2020 Chardonnay Cuvee Cathleen
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Tasting notes
The 2020 Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard Cuvee Cathleen is from a parcel within the vineyard on red volcanic soils that captures the afternoon sun. It offers a notably more relaxed and generous character, with banana rind, ripe pineapple, and vanilla. The palate is also ripe and rounded, with juicy pear, baked apple, and caramelized rum spice. It is opulent, layered, and very attractive now or over the next 8-10 years.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2020 Chardonnay Cuvée Cathleen offers exceptionally defined, layered aromas: apricot and peach are complemented by tones of dried lilacs and herbs, honeycomb, almonds, tangerine, pie spices and flinty streaks. The medium-bodied palate is satiny and seamless, with concentrated, peachy fruit, tangy acidity and a tremendously long finish driven by an appealing touch of phenolic texture. It's a rare combination of fruit density carried on an elegant, harmonious structure.
Delicate yet really complex nose of orange peel, brioche, crushed sage and baked pear. Full-bodied, but soft in approach. So much going on. Powdery tannins are soaked in toasted citrus, hazelnuts, chalk and herbs. There’s a lot to unpack here. Layered and long. It’s tasting beautifully now, but this really needs time to show its true potential.
The 2020 Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard Cuvée Cathleen is silky and beautifully textured. Hints of apricot, chamomile, tangerine oil, white flowers, sage and dried almonds lend notable complexity. There's real depth and substance here, especially within the context of a year where those were so hard to come by.
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.