2009 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

(made from mostly Calera clone grapes picked at 24 degrees Brix): Vivid ruby-red. Deeply pitched dark berry and cherry aromas are complicated by notes of licorice, woodsmoke and dark chocolate. Lush and weighty on entry, then fresher and more lithe in the mid-palate, offering intense black raspberry and candied violet flavors with a touch of black tea. The spicy finish offers very good clarity and cling.

The 2009 Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard bursts from the glass with an exotic array of sweet red fruit, flowers, licorice and spices. It is a dazzling, totally beguiling wine that impresses for its sheer grace and classiness. A subtle yet precise saline-infused finish leaves a lasting impression. This is the most approachable and complete of the 2009 Kistler Pinos today.

The 2009 Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard bursts from the glass with an exotic array of sweet red fruit, flowers, licorice and spices. It is a dazzling, totally beguiling wine that impresses for its sheer grace and classiness. A subtle yet precise saline-infused finish leaves a lasting impression. This is the most approachable and complete of the 2009 Kistler Pinots. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2021. 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