Winemaker Steve Doerner has been making wine for 37 years – 14 years at Calera in California and 23 years at Cristom in Oregon. Luke Jefferson is his new wine project with miniscule production, first released as 40 cases with the 2013 vintage and 120 cases in 2014. The wine is named as an homage to his 2-year-old son, Luke Jefferson Doerner, and is also a nod to Thomas Jefferson, who Steve admires. Steve’s spouse, Irene Steh-Doerner, is also part of the family project. The wine allows Steve to pursue making a wine that suits his personal vision and palate apart from the Christom style.

Red berry and cherry aromas, exotic spices, cola and forest on the nose. Suave and energetic on the palate, offering silky red fruit, cherry cola and cake spice flavours, the wine gains intensity with air and picks up a deeper savoury herbal note. Seamless and focused on the impressively long finish.