by eating a red wine with fish. When I won my last Pulitzer, the Times popped Champagne, but I would have settled for a good red. Our Chardonnay has a lovely pear note, but I do have a favorite child in the vineyard, and it's our Pinot Noir. I was never much of a rosé fan but when we produced our own rosé I fell in love with its zest and youth. That may be chauvinism, too.

“I also enjoy a Pastis, because it brings back memories of my youthful time working on a farm in France, and sake evokes the wonder of our years in Japan. I'm not much for cocktails, but a mojito is special because on my last reporting trip to Iran I risked a flogging by drinking a mojito offered by some new-found Iranian friends. Looking at non-Pinot grapes around the world, I'm a fan of Sangiovese -- and Italy is just so civilized and historic that the grape always conjures contentment.

“The other thing I should acknowledge is my enthusiasm for a good, sophisticated hard cider. The cider industry is at a bit of a turning point, and lots of the ciders in supermarkets are these sweet concoctions made out of desert apples -- and I fear the industry is teaching consumers that cider is a cheap, sweet drink that comes in cans, the apple equivalent of the old Boones Farm berry wines. I think that's a mistake. A great cider, made from traditional cider varieties with tannins and acids, is a sophisticated drink much more like a wine than like a beer. On our farm, we've been trying to produce dry, complex ciders in 750ml bottles, and we hope to convince consumers to see what a good cider truly can be.”

PG: Have you visited vineyards in other parts of the world that particularly impressed you? If you could put your farm anywhere in the world and grow any grape(s) in the world where would you choose?

NK: “My optimal vineyard would definitely have Pinot Noir grapes, but I suppose in a perfect world it would be high in the mountains with a few glacier-fed creeks running through it, and forever spring or summer, and not too far from a city and airport. That not being feasible, Yamhill seems a great compromise!”

PG: Thank you Nicholas Kristof for your time, your talent and your amazing life story. Now on to the wines!

Kristof Farms

The 2022 and 2023 wines were made by Elk Cove. “Nick and Adam share Yamhill roots,” Sheryl explains, “which is why we wanted to work with them. We were enthralled when we noticed that at a state dinner for Japan leaders, the White House served Elk Cove wine.”

The vineyard, planted in 2019, has 15 acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This year for the first time the Carlton Winemakers Studio is making the Kristof wines. “That allows customers to go to the Carlton Winemakers Studio to taste our wine” Sheryl notes. “The idea is that with the Studio, we have a wine tasting venue. We have refurbished our old sheep shed and have had occasional tastings there with tours of the farm, but we don't currently plan a big tasting room that would be open daily. People can visit by appointment to the Kristof Farms for a tour and tasting, and club members will be invited for a discussion on certain days of the fall and spring.”

Kristof Farms 2022 Chardonnay – This tilts toward the elegant side of the grape, avoiding new oak, emphasizing aromatics, and managing a wealth of details – apple blossoms and candied ginger, lemon rind and fresh pineapple – with supporting acids through a crisp, clean mid-palate. There’s a dash of cinnamon and a pat of butter; again kept in proportion, all adding further nuance to the trailing finish. Drinks even better on the second day. 175 cases; 13.5%; $45 (Yamhill-Carlton) 92/100

Kristof Farms 2023 Rosé of Pinot Noir – Lush and lovely, this transcends the simplicity of many rosés and brings texture, detail and surprising power. Start with the aromatics – dusty spices, dried roses, suggestions of strawberries. It hits the palate with plenty of fruit, bringing in watermelon, apple and more strawberries. A touch of minerality supports the wine through a long, textural finish. 175 cases; 13%; $30 (Yamhill-Carlton) 92/100

Kristof Farms 2022 Pinot Noir – Aromatically enticing, this debut vintage suggests great things ahead for this estate. I love the texture and minerality. The well-crafted flavors deftly bring up red and black berries, wet stone, graphite, root beer, white pepper, pine needles and forest floor. It’s a wine you dive into, swim through, breathe in and explore. The vineyard is young and the wine is young, but there already is a lot to love. Decanting is strongly recommended. 380 cases; 13.5%; $60 (Yamhill-Carlton) 94/100

Long Shadows

Long Shadows 2023 Cymbal Sauvignon Blanc– The Cymbal was a later addition to the Long Shadows portfolio so as far as I can recall there was never an outside ‘consulting’ winemaker as with the original lineup wines. You might say this is Gilles Nicault unleashed, and his take on this exemplary grape is exceptional. He pulls together grapes from different Washington AVAs and vineyards, deftly finding the right mix to craft a wine with precision, detail, spice, mixed herbs and tightly-defined fruits. Nectarine, kiwi, pineapple and more are in the mix, with supporting acids and excellent length. Fermented in cement eggs, stainless steel tanks and neutral barrels, then finished in one quarter new French oak. 2182 cases; 14.2%; $35 (Columbia Valley) 94/100

Long Shadows 2021 Feather Cabernet Sauvignon – Feather is the 100% varietal Cabernet in this lineup, sourced from two of the Sagemoor vineyards along with unnamed sites in the Horse Heaven Hills. It’s wonderfully aromatic and open, with broadly displayed flavors of biscuit and berry, dried herbs and toffee. With a nice mix of flavors and an aromatic entry, it’s a charming and accessible Cab with real staying power. 3849 cases; 14.9%; $85 (Columbia Valley) 95/100

Long Shadows 2020 Pedestal Merlot – This Merlot is a blended wine that includes 14% Cabernet Sauvignon and a splash of Petit Verdot. These important additions add depth and texture to the signature grape. Entirely sourced from vineyards in the heart of the vast Columbia Valley AVA, this Merlot sets a high standard for the grape in Washington. Dark fruited, supple in the mouth, layered with blackberry, bitter chocolate, espresso and scented with toast and cured tobacco, it’s a wine that may be enjoyed immediately but should continue to evolve over the next 15 years. 2680 cases; 15.1%; $70 (Columbia Valley) 96/100

Long Shadows 2020 Pirouette – This is Long Shadows’ Bordeaux blend, adjusted a bit in every vintage, here two thirds Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and just 2% each Cab Franc and Malbec, almost as an afterthought. It’s principally Red Mountain fruit, and shows it with dense, chewy tannins wrapped in baking chocolate. The depth and density demand decanting for near term drinking. Think Red Mountain Cabernet with the tannins fully ripened and smooth; nothing harsh or green. It’s a masterful piece of winemaking in a difficult vintage, and follows on the heels of the outstanding 2019 Pirouette. Spicy, lightly floral, dusted with coffee grounds and cocoa, this is anchored in cassis and black fruits in the concentrated core. A wine that could well continue to unwrap over the next 20 years – cellar worthy and at the same time already drinking well. Decant it at least an hour before drinking. 2742 cases; 14.9%; $70 (Columbia Valley) 97/100

Pamplin

This winery has shuttered as of this fall. Winemaker Robert Henry sent me his 2021s which are currently available at the Anne Amie tasting room (also owned by the Pamplin Family). Very few cases remain, so get ‘em while you can; these are excellent wines.

Pamplin 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon – Three quarters Seven Hills, one quarter Klipsun, all Cabernet done in once-used and neutral barrels. Firm, focused, classic Washington Cab. Cassis, baker’s chocolate and hints of tobacco carry a tight, compact core. The ripe, lightly grainy tannins show a touch of graphite. This will need plenty of aeration, and may be cellared almost indefinitely given the structure and depth of flavor. 46 cases; 14.1%; $60 (Columbia Valley) 93/100

Pamplin 2021 Seven Hills Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon – There’s a strong minty note – wintergreen – right from the start. The wine is tight, structured, less forward than many Cabs from this vineyard. Flavors of cassis, lead pencil and charred wood prevail. 37 cases; 14.2%; $60 (Walla Walla Valley) 92/100

Pamplin 2021 Scooteney Flats Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon – A dark, beefy wine, with a core of packed blackberry fruit. Tight and hard through the finish – all these Pamplin Cabs are compressed – reductive – and need aggressive aeration. High quality fruit, careful winemaking, but inaccessible at first. This opens up slowly and drinks best after 48 hours. It reminds me of some of Rick Small’s Woodward Canyon Cabs – made for the cellar. 27 cases; 13.9%; $60 (Red Mountain) 94/100

Pamplin 2021 Klipsun Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon – This is a fine example of this classic vineyard. Ripe, tannic, dense and deep, it powers through the palate with cassis and black fruits, coffee grounds and lead pencil, polished and firm tannins. Although no new barrels were used, it shows a light touch of oak from once-used barrels, and is beautifully proportioned throughout. Still in great shape after 48 hours. Grab it if you can. 36 cases; 14.3%; $60 (Red Mountain) 95/100

Royer

The clients lined up for grapes from this vineyard speak to the quality; among them are Cristom, Vincent, 00, Division, Niew, Amica Luna, Sanguis and Brooks. Owner Mark Royer explains that “in 2022 we decided to grow production and make a run at it ourselves. This was the first year we harvested off our newest Chardonnay block – Witzel & Wind – 7 original heritage clones on 7 rootstocks. We worked exclusively with 00 [Double Zero} to produce this wine using their black Chardonnay technique.”

In 2023 Royer’s consulting winemakers came from Division Winemaking. The goal that year, says Mark, was “to dial in the individual nuance and character inherent in our terroir. The blind tasting confirmed our belief that our site can uniquely differentiate various levels much like Burgundy based on certain blocks and or clones. The first of three wines is being released at this time; the other two will come out next year.”

Royer 2022 Estate Riesling – Made with native yeast, finished dry, aged on its lees in neutral puncheons for 10 months and bottled in September 2023. Chris Butler (Cristom) was the consulting winemaker. This wine’s strength is its finish, which sneaks up on you through the palate’s back door. Intended to emulate an Alsatian style, it gathers strength and focus and depth, with deep, juicy citrus fruit expanding gorgeously as it breathes. Texture, detail and depth – this wine has it all. 12.8%; $38 (Eola-Amity Hills) 95/100

Royer 2023 Estate Chardonnay – The Royer vineyard is on volcanic basalt and planted to several different Dijon clones. Fermented in neutral oak and bottled just last month, this impressive wine is already drinking well, mixing grapefruit, green apple flesh and peel, a hint of butter and a firm, lasting finish. Clean, clear and classy. 12.3%; $45 (Eola-Amity Hills) 93/100

Royer 2022 Witzel & Wind Block Chardonnay – Witzel is a type of soil, the wind in the name is presumably referring to the impact of the Van Duzer Corridor breezes blowing through. This wine was made by 00 (Double Zero) – a cult producer whose wines I have greatly admired. This is a high impact style, packed with orchard fruits and showing touches of mint and charred toast after spending 18 months in year-old puncheons. An exceptionally long finish that will develop more and more nuance over time suggests that more bottle age is in order, or decant it aggressively. 13.5%; $115 (Eola-Amity Hills) 96/100

Seven Hills

Seven Hills 2022 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc – Aromatically rich and resonant, this luscious Sauvignon Blanc is made from old vines at the Bacchus and Gamache vineyards in the new White Bluffs AVA. The style avoids the commonly found, aggressively herbal, edgy side of the grape, in favor of a rich mix of ripe apples, apple sauce, citrus rind, candied pineapple, dried hay and brioche. A classy and instantly appealing wine from start to finish. 176 cases; 14.5%; $40 (White Bluffs) 94/100

Seven Hills 2023 Rosé of Cabernet Franc – An elegant wine, with strawberry/rhubarb fruit backed with juicy, lemony acids. It’s fresh and clean, moderately persistent, with low impact tannins that suggest it was pressed very quickly off the skins. Serve it well chilled. 12.5%; $20 (Columbia Valley) 90/100

Seven Hills 2022 Founding Vineyard Merlot – This is drawn from the oldest vines in the original Seven Hills vineyard, planted 40 years ago. It's big, dark and dense – so much so that it out-powers many lighter Cabernets. The blackberry, cherry and cassis fruit flavors are amped up with barrel toast and trailing notes of tea and tobacco. It’s a rainbow wine, full-flavored and perfectly harmonious. Highly recommended. 215 cases; 14.5%; $55 (Walla Walla Valley) 95/100

Seven Hills 2022 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Red – This Bordeaux blend is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% each Merlot and Petit Verdot, and just 5% Cab Franc. Old blocks from this legendary Red Mountain vineyard are on display, and tasted side-by-side with the Seven Hills Founding Vineyard Merlot it’s half of a powerful one-two punch. Supple, almost silky, potent and showing suppressed power, this pulls off the magic trick of showing its elegance, detail, depth and power all at once. Deep flavors of black cherry, cassis, espresso, iron filings and tobacco, dusted with baking spices, show that winemaker Bobby Richards has moved Seven Hills wines away from the Euro-style reds of the past and into a more contemporary style; one that provides immediate drinking pleasure without sacrificing cellar potential. 175 cases; 14.5%; $65 (Red Mountain) 96/100

Seven Hills 2022 Pentad Red – The winery’s reserve-level red, the 2022 Bordeaux blend is 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 16% Petit Verdot, 12% Malbec and 7% Carmenère. A wine this special might warrant a label refresh in the near future. Just released, it’s sleek, stylish, compact and seamless. The tart fruit flavors run from raspberry to blackberry to black cherry; while the barrel time brings sandalwood, cinnamon and cocoa powder highlights. This needs more bottle age and should start to show its best in another five or six years. 300 cases; 15%; $85 (Walla Walla Valley) 95/100

Seven Hills NV Defiant Chapter 1 – Bobby Richards created this new series that makes its debut with this Syrah (82%) Grenache (11%) and Carignan (7%) blend, sourced from a young (2018) estate vineyard in the Rocks District. This wine has been given an artist label and a new package with an unusual bottle shape. It’s named Chapter 1 and blends different vintages, which smoothes it out and takes out any rough edges. If you know Rocks District wines you’ll easily see the hallmarks – the streaks of savory herbs, cured meats, hints of olive and mocha and espresso, wrapped lightly in the AVA’s signature umami funk. But it’s restrained, proportionate and compact. This is a fine start to what I hope will be a long-lived new chapter for this pioneering Walla Walla winery. 14.5%; $85 (Rocks District) 94/100

You are invited to join me and Jesse Lange at 4pm PST on December 19th for a Zoom tasting of new releases from Lange Estate. We’ll keep it informal, and chat about how I taste, why I taste as I do, stemware choices and more. I’ll give quick, early impressions of the wines. Here are the log-in details:

Time: Dec 19, 2024 04:00 PM Pacific Time

Join Zoom Meeting <https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81626768827>

Meeting ID: 816 2676 8827

Cheers!

PaulG