Daniel estrin, cristom vineyards
Daniel Estrin, winemaker and vineyard manager at Oregon's Cristom Vineyards.
(Image credit: Clive Pursehouse)

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…

A taste of freedom

‘Without a doubt, getting a mountain bike was the best thing that came out of my bar mitzvah,’ said Estrin.

‘I now had my own “wheels”. I always had a lot of freedom growing up, but this opened up a much wider area to explore. I could ride all over town and explore the surrounding farmland, but most importantly, I was introduced to a whole new subculture.

‘To say that I was hard on that first bike would be an understatement. The Bianchi Ocelot only cost a few hundred bucks and was not designed for the rigours that I put it through.

‘This inevitably led me to the local bike shops, and one in particular took me in. Santiam Bicycles employed a slew of young guys who took me under their wings and showed me how to work on my ever-broken bike, and would give me rides to local trail systems.’

The adventure continues

‘Cycling has brought many things to me throughout my life. Bikes allow me to have space for myself as an individual and have the time to actively meditate on my life.

‘For me, there is no better therapy than time in the saddle. While I treasure adventures with friends, when I am out by myself I find a place to process life.

‘I have ridden all over the desert of Utah, across Oregon, and this year I rode solo up into Washington state – from our home in McMinnville up through the coastal mountains and over the Columbia river to the base of Mount Adams.

‘The route was an amalgamation of other routes that I found through cycling groups and recommendations from pals. I saw all sorts of wildlife and many different forests and ecosystems, and met a few characters.

‘All in, the ride was about 500 miles [800km] and just shy of 50,000 feet [15,240m] of elevation gain in six days. I carried all my gear on the bike, allowing me to have the ability to camp whenever I felt like it. The self-supported aspect of the trip gave me freedom from any tether of obligations – just me and the bike.

‘A few weeks later, I came back to the Washington wilderness for some mountain biking with a couple of friends. This allowed me to see the same area from a more rugged vantage point.

‘We rode along ridgelines and traversed across different drainages to access some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever witnessed.

‘Time on my bicycle gives me the space to reflect on the vineyards, wines and the people that I work with. Riding through the vineyards of the Willamette Valley gives me greater appreciation for the elevation, microclimates and aspects of the sites.

‘I am grateful to be able to intimately engage with the landscape in which we grow the grapes that become the wines we pour ourselves into.’

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Clive Pursehouse
Clive Pursehouse

Clive was Decanter's North America editor from September 2022 to March 2026. On relocating to the US West Coast over 20 years ago, Clive Pursehouse developed a deep appreciation for the wines of the Pacific Northwest, and has been writing about these Oregon and Washington State producers and their wines since 2007. Pursehouse was also the culture editor for Peloton Magazine, where he covered cycling, travel, wine and cuisine.