2010 Kistler Chardonnay Cuvée Cathleen

Light yellow, with a green hue. An intense, mineral-dominated bouquet evokes nectarine, orange, lemon pith and white flowers, with a chalky topnote. Racy, focused and strikingly pure citrus and orchard fruit flavors are underscored by vibrant mineral and iodine qualities and pick up flesh with aeration. Closes with superb clarity and length, trailing notes of honeysuckle, sweet butter and citrus zest.

The 2010 Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard Cuvee Cathleen emerges from a single block within the Kistler Vineyard. Here the flavors are bright, nuanced and highly articulated, in stark contrast with the Kistler Vineyard. Today, the Cuvee Cathleen gives the impression of being almost weightless on the palate. Crushed rocks and a host of saline notes underpin the gorgeous finish. My sense is that the 2010 will blossom even more with additional time in bottle. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2020. It is always a pleasure to visit with Steve Kistler and his partner Mark Bixler. The 2011s and 2010s are excellent across the board, although I currently have a preference for the 2011s. Vintage 2011 is shaping up beautifully, for both the Chardonnays and Pinots. As was the case throughout the region, the season was cool and slow to develop. The 2011s were picked at lower sugars than is the norm here, but very much in keeping with the personality of the year. Steve Kistler commented that a poor set in 2011 resulted in their lowest crop loads in years. Like a lot of his colleagues, Kistler noted that the experiences of 2010 had a huge positive impact on how he responded to similar challenges in 2011. The 2010 Chardonnays are beautiful across the board. Although solid, the 2010 Pinots aren’t quite at the level of the superb 2009s and I expect, ultimately, the 2011s. It was a tough vintage for the Pinots. Yields were mercilessly low. Sadly, there is no Cuvee Elizabeth, as the little fruit that came in went into the Kistler Vineyard bottling. Tel. (707) 823-5603