Kistler, Kistler Vineyard Cuvee Cathleen, Sonoma Coast

Needed time to open up, tasted metallic and disjointed for the first 45 minutes. Then is fell into balance, nutty, with tropical flavors, still showing signed of it's age. My opinion is this bottle was well past its prime.

2011 vintage

yes needs a few more years to tame the intensity

2019 vintage

정말 인상적인 와인이다. 미국 샤르도네를 꽤 좋아하는데, 오베르뿐만 아니라 이 와인도 마음에 들었다. 2009년 빈티지라 꽤 올드 빈티지인데도, 그렇게 느껴지지 않는 점이 흥미롭다. 향에서는 복숭아 같은 예상치 못한 과일 향이 느껴진다. Wine Advocate가 표현한 "꿀, 노란 꽃, 마지팬, 탄제린, 살구의 풍미"처럼 열대 과일 비슷한 향도 나는데, 이게 꽤 재미있다. 시간이 좀 지나면 스카치 버터 캔디 같은 달콤한 향이 나서 더욱 매력적이다. 입에서는 과일의 집중도가 아주 뛰어나다. 레이블을 가리고 마셨다면 2-3년 이내의 영 빈티지라고 생각했을지도 모른다. Vinous가 언급한 "놀라운 신선도와 활력"처럼, …

2009 vintage

Very nice salinity. Lemon zest and a bit of apricot. Almond cake and a hint of butter. The oak is very nicely integrated. Drinking very nicely

2019 vintage

JD Friday Wine Group - GA Host (Dinner) (City Club FW - Oak Bar) : Tasted blind - great clarity in the glass, yellow gold in color; some oak, lots of lemon; integrated acidity, good minerality. Delicious and easy to drink. Went well with the seared halibut. Guessed a 2016 Kistler something.

2019 vintage

This one was toast. Held onto it too long

2012 vintage

I typically enjoy Kistler Chards with 6-8 years of age on them, but when someone offers one earlier, I definitely won't say no! Went to a seafood restaurant in Newport RI, and a good friend brought this for us to drink! Nose showed sweet fruit and citrus, with some honeysuckle, orange peel and notes of butterscotch. Palate showed lots of pear, citrus, stone fruit and melon with notes of toasted oak and butterscotch and a hint of salted caramel on …

2019 vintage

Coravined. Darker color, wonderful nose and great

2011 vintage

Medium yellow, moderate nose, peach pear apple and vanilla

2012 vintage

Popped and poured. Wow was this a good bottle. I have to admit it surprised me as I have had varied experiences with aged Kistler. But this one was fresh, youthful and terrifically balanced with excellent acidity. Lemon, lime, stone fruit. Very focused but also complex. Probably doesn’t get better than this.

2010 vintage

This one is singing - world class; light hay yellow; light buttery nose; silky soft and creamy with a quite complex vanilla-like structure, good acidity in the middle and a quite intense aftertaste; an interesting clearly above average wine; also a bit exotic fruit in the blend; really like it and still seems quite young even though it is 10+ years

2011 vintage

Golden yellow in color, tropical fruits, vanilla and cut citrus on the nose with golden delicious apple, oak, and marzipan with lemon, toast and butter on the finish

2012 vintage

Tasted with Bonneau du Martray, Corton Charlemagne same year; quite different wines; Martray rounded soft tasteful with buttery notes; Kistler more rich and “power in your face”; matter of personal preference which you prefer

2011 vintage

This is my favorite Kistler chardonnay. The glass exudes elegant power that penetrates the palate. Tropical fruits and white stone fruits integrate beautifully with a vibrant fresh-squeezed citrus juice acidity. A smooth crushed rock minerality gently corrals the flavors of the palate down the throat into a bright and lengthy finish. The wine balances out and hits its peak after a few hours of opening. Excellent with items ranging from charcuterie to baked fish to sashimi.

2012 vintage

green tinged pale yellow, lots of clarity, silvery hue Nose: pear, nectarine, lime leaves, daffodils, orange marmalade, flint, minerals, silver, salt, touch oak Pal: pear, nectarine, vanilla, caramel, lime leaves, wax, tangerine, pie crust, flint, minerals, silver, salt, touch oak Feel: medium, full, round Finish: medium T9

2019 vintage

Some Kistler Chardonnays taste the same, but there is usually always one that rises above: this edition of the Cuvee Cathleen - named after Steve Kistler's daughter - lives up the tradition of this remarkable vineyard. In fact, tonight this beat out a 2019 Aubert Park Avenue and 2019 Drouhin Premier Cru Chassagne-Montrachet, with a generosity and purity that merged the best of New World and Old, resulting in a tasty wine that should only get better over the next …

2019 vintage

Still delicious but less fresh and rich than the 10/20/20 bottle and at end of peak drinking period.

2010 vintage

Similar to the 6/27/21 bottle.

2011 vintage

Deep gold color. Aromas of apricot marmalade, orange pith, almonds and wood spices. Ripe, nicely balanced fruit in the outh with excellent depth and length. Nicely intense and persistent on the palate. This wine will not get any better so drink up!

2011 vintage

Jun 2021 - Rich, concentrated fruit in the nose and flavor. Pears, peaches, and some floral. Medium to full bodied and a long finish.

2011 vintage

Beautiful gold color. Bouquet of orange and toasted apricot upon opening. Good acidity, robust, rounded taste of lemongrass and orange peel. Wonderful balance, elegant and powerful finish. A magnificent Chardonnay at or near its peak. Reminiscent of a Kongsgaard’s “Judge.”

2011 vintage

Golden straw color. Not much to add to profile from other notes. Still very good, but finish had an oxidation note consistent with color. My experience with Kistler Chardonnay suggests prime drinking (for me) is 5-8 years from harvest. Some bottles last longer, but risk of over maturity rises significantly after about 8 years.

2010 vintage

Once again wauv, why not give it 100 points? Can a white get any better? Rich golden yellow; expressive rich fatty nose, honey, exotic fruit; incredible rich taste, concentrated and thick with good acidity, some citrus, good power

2010 vintage

Wauv. There might be better wines out there, but this is clearly one of the best I have tasted in a decade, so top points; rich golden yellow warning of potential oxidation which was not there; rich honey-like nose with exotic fruit and light caramel; rich intense creamy with a wonderful balance, rich intense middle, a powerful balanced white with lots of taste and body

2010 vintage

This bottle, purchased upon release and cellared under ideal conditions, is oxidized and also has notes of VA and TCA. Very disappointing.

2012 vintage

From a bottle purchased upon release and pristinely cellared, this medium golden wine was serially tasted over three hours. Rapidly unleashing a bouquet of candied citrus, quince, honey, coriander, white flowers and vanilla, it proceeds to deliver comparable flavors on a medium-bodied, freshly acidic palate. The wine's alcohol (14.1%) is fully integrated, which is also the case for the oak at this point. Impressively dense on the mid-palate and very lengthy on the back end, this mature Chardonnay is classic-quality …

2010 vintage

Light gold color. Aromas of peach pit, citrus, minerals and oak spices. Ripe, intense, well-structured fruit in the mouth with excellent depth and length. Nicely complex and very long on the palate. Still fully intact and fresh at 10 years of age.

2010 vintage

One of the best CA chards I have enjoyed in recent memory. Initial stone fruit of apricot and peach is now faint, and enveloped on the palate by silky butterscotch, though still notable. The finish on this wine continues for seemingly minutes, not seconds. The wine still has plenty of backbone that will sustain ecstatic pleasure for several years, but I dare say this will not drink better than it does currently. Amidst a sea of “good” to “very good” …

2011 vintage

lackluster, not premoxed, but something was off w/ this bottle, as has been the case with many '11 and '12 chard's i've had over the past 2 years. disappointing for this producer.

2012 vintage

pretty. medium golden hue. initially a little oak and heat but that faded; now white stone fruits with some sweeter notes on the perfume. the palate is tart apricot, pineapple and apple notes; all fruit and no minerality; some white pepper and candied ginger on the finish. decent acidity. a tad too sweet, a tad too much oak and alcohol for me to rate this higher. Def not going to get better IMHO so drink up if you have this. …

2012 vintage

Very similar to bottle from 1/4/2020. Gave it an hour of air in the cellar before serving, and this was in a great spot.

2009 vintage

Happily, this bottle was similar to the 7/17/19 bottle.

2009 vintage

Not as good as last bottle, but still very good.

2011 vintage

Drank over 2 nights, wonderful balance, great concentration, silky.

2011 vintage

Ripe orchard fruits, creme brûlée and butterscotch. If I were picky, perhaps a touch more acidity would be nice. Otherwise, a sublime drink.

2010 vintage

Dinner at Sunshine Beach. This wine is clearly is New World but has uncommon balance and real grip for a wine of this opulence. The colour is quite deep gold with a rich nose of yellow peach, nectarine, honey and vanilla oak. The palate is opulent with plenty of honeyed peach, candied lemon, honey and creme brûlée balanced by fine oak handling and a good mineral streak that provides grip and length. Distinctive and delicious.

2010 vintage

Consumed over 2 nights. Opened but not decanted about an hour before dinner; needed more air. Golden straw color. White stone fruit, ripe pineapple and hints of caramel and vanilla. Saved 1/2 bottle for next night (vacu-vin and back in cellar), when this was singing. Same flavor profile but more delineated and aromatic while remaining fresh. 91 on night 1, 94 on night 2. Drink over next year or so with 60-90 minute decant.

2009 vintage

PnP. Cellared at 58 degrees since release. Medium gold. Intense nose of tropical fruits, marzipan and pear. On the palate - wow; deep viscous palate impression with good salinity and iodine notes, long finish , with deep phenolics. Very impressive at age 10 - almost too big. Yields must have been very low to get this degree of intensity.

2009 vintage

Golden yellow, big nose of pineapple and wet stone, this wine is huge despite being 10 years old. The wine has delicious tropicanfruit, some almond flavors and a long delicious butterscotch finish. Definitely at the tail end of its life but still pumping.

2009 vintage

Very similar notes as my tasting in early 2018. "Rich, full bodied chardonnay with nice complexity and a long finish. Citrus, vanilla, apricots, pears, honey and floral notes. Cuvee Cathleen is my favorite Kistler chard in just about every vintage". Maybe some more minerality in the finish this time around.

2009 vintage

Medium gold color. Aromas of ripe pears, honeysuckle, minerals and wood spices. Rich, beautifully integrated complex fruit in the mouth with excellent depth and length. Intense and very long on the palate. At 10 years of age, a truly outstanding California Chardonnay that has lost nothing to time. However, given that the bottle I consumed 4 months ago was completely oxidized, I would drink up!

2009 vintage

Drank over 2 nights, gorgeous citrus fruits w notes of nectar and honey, silky and a long finish.

2011 vintage

Very well made fully mature Cali chardonnay. Lovely nose of flowers, lemon oil and herbs. The palate is very suave with terrific integration, minerality and a long finish. Lemon, pomelo, kiwi, crushed rocks and toast on the palate. The oak presence is felt a bit more than I would like but in this wine it’s very well integrated. This still has a few years of life still ahead of it.

2010 vintage

Amazing

2011 vintage

Drank this side by side with a 2014 Aubert Larry Hyde & Sons Chardonnay. The color on the Kistler was amazing. They typically are golden with a tinge of green, yet this looked like a sauterne - deep dark golden. Absolutely beautiful. I think of the Kistlers as having more citrus and mineral, while the Auberts are warmer with apricot and pear flavors, and less mineraly. This Kistler had definitely aged and become far creamier, and richer yet still with …

2010 vintage

As delicious as the bottle earlier in the week.

2009 vintage

Floral, mineral, and citrus notes with a hint of oak on the creamy texture and aromatic nose with a long tasty finish. Drinking Beautifully!

2009 vintage

Had a 2010 about 5 months ago. Similar notes here. More of an acidity here. Poured darker in the glass than I was expecting. This seemed to have more of a peach and pineapple kind of nose with a funk to it, but the palate to me seemed to be more reminiscent of sharper stone ground fruits, kiwi, honeydew. Finished with more rounded edges than it started. A nice bottle. I'd probably make plans to consume this one soon if …

2009 vintage

Stored at 58 degrees since release. Double decanted as I find these large scaled Chards benefit significantly from air exposure; cork was a bit soft. Medium light gold. Mineral and oak (vanilla) primarily on the nose with some hints of tropical fruits. Lovely fruit on the palate with good balancing oak and minerality and a long intense finish. With some air this still seems out of balance with the oak being too prominent. No oxidation issue w this bottle. Still …

2012 vintage

Dingy yellow-gray color, not vibrant. My kids declined to taste it after smelling it--I've raised them well! Odor of oxidation. Varnish, chemical taste. In my experience this is a periodic problem with this producer.

2012 vintage

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Kistler, Kistler Vineyard Cuvee Cathleen, Sonoma Coast

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