2007 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard
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Tasting notes
Yellow-gold. Ripe aromas of peach and spice, with hints of exotic fruits and a slow-building citrus quality. Fleshy, dense and spicy, with a firm acid spine keeping the wine's exotic fruit in check. There's an alluring silkiness of texture here and an unlikely interplay of ripe fruit and nervy minerality. A bit tough to judge right now; I suspect that a few more months of bottle age will allow this to knit. Kistler told me that this has a pH of just over 3.2, making it the lowest among his 2007 chardonnays.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Previously recommended, no tastng note given. Following the brilliant success of Kistler’s 2007s, Steve Kistler and his sidekick, Mark Bixler, deserve kudos for what they have achieved in the more challenging 2008 vintage. This is the first vintage in which 100% of the fermentations were indigenous, and, fortunately, all their Sonoma Coast vineyards were far enough south that they were not tainted by any of the smoke from the ferocious fires that spread through Mendocino. The 2008s appear to be slightly more fruit-forward, with a touch less minerality than the 2007s. They are full-bodied, impressively endowed wines, with the Chardonnays best drunk during their first 5-7 years of life, and the Pinot Noirs during their first 10-12. Tel. (707) 823-5603; Fax (707) 823-6709
Previously recommended, no tastng note given.||Following the brilliant success of Kistler’s 2007s, Steve Kistler and his sidekick, Mark Bixler, deserve kudos for what they have achieved in the more challenging 2008 vintage. This is the first vintage in which 100% of the fermentations were indigenous, and, fortunately, all their Sonoma Coast vineyards were far enough south that they were not tainted by any of the smoke from the ferocious fires that spread through Mendocino. The 2008s appear to be slightly more fruit-forward, with a touch less minerality than the 2007s. They are full-bodied, impressively endowed wines, with the Chardonnays best drunk during their first 5-7 years of life, and the Pinot Noirs during their first 10-12.||Tel. (707) 823-5603; Fax (707) 823-6709 Wine Advocate.February, 2010
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.