2017 Kistler "Cuvée Cathleen" Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

“Coming from a ridge of more broken shale soils and 25-year-old vines, the 2017 Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard Cuvee Cathleen is a more opulent wine than the more chiseled Kistler Vineyard and offers a beautiful bouquet of golden fruits, pineapple, honeycomb, and rocking levels of salty minerality. It’s fleshy, rounded, and powerful, with a great, great texture as well as a massive finish. This pure, regal, classic Sonoma Chardonnay plays with the best in the world. It can be drunk today or cellared for over a decade.” (06/2019)

“The 2017 'Cuvée Cathleen' Vineyard, is a knockout in 2017. This comes from one specific block in the Kistler Vineyard that contains broken shale and volcanic soils, which adds a wonderful unique mineral character to this fantastic offering. As this gorgeous Chardonnay unwinds in the glass it releases beautiful aromas which are lead by white peaches, Meyer lemon, apricot, key lime pie, honey and dried apples, with secondary nuances of buttered hazelnut, fresh herbs, toasted brioche and white flowers adding even further complexity. On the palate this is round and polished with the perfect touch of acidity and a steely, flinty streak that persists through the finish. This stands out for its incredible focus and complexity and overall it an utterly thrilling Chardonnay that should not be missed. While the 2017 is already stunning in its youth, it should go on to age beautifully over the next decade or more. (MD)” (06/2020)

“How different wines from various blocks of a vineyard can be! This wine comes from a special west-facing block in the Kistler Vineyard where the red volcanic ash soil is mixed with broken shale. Intensely aromatic, with notes of citrus and flowers, it’s rich, very complex and complete and needs time. (EM)” (09/2019)

“Winemaker Jason Kesner points out that this is not a barrel selection but a separate block in the vineyard with unique soils of broken shale and red volcanic ash. The 2017 Chardonnay Cuvée Cathleen is youthfully shy on the nose, opening very slowly to notes of dried apple, potpourri, hints of key lime pie and sliced apricot with accents of spring honey, toast and wet stone. Medium-bodied, the aromas bely the palate—it explodes with multilayered flavors ranging from tangy citrus to honeycomb and earthy notions of dried leaves, seamlessly framed by juicy acidity and silkily textured, finishing very long and packed with flavor. 'To me, this has several distinct parts of its personality, like gears with teeth,' says Kesner. 'This hits on all the classic points you look for in a beautifully made California Chardonnay: it's got a nice low pH, that sense of richness, textural complexity and high tones. It's not pervasive, not in your face, not cloying. It has a sense of minerality and a savory component. When all those things become one and they start to blur together and you can’t pick them out—that’s when a wine becomes truly magical to me.' Well done! (EB) 96+” (12/2019)

“The 2017 Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard Cuvée Cathleen emerges from the center section of a hillside that sits apart from the larger part of the property where the soils are more decomposed in nature. Interestingly, the Cuvée Cathleen is quite lifted and aromatic next to the decidedly richer straight bottling off this site. Floral, citrus and orchard notes all lift from the glass. On the palate, the Cuvée Cathleen is far less expressive and giving. I would cellar it for another year or more. It is very clearly a special wine in the making. The style is all finesse. (AG) 96+” (05/2019)