2018 Chardonnay Vine Hill Road Vineyard
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Tasting notes
The white came from California, the 2018 Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard from Kistler. A refreshingly light bouquet at first, it required a few minutes to charge its batteries, and then it was off. Lemon verbena, melted butter, white peaches and vanilla pod on the exquisitely defined nose. The palate is very harmonious and smooth, with deftly integrated oak, touches of kaffir lime and wild honey on the finish. This was exquisite; Russian River Chardonnay at its best.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2018 Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard offers lush aromas of yellow peaches, saline, crushed hazelnuts, wet hay and notes of dried flowers and honeycomb appearing with time in the glass. In the mouth, it has a medium weight, ultra silky texture and expansive flavor layers, framed by addicting juiciness and finishing extraordinarily long. What a stunner!
One of my favorites in the lineup was the 2018 Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard. Another pure, flawlessly balanced 2018. It reveals a medium gold hue along with captivating notes of caramelized apple, lemon curd, honeyed flowers, and salty, rocky minerality, racy acidity, and a great, great finish. California Chardonnay doesn’t get much better! Give bottles 2-4 years and enjoy over the following decade or more.
The 2018 Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard is another stellar wine in this range. The natural richness of these 30+-year-old vines on AxR rootstock comes through loud and clear. Lemon confit, butter, spice, apricot and lightly honeyed notes all grace this wonderfully inviting, Chardonnay. The Vine Hill, from the Kistler winery property in the Russian River Valley, is another wine that eloquently captures the essence of site.
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.