Winemaker Daniel Estrin came to make the wines and manage the estate vineyards at Oregon’s Cristom after a nine-year stint working in California alongside Sonoma County legend Ted Lemon.
He grew up in the Willamette Valley, but didn’t discover wine until he left. Having spent the early part of his career as a kind of adventure surf and snowboard bum, Estrin is now equally passionate about growing and crafting some of the country’s top Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Estrin is a seriously strong cyclist with a penchant for custom steel bicycles, of which he owns four – a mix of mountain and gravel bikes.
On a recent visit to the estate, he led me on the most unusual vineyard tour I’ve ever had, as we descended the vine rows at top speed on two of his mountain bikes.
Afterwards, he explained how he was introduced to cycling and the impact it has had on his wine-growing and -making…
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