Bright gold. Wild, complex nose combines orange zest, dried pear, smoky minerals, iodine and a whiff of lees. Deep, stony and precise, with fruit in the background and minerality to the fore. This is a real mouthful of rocks. Becomes spicier and more floral with air and finishes with superb precision and length.

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A steely, tightly-knit offering that requires some introspection as well as more bottle age is the 2008 Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard. Unbuttered popcorn, crisp pear, white peach and steely, wet rock-like characteristics suggest lots of minerality in this wine that plays it close to the vest. It needs plenty of coaxing and will benefit from another 1-2 years of bottle age. It should drink well for a decade.

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