Kistler Sonoma Mountain Chardonnay 2023
(Sonoma, California)

About Kistler Chardonnay:
All Kistler Chardonnays are produced from one proprietary, heritage California selection that brings low yields, tiny berries, great concentration of both flavor and texture, and naturally low pH with high acids. Planting this one selection of Chardonnay across all vineyards realizes Kistler’s vision in 1978 to exhibit a transparency to site. Yields are 2.5 to 3 tons per acre on average in our Chardonnay plantings.

About the Wine:
In Burgundy, some wines are labeled Premier Cru without designating a specific site. Kistler applies the same scrutiny of blocks within a given locale and selections are made to heighten the precision of the single vineyard bottlings. Kistler has farmed the McCrea vineyard since the 1980s and the individual blocks represent two distinct soil profiles. While much of the vineyard has silica based, lighter soils, the Sonoma Mountain blocks reside in a redder set of volcanic, higher organic material, soils that bring more fruit forwardness and broader shoulders to the Sonoma mountain bottling.

Notes from the Winery:
The Kistler plantings on Sonoma Mountain, situated on a hillside bench perfectly suited for growing world class Chardonnay, are interlaced with the rare combination of red volcanic and fine grained chalky soils. The vineyards are planted to California Heritage clones that were selected specifically over the last 30 years to ripen to our balanced wine standards. They are some of the oldest Chardonnay vineyards in Sonoma County. When coupled with the selections in the vineyard the textbook growing conditions afford a wine that is decidedly Sonoma Mountain in character. Annually some of our earliest vineyard pickings each year, this is a wine driven by a grounded, focused mineral core yet lifted by striking ethereal tones of vibrant light fruit raised at elevation.

96 Points - James Suckling (for 2021 vintage):
"Lovely aromas of peach, grapefruit, brioche and dried herbs. Medium-bodied and elegant with great balance. Straw character comes through towards the finish. Delicious, with mildly oily texture. Drink or hold." (Mar 2022)