2023 Kistler Chardonnay Stock Ranch
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Tasting notes
The 2023 Chardonnay Stock Ranch comes from a site Kistler first planted in 2016. Located on a ridge at 800 feet above the Bohemian Highway just north of the town of Occidental, it's influenced by both heat from Sonoma Valley and fog and coastal breezes from the Pacific Ocean. This second iteration is expressive and energetic. It bursts from the glass with pure scents of lime peel, saline and oystershell, and as it warms in the glass, it reveals wafts of quince paste and honey. The palate is just as singular, offering unparalleled concentration and tremendous floral perfume. Taut, linear acidity provides an effortless balance, and it has a hauntingly long finish.
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Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate
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A bright yellow hue, the 2023 Chardonnay Stock Ranch is from the Sonoma Coast and leads with savory notes of broth, saline, beeswax, citrus pith, and toasted spices. It’s a salty and fresh wine with a clean, zesty, bright spine of acidity and a more full-bodied, rounded feel floating underneath. Drink 2026-2036. Located in the Russian River Valley, Kistler is led today by winemaker Jason Kesner, who continues the long tradition of working from a singular clone of Chardonnay with Burgundian lineage that Steve Kistler, now of Occidental Wines, began in the 1980s. The wines for this report were tasted at the winery this spring.
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.