Occidental’s 2023 Pinot Noir Occidental Station Vineyard “Cuvée Catherine” is a single-vineyard Sonoma Coast bottling from the Freestone-Occidental corridor, drawn from the estate’s earliest planted site, established by Steve Kistler in the late 1990s (the winery cites 1999; some trade materials cite 1998). The wine is 100% Pinot Noir, farmed certified sustainable on Goldridge sandy loam with iron-rich sandstone and pebbles. Fruit is hand-harvested at night, fully destemmed, fermented with native yeast (no cold soak) in small lots, then aged about 11 months in French oak (around 25% new) before being bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal sulfur. Alcohol is listed around 13.3%.

In the glass, multiple reviewers converge on deep fruit with floral and savory lift. The Wine Palate (97 points) describes “nuances of rose bud tea, damp soil, aniseed, and wild thyme” over a “profound core of ripe blackberries and boysenberries,” finishing “long and fragrant” and “very seductive.” Wine Spectator (96) similarly finds a “beautiful blitz of mulberry and boysenberry coulis,” with “sparkles of rose hip, iris and hibiscus,” and notes it is “sleek and racy in feel” with savory detail on the finish.

The strongest acclaim comes from Jeb Dunnuck, who awarded a perfect 100 points—an excellent review—calling out “kirschy cherry cordial, fresh lavender, wildflowers, and fresh sage,” plus “exceptional detail, elegant saltiness, refinement, and a ‘wow’ factor throughout.” Dunnuck adds that it “benefited from the long, cool growing season” and suggests a long drinking window (2026–2046).

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate also rates it outstanding at 98 points, calling it “complex, refined and singular,” with an aromatic range from “strawberry, raspberry, blood orange… and mushroom,” and a palate that is “brimming with expressive flavors” while finishing “epically long.”

Vinous (Antonio Galloni, 97) frames 2023 as more tightly wound, citing “intense dark fruit and equally imposing tannins” and advising patience with a wine defined today by “raw, unbridled energy.” Overall, this is a coastal Sonoma Coast Pinot that pairs vivid fruit with structure and notable longevity.