1997 Kistler Chardonnay Camp Meeting Ridge Vineyard
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Tasting notes
The dazzling 1997 Chardonnay Camp Meeting Ridge Vineyard is explosive, viscous, powerful, and mineral-laden. It surpasses 14% alcohol, but that is well-hidden by the wine's outstanding extract and layered personality. A lush, leesy complexity emerges, but this is an extremely rich, highly-concentrated, stunning Chardonnay with prodigious fruit extraction in addition to astonishing length. This is the finest Camp Meeting Ridge Chardonnay to date. Steve Kistler believes the 1997 Chardonnays are among the finest he has ever produced. The vintage's high yields do not appear to have had an impact on the wines' level of concentration and intensity. Moreover, the 1997's possess an atypical level of tangy, underlying acidity, giving the wines a wonderful vibrancy. The splendid aromatics are matched only by the 1995's. I tasted 8 Chardonnays. While they share a certain similarity, they posssess distinctive attributes that justify the winery's decision to differentiate them. All are fermented with both indigenous and commercial yeasts, given extensive stirring during prolonged contact with the lees, and bottled unfiltered after full malolactic fermentation. The percentage of new French oak varies, with higher percentages for the Camp Meeting Ridge, Hudson, and Cuvee Cathleen offerings. Release date, 11/99. Tel. (707) 823-5603; Fax (707) 823-6709.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Yellow-gold color, rather deep for this bottling. Deep, ripe aromas of tropical fruits and lemon cream complicated by an intriguing smoky/flinty aspect. Thick, sweet and mouthfilling; bright acids frame the tropical fruit and clove flavors. Quite chewy and buttery in the mouth. Perhaps the longest of these '97s to this point, but best suited for drinking over the next three or four years. Drink this chardonnay over the next four or five years.
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.