Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Kistler's daughter gets her name on the 250-case lot of 2002 Pinot Noir Occidental Vineyard Cuvee Elizabeth. This wine is spectacular, and while I don't like to choose between daughters, it gets a slight nod over the Cuvee Catherine because it just seems to have a few more layers of flavor crammed into its medium to full-bodied personality. Wonderfully floral, raspberry, and kirsch notes emerge from this wine, which also shows a touch of toast, some crushed stony, rocky notes, and beautiful texture and vibrant acidity.
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Wine Spectator
Intense and concentrated, with vivid blackberry, wild berry and raspberry fruit that's focused and complex, ending with ripe tannins.
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.