95 points,

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, January 2002

There are 500 cases of the Chardonnay deemed by Steve Kistler and Mark Bixler as representing the finest barrels, the 2000 Chardonnay Cuvee Cathleen. It exhibits a gravelly liquid minerality intermixed with profound flavors of orange marmalade infused with hazelnut oil, candied citrus, white peaches, and lemon blossom. It possesses superb purity, remarkable palate presence, and great structure as well as definition. This amazing tour de force in Chardonnay (as it has been in every vintage in which it has been produced) should drink well for a decade. Steve Kistler and his sidekick, Mark Bixler, feel that the key to making top quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in 2000 (an extremely cold year with higher acids) was patience. Some years the flavors come early, and in other years they are much later. It is not surprising that their 2000 Chardonnays could easily pass as grand cru white Burgundies, as that has been the case here for over a decade. These offerings possess incredible liquid minerality, great structure, and phenomenal purity. At the same time, their wines respect their individual vineyard sites. All are put through full, slow malolactics, then racked off into the settling tanks, and bottled without filtration. Nothing is ever done in a hurry. Over the last decade, I have been assessing their aging potential. It appears they hit their peak in 3-5 years, where they remain for 8-9 years before beginning to decline. While that is not lengthy by the standards of many white Burgundies, it is extremely long-lived for California Chardonnay. The wines will last longer, but ageability should be measured by the ability of a wine to improve, not just survive. (Release date 3/03) Tel. (707) 823-5603; fax (707) 823-6709

95 points,

Stephen Tanzer's IWC, May 2003

Paler than usual for this wine, almost green-tinged. Puligny-like aromas of minerals, spring flowers and grilled nuts; little obvious sulfides here. Hugely rich and broad in the mouth, with great early sweetness. Consistent, rather backward wine, with terrific cut thanks to brisk lemony acidity and pronounced minerality. Very structured and very strong on the back end. This used to be a barrel selection, and thus to some extent less of a soil-driven wine than the vineyard-designated bottlings, but now it's made almost entirely from old Wente clones planted in the Kistler Vineyard, at an altitude of 1,500 to 1,800 feet.

93 points,

Wine Spectator, July 2003

Smoky marshmallow and toasty oak lead the way to a rich, broad array of creamy fig, pear and apricot. Intense, focused, complex and concentrated, it perhaps more than most of the 2000 Kistlers needs time. Best from 2004 through 2008. 535 cases made. –JL

About Winery

Kistler Vineyards was founded in 1978 by the Kistler family. The first vintage in 1979 produced 3,500 cases of wine and since then the winery has slowly grown to the planned production level of about 25,000 cases per year.

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