2018 Occidental Station Cuvee Catherine Pinot Noir
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Tasting notes
Although the 2018 Pinot Noir Running Fence Vineyard Cuvée Catherine has tightened a bit since I first tasted it in 2021, it’s powerful and chiseled and will be long lived in the cellar. It opens slowly on the nose to aromas of red and black plums, bergamot, tobacco leaves, graphite and wild fennel and becomes more expressive as it spends time in the glass. The medium-bodied palate combines concentrated, detailed flavors with vibrant acidity and abundant, powdery tannins, and it has a long, dynamic finish. Lay it down in the cellar—it has more to reveal with sufficient time in the bottle.
Critic scores
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Coming from the oldest blocks around the estate, the 2018 Pinot Noir Running Fence Vineyard Cuvee Catherine sports a deeper ruby hue as well as a gorgeous nose of black raspberries, scorched earth, graphite, and charcoal, with more floral notes emerging with time in the glass. Flawlessly balanced on the palate, it has building yet ultra-fine tannins, a great mid-palate, bright acidity, and a distinct salinity and minerality on the finish. This gorgeous, thrilling Pinot Noir ranks with the crème de la crème in the vintage. Give bottles a year or two and enjoy over the following 10-15. It will probably merit a triple-digit rating at maturity.
The 2018 Pinot Noir Running Fence Vineyard Cuvée Catherine is endowed with serious depth and intensity that give it a real feeling of vertical depth. The fruit profile leans towards the more blue/purplish realm, but it is the wine's understated richness that is impossible to miss. Bright saline notes underpin it all, leading to a beautifully sculpted finish that resonates with tremendous mineral intensity. In a word: dazzling. The Cuvée Catherine emerges from vines that surround the tasting room. (AG)
About the producer
Steve Kistler is a man who needs little introduction. He founded, and – for almost 40 years – made the wines at, Kistler. Since leaving his eponymous estate in 2017, Kistler has been focused exclusively on Occidental, his new, family winery on the outer edges of the Sonoma Coast.