2003 Chardonnay Vine Hill Road Vineyard
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Medium yellow-green. Complex nose melds lime, pineapple, crushed stone and menthol. Smooth, fresh and fruity, with a captivating sugar/acid balance and terrific snap. Very young and densely packed chardonnay, with complex notes of apricot, citrus zest and nut oil. Offers terrific life in the mouth. This has the structure of a top white Burgundy. Like the Hudson bottling, this wine may ultimately merit an even higher score. "Both Hyde and Hudson are a little less dramatic in their youth in 2003 than in 2002, which is a good thing," notes Kistler.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
From the vineyard surrounding the winery, the 2003 Chardonnay Vine Hill looks to be one of the candidates for the Chardonnay of the vintage. Truly profound stuff, with a stunning nose of tangerines, orange marmalade, and lemon custard, this layered, full-bodied wine has superb purity, striking minerality, and builds incrementally in the mouth, finishing with rather high-toned flavors that are buttressed by good, crisp acidity. It is a prodigious Chardonnay and comes across like a California version of Chevalier-Montrachet. This wine is young and unevolved, and I suspect it will hit its prime in 1-3 years and last for up to a decade. (Release date 3/06) Tel. (707) 823-5603; Fax (707) 823-6709
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.