{"product_id":"occidental-by-steve-kistler-occidental-station-vineyard-pinot-noir-2023-west-sonoma-coast-california","title":"Occidental by Steve Kistler \"Occidental Station Vineyard\" Pinot Noir 2023 (West Sonoma Coast, California) - [JD 100] [WA 98] [VM 97] [WS 96]","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Winery:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProduced entirely from estate-fruit from Occidental's coastal vineyards. The vineyards are Certified Sustainable. All Occidental vineyards are grafted with proprietary massale selections developed over three decades by Steve Kistler.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach year at harvest, Occidental Station is our first vineyard to be picked. Since the fruit always goes into our fermenters first, it does not enjoy the benefit of large populations of yeast already circulating in the winery. Therefore, it is often the slowest to start and may take over three weeks to complete alcoholic fermentation. The extended time in the fermenter only enhances its expressive personality, which features a vibrant purple color, bright natural acidity, and notes of violet, graphite, and cassis. The Occidental Station pinot noir is distinctly purple in its fruit character, in comparison to the red-fruited Bodega Headlands Vineyards and Running Fence\/Bodega Ridge Vineyard wines.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2023 Occidental Station Vineyard\u003cbr\u003eStriking aromas of blackberry, cassis, and boysenberry, accented by graphite and violets. Vibrant purple berry flavors, minerally backbone, laser-focused acidity in equal measure. For a wine so dramatic, there is true harmony and balance of each of its elements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis wine comes from the best blocks of the Occidental Station Vineyard, which had been the source of our Cuvée Catherine bottling for nearly fifteen years. The site was planted by Steve Kistler in 1999.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e13.3% abv\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eRatings \u0026amp; Reviews\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e100 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"From a vineyard fifteen minutes further inland, the 2023 Pinot Noir Occidental Station Vineyard comes from the only site Steve Kistler planted in 1998. Notes of kirschy cherry cordial, fresh lavender, wildflowers, and fresh sage all emerge, and the wine is medium-bodied, floating on the palate with exceptional detail, elegant saltiness, refinement, and a “wow” factor throughout. It benefited from the long, cool growing season. Drink over the coming decades. Drink 2026-2046.\" -Audrey Frick (Jun 2026)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e98 Points - Wine Advocate:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The 2023 Pinot Noir Occidental Station Vineyard is complex, refined and singular within the Occidental portfolio this vintage. Medium ruby-purple in color, it has arresting scents of strawberry, raspberry, blood orange, rose petals, red licorice and mushroom—each return to the glass offers a new facet of aromatic nuance, and I simply can't put down the glass. The medium-bodied palate offers a weightless structure yet is brimming with expressive flavors that range from vivid fruit to bitters and earth. It has a luxurious and silky texture, vibrant acidity that structures its intense flavors and an epically long finish. Drinking Window: 2030-2050.\" -Erin Brooks (Jan 2026)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e97 Points - Vinous:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The 2023 Pinot Noir Occidental Station is sourced from a site that is further inland than the Occidental estate. It offers a captivating mix of intense dark fruit and equally imposing tannins. The Occidental Station is often the most immediate of the wines in this range, but not in 2023. Readers will have to be patient here, as the dense 2023 is currently defined by its raw, unbridled energy. (Drink between 2028-2035)\" -Antonio Galloni\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e96 Points - Wine Spectator:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This throws off a beautiful blitz of mulberry and boysenberry coulis, with sparkles of rose hip, iris and hibiscus throughout. Sleek and racy in feel, with a savory element peeking through on the fresh finish. Drink now through 2036. 1,040 cases made.\" -James Molesworth (Sep 2026)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"CHAMBERS \u0026 CHAMBERS","offers":[{"title":"750 ml","offer_id":54037387641197,"sku":null,"price":149.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0481\/8940\/7391\/files\/1969822h.jpg?v=1790115706","url":"https:\/\/artisan.wine\/products\/occidental-by-steve-kistler-occidental-station-vineyard-pinot-noir-2023-west-sonoma-coast-california","provider":"Artisan W\u0026S","version":"1.0","type":"link"}