Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Kistler Vineyard Pinot Noir is produced mainly from Calera clone with some Swan clone contribution. Pale to medium ruby-colored, the 2014 Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard has a beautiful earthy nose of tree bark, underbrush and black soil over a core of cranberries and red currants plus a hint of Provence herbs. Medium-bodied and elegantly fruited in the mouth, the delicate red berry and earth flavors are well-supported by fine, grainy tannins and great freshness, finishing long.
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Wine Spectator
Well-structured, with dusty, loamy earth—tinged tannins and a supple core of plum and raspberry. Scores points for snappy acidity and balance, ending with a minerally aftertaste. Drink now.
The Sonoma Coast AVA is large in area but, not counting overlapping regions like Russian River Valley, only has a few thousand acres of grapevines—and it’s no wonder. Much of the region is rugged and not easily accessible. Its proximity to the Pacific Ocean’s fog and cool breezes limits the varieties that can be cultivated, but it proves to be an ideal environment for high quality Pinot Noir.
Since fog is a frequent fact of life here, as are heavy marine layers that sometimes bring rain, the best vineyards are wisely planted above the fog line, on picturesque ridges that capture enough sun to provide even ripening. That, with the overnight drop in temperature that reliably preserves acidity, results in fine expressions of Pinot Noir that often receive tremendous critic and consumer praise alike, and are often in high demand.