Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
There are two releases from the Kistler Vineyard, which lies on the Mayacamas side of the Valley, at an elevation between 1,200 and 1,300 feet above sea leave. This is a completely dry farmed, low yielding site, and the two cuvées show two sides of the same coin, with the Kistler Vineyard release seeing more morning sun, and the Cuvee Cathleen getting more evening sun. The 2018 Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard is a stunning, flawless Chardonnay that does everything right, with vibrant notes of honeyed lemons, apple blossom, salted citrus, toasted bread, and honeysuckle all emerging from the glass. Fresh, focused, yet also powerful and concentrated on the palate, it has a distinct sense of minerality as well as a finish that won't quit. It needs a solid 3-4 years of bottle age and will drink brilliantly for over a decade.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard is one of the crown jewels of the Kistler portfolio in 2018. It has open-knit scents of toast, quince, iodine, roasted almonds, perfumed white peaches and honeycomb with loads of white flower perfume and a flinty streak. The palate is medium-bodied and intensely concentrated, giving up layer after layer of nuanced fruits. It has a rocky streak and energetic acidic spine, finishing unbelievably long—the flavors just go on and on. This may be the best wine from Kistler I've ever tasted.
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Wine Spectator
Unctuous, with floral notes to the concentrated pear tart and apple pastry flavors that show plenty of creamy accents. The plush finish lingers with toasty richness and refined spiciness. Drink now through 2026.
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.