1999 Kistler Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard
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Tasting notes
The 1999 Chardonnay Hudson E-Block is pure, leesy, tropical fruit, smoky, earthy, exotic offering with full body, and less definition than the other 1999s. It exhibits a smoky, in-your-face style. While it does not have the aging potential of its siblings, for drinking over the next 3-4 years, it is a lavishly rich, exotic effort. Steve Kistler and his sidekick, Mark Bixler, feel that the key to making top quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in 2000 (an extremely cold year with higher acids) was patience. Some years the flavors come early, and in other years they are much later. Tel. (707) 823-5603; fax (707) 823-6709
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Pale yellow-gold. Multidimensional, sulfidey nose combines tangerine, orange marmalade, butter, hazelnut, minerals and iodine. Dense and thick but still tightly wound and quite light on its feet; a very young wine with a superb spine of acidity and great precision. Suggestions of ripe peach and nuts in the mouth. Very long on the finish but still quite backward; the '98 version from this vineyard is more extroverted, notes Kistler.
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.