Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Kistler’s standing as one of California’s preeminent producers of fine Chardonnay is resoundingly affirmed by its outstanding portfolio of offerings from 2016, and, of them all, this breath-taking magnum bottling from the Laguna Ridge Vineyard convincingly claims a place at the very head of the class. It is a complete, remarkably deep and marvelously well-composed wine of uncompromising fruity richness, and, even though very young and fully warranting time in the cellar, it already exhibits a sense of compelling complexity that will make waiting far from easy. It is deserves whatever search its finding may require and ranks with the most collectable Chardonnays we have tasted in recent years. 1.5 liter bottle.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Chardonnay Laguna Ridge Vineyard possesses quite a floral nose of peach blossoms, honeysuckle and jasmine with a core of peach cobbler, pear tart and lemon drops plus hints of gingerbread and beeswax. Full-bodied, opulently fruited and featuring tons of savory and spice layers in the mouth, it has a gorgeous creaminess to the texture and a very long, harmonious finish.
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.