2005 Chardonnay Vine Hill Road Vineyard
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Tasting notes
Bright gold. Vibrant, densely fruity aromas of melon, peach and yellow apple. Fresher citrus and Anjou pear flavors offer impressive depth and energy, picking up dusty minerals with air. Finishes with excellent lift and a lingering echo of orchard fruits. Much more fruit-dominated than Kistler's other chardonnays this year.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
A crisp, elegant yet powerful, mineral-dominated effort, the 2005 Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard is reticent at present, exhibiting scents of lemon oil, white currants, peaches, and orange rind. With striking intensity, great elegance, richness, precision, and delineation, this beautiful Chardonnay brought to mind a top-notch French Corton-Charlemagne. Kistler Vineyards, undeniably one of the world’s finest winemaking estates, is run with passionate dedication to detail and quality by Steve Kistler and Mark Bixler. It is wines like these that keep an old critic like me inspired and energized. Previously recommended: 2004 Chardonnay Durell Vineyard (91-93), 2004 Chardonnay Dutton Ranch (93-95), 2004 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard (92-94), 2004 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard (94-96), 2004 Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard (94-96+), 2004 Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard Cuvee Cathleen (95-97), 2004 Chardonnay McCrea Vineyard (92-94), 2004 Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard (94-96), 2004 Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Cuvee Elizabeth (96-98), 2004 Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard (92-94), 2004 Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard Cuvee Catherine Occidental Station (94-95). Not yet released. Tel. (707) 823-5603; Fax (707) 823-6709
A crisp, elegant yet powerful, mineral-dominated effort, the 2005 Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard is reticent at present, exhibiting scents of lemon oil, white currants, peaches, and orange rind. With striking intensity, great elegance, richness, precision, and delineation, this beautiful Chardonnay brought to mind a top-notch French Corton-Charlemagne. ||Kistler Vineyards, undeniably one of the world’s finest winemaking estates, is run with passionate dedication to detail and quality by Steve Kistler and Mark Bixler. It is wines like these that keep an old critic like me inspired and energized.||Previously recommended: 2004 Chardonnay Durell Vineyard (91-93), 2004 Chardonnay Dutton Ranch (93-95), 2004 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard (92-94), 2004 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard (94-96), 2004 Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard (94-96+), 2004 Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard Cuvee Cathleen (95-97), 2004 Chardonnay McCrea Vineyard (92-94), 2004 Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard (94-96), 2004 Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Cuvee Elizabeth (96-98), 2004 Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard (92-94), 2004 Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard Cuvee Catherine Occidental Station (94-95).||Not yet released.||Tel. (707) 823-5603; Fax (707) 823-6709 Wine Advocate.December, 2006
About the producer
Kistler’s Chardonnays are some of the world’s most sought-after. This cult Californian producer crafts small volumes of exceptional, rich and generous, yet mineral and precise wines. With almost the entire production sold directly to their mailing list, the wines are also incredibly hard to find.