Winemaker Notes
Bottled since 1998. Made from fruit solely from one specific block at the Kistler Vineyard, the only section of the vineyard that has a broken shale uplift that dominates the red volcanics and faces the afternoon sun as opposed to the morning. Since its planting in 1989, the block stood out in our minds, and clearly called for a separate bottling. Produces one of our most classic, complex and complete chardonnays and nears perfection on an annual basis.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Chardonnay Cuvee Cathleen is an absolute knock-out! Opening with gregarious nectarine, pink grapefruit and green guava scents over nuances of ginger ale, brioche, crushed cashews and mandarin peel, the palate delivers mouth-coating stone fruit and tropical flavors generously accented by baking spices. It has a decadently creamy texture and oodles of freshness to lift your spirits, finishing very long with a compelling zesty kick.
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Wine Enthusiast
Made from a block within the producer's vineyard, which has a different soil series and clonal selection than the rest of the site, this is a stellar, memorable wine that's intensely layered and textured, with lasting, lingering acidity. Bright and inviting in fennel and dried apricot, the broken shale within the soil shows itself in stony, mineral components of oyster shell and white flower, with a fresh yet complex finish. Enjoy 2021–2025
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Perhaps the most historically significant appellation in Sonoma County, the Sonoma Valley is home to both Buena Vista winery, California's oldest commercial winery, and Gundlach Bundschu winery, California's oldest family-run winery.
It is also one of the more geologically and climactically diverse districts. The valley includes and overlaps four distinct Sonoma County sub-appellations, including Carneros, Moon Mountain District, Sonoma Mountain and Bennett Valley. With mountains, benchlands, plains, abundant sunshine and the cooling effects of the nearby Pacific, this appellation can successfully produce a wide range of grape varieties. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewürztraminer, and most notably, Zinfandel all thrive here. Ancient Zinfandel vines over 100 years old produce small crops of concentrated, spicy fruit, which in turn make some of the Valley's most unique wines. These can also be made as “field blends” (wines made from a mix of grape varieties grown in the same vineyard) along with Petite Sirah, Carignan and Alicante Bouschet.