2009 Kistler Chardonnay Dutton Ranch
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Tasting notes
Bright yellow-gold. Intense, mineral-accented aromas of nectarine, pear, jasmine and lemon zest. Rich and broad but also sharply focused and lithe, with excellent clarity to its ripe orchard and citrus pith flavors. Notes of iodine and toasty lees add depth to the bright, linear, stony finish.
Critic scores
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2009 Chardonnay Dutton Ranch fleshes out beautifully on the mid-palate with layers of expressive, radiant fruit. The wine finds its minerality and center on the mid-palate Apricots, pears, flowers and subtle, darker hints of earthiness come to life on the finish. This is a very complete, beguiling Chardonnay loaded with complexity and sheer class.
The 2009 Chardonnay Dutton Ranch fleshes out beautifully on the mid-palate with layers of expressive, radiant fruit. The wine finds its minerality and center on the mid-palate. Apricots, pears, flowers and subtle, darker hints of earthiness come to life on the finish. This is a very complete, beguiling Chardonnay loaded with complexity and sheer class. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. I was blown away by these wines from Steve Kistler, his partner Mark Bixler and assistant winemaker Jason Kesner. Over the last few years Kistler has refined his approach, as he wasn’t totally satisfied by the way some of his earlier wines had developed in bottle. Today Kistler is picking his Chardonnays at lower Brix levels, using less French oak (with no stirring of the lees) and keeping the wines in barrel for a shorter amount of time, all in an effort to preserve as much freshness as possible. The result is wines that are totally different in style from past years. The Pinots see a maximum of 50% new oak barrels and that number will continue to trend downwards over the next few years. The 2009 harvest started around September 4 for both Chardonnay and Pinot. The 2009s were bottled in December 2010. Unfortunately, I was not able to taste the 2010s, as they had been bottled just prior to my visit. I will taste those wines in October, 2012. A frequent source of frustration among Wine Advocate readers has been the lack of in-the-bottle reviews for Kistler wines. Beginning this year, all wines tasted from barrel will be subsequently reviewed from bottle as well. Readers who haven’t tasted the Kistler wines in some time owe it to themselves to do so. These are some of the most thrilling wines being made in California today. Tel. (707) 823-5603, www.kistlervineyards.com
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.