Kistler Vineyards Cuvee Catherine Pinot Noir 1994
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Wine Spectator
Dark, rich and plummy, with wonderful complexity, a tightly focused core of black cherry, wild berry, chocolate and pretty, toasty oak. Firm and deep, it's drinkable now.--California Pinot Noir retrospective.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Owner/wine-maker Steve Kistler, admirably supported by his omnipresent sidekick, Mark Bixler, continues to make wines of extraordinary richness and complexity. Their Chardonnay production has risen to nearly 18,000 cases, all of it bottled without fining or filtration. I joked with Kistler and Bixler after tasting through the remarkable set of nine Sonoma Chardonnays that while it would take me five days of tasting in Burgundy to find this many great Chardonnays, it took me less than two hours at Kistler Vineyards, an observation that demonstrates just what heights California vintners are now achieving. Kistler is still in the process of releasing their 1993s. Most of the 1994s will be released in 1996 with a handful of them released in 1997. This high quality winery is doing everything right, which is reflected in the consistency, ageworthiness, and brilliance of these wines.
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While the Russian River Valley is a large appellation with multiple climate zones and soil types, it is best known for cool-climate varieties, with Pinot Noir as the most celebrated. The grapes benefit from a reliable late afternoon flow of Pacific Ocean fog through the Petaluma Gap and along the Russian River Valley that ensures slow and steady ripening and the preservation of grape acidity. Today many of California’s most highly regarded Pinot Noir vineyards are in the Russian River Valley, along with its sub-appellation, Green Valley.
Historically Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs had bright red fruit and delicate earthy, mineral notes. But changes in viticultural and winemaking practices have led to stylistic changes in some of the region’s wines. Adjustments to canopy management, among other techniques, have resulted in riper fruit and bolder wines as well. These show flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cola, spice and darker, loamy earth tones, accenting traditional Pinot Noir notes of strawberry, raspberry and light cherry.