2009 Chardonnay Vine Hill Road Vineyard
Prezzo di mercato
Opzioni di acquisto
Note di degustazione
Vivid gold. Lively, mineral-dominated aromas of candied citrus fruits, pear and ginger, with a smoky nuance building with air. Rich and expansive but very dry, offering palate-staining orange and pear skin flavors lifted by vibrant mineral and floral notes. Closes with excellent clarity and cut; there's zero excess fat here.
Punteggi della critica
Punteggio medio
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Altre recensioni e punteggi
The 2009 Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard comes across a bit inward and less expressive than the other wines in the collection. Scents of lemon, almonds and pastry emerge from the glass. The overall impression is of a small-scaled wine that, while quite pretty, lacks the visceral thrill of the top wines here.
The 2009 Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard comes across a bit inward and less expressive than the other wines in the collection. Scents of lemon, almonds and pastry emerge from the glass. The overall impression is of a small-scaled wine that, while quite pretty, lacks the visceral thrill of the top wines here. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. I was blown away by these wines from Steve Kistler, his partner Mark Bixler and assistant winemaker Jason Kesner. Over the last few years Kistler has refined his approach, as he wasn’t totally satisfied by the way some of his earlier wines had developed in bottle. Today Kistler is picking his Chardonnays at lower Brix levels, using less French oak (with no stirring of the lees) and keeping the wines in barrel for a shorter amount of time, all in an effort to preserve as much freshness as possible. The result is wines that are totally different in style from past years. The Pinots see a maximum of 50% new oak barrels and that number will continue to trend downwards over the next few years. The 2009 harvest started around September 4 for both Chardonnay and Pinot. The 2009s were bottled in December 2010. Unfortunately, I was not able to taste the 2010s, as they had been bottled just prior to my visit. I will taste those wines in October, 2012. A frequent source of frustration among Wine Advocate readers has been the lack of in-the-bottle reviews for Kistler wines. Beginning this year, all wines tasted from barrel will be subsequently reviewed from bottle as well. Readers who haven’t tasted the Kistler wines in some time owe it to themselves to do so. These are some of the most thrilling wines being made in California today. Tel. (707) 823-5603, www.kistlervineyards.com
Informazioni sul produttore
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.