Kistler Vineyards

A top California Chardonnay, the ultra-premium '02 Kistler Dutton Ranch explodes with a load of stone fruit flavors; outstanding minerality and a great finish; a wine of excellent pedigree.

92 PTS ROBERT PARKER, JR. The '01 Kistler Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay reveals intense aromas of buttery honeysuckle, lemon oil, toast, and smoke; more exotic/flamboyant than its siblings.

95 PTS WINE SPECTATOR. The Kistler Durell Chardonnay is a delicious mouthful; it's big, bold, rich and creamy, brimming with tiers of flavor-vanilla, pear, anise, fig and melon; harmonious.

94 PTS WINE SPECTATOR. The '92 Kistler Chardonnay Kistler Vineyards is a rich, enormously complex blend of ripe pear, apple and spice flavors, with toasty, smoky, buttery nuances.

94 PTS WINE ADVOCATE. The '09 McCrea is impeccable from start to finish. Fresh pastry crust, lemon, spices & vanilla are some of the many nuances that flow from this subtle, totally refined wine.

92 PTS WILFRED WONG. Always intriguing and complex, the multi-faceted '04 Kistler Les Noisetiers Chardonnay serves up a potpourri of ripe apples, creamy peach, and smooth butterscotch; lingers well.

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Highly perfumed and redolent of fine strawberry fruit flavors; the '02 Kistler Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is a superbly balanced effort; pair with loin lamb chops.

An awesome effort, the unctuous '02 Kistler Durell Chardonnay packs a real wallop; excellent balance for a big bruiser; rich enough to dance with a plate of fresh Dungeness in a thick reduction sauce.

Crisp and well-defined, the firm and beautifully structured '02 Kistler McCrea Chardonnay is a close to Grand Cru Chablis as there can be in California; perfectly poised for oysters on the half shell.

A rare offering from one of California coolest growing Pinot Noir sites; the '01 Kistler Cuvee Elizabeth exhibits uncommonly fine elegance; an exceptional treat with a crown roast of lamb.

Beyond any power on earth, the '01 Kistler Cuvee Catherine Pinot Noir sticks to the palate even better than the finest grand crus from Burgundy; perfect with grilled lamb.

96 PTS ROBERT PARKER, JR. The '01 Kistler Cuvee Cathleen Chardonnay offers aromas of brioche, buttered pear, honeyed citrus oil, and hazelnuts; opulent, full-bodied, and thick, with superb density.

One of the greatest Pinot Noir vineyards in the New World, the simply superb '01, made from the Dijon 777 clone, is an absolute knockout of a wine; serve only with those who can enjoy this treat.

Complex, even at this youthful state, the bright and penetrating '01 Kistler Hudson Vineyard Chardonnay offers so much more than even the best from Burgundy.

Extravagant and well-built, the full-flavored '01 Kistler Camp Meeting Ridge Chardonnay is a major achievement in great California wines; the wine's powerhouse flavors are perfect with roast game.

93 PTS ROBERT PARKER, JR. The '01 Kistler Hirsch Vyd Chardonnay exhibits a light gold color; big, earthy, mineral-filled bouquet with notions of scorched smoke, citrus oil, and liquid stone character.

The essence of elegance, the stylish yet penetrating '01 Kistler Hirsh Vineyard Pinot Noir ranks as one of the New World's finest efforts with this difficult Burgundian varietal; a coq au vin wine.

94 PTS ROBERT PARKER, JR. The sensational '01 Kistler Durell Chardonnay displays a greenish hue; excellent acidity; abundant minerality; a long, concentrated finish; tastes like a grand cru Chablis.

90 PTS ROBERT PARKER, JR. The light gold-colored '01 Kistler McCrea Chardonnay offers a perfumed nose of buttered popcorn and honeysuckle; medium to full body; pure, nicely textured, long finish.

93 PTS WILFRED WONG. Chardonnay nirvana, the complex '01 Kistler Dutton Ranch Chardonnay deftly combines pineapple notes with hints of pineapples and licorice; an expansive with; great with ham.

90 PTS ROBERT PARKER, JR. The tightly-knit '00 Chardonnay Kistl er Vineyard is reminiscent of a grand cru Puligny-Montrachet; honeyed grapefruit, orange rind, buttered citrus and roasted almonds.

90 PTS ROBERT PARKER, JR. The '00 Kistler McCrea Vineyard Chardonnay is a crisp, lemony, zesty effort with hints of lemon butter, grapefruit, and assorted citrus characteristics.

91 PTS ROBERT PARKER, JR. There are 550 cases of the smoky, hazelnut, tropical fruit-scented and flavored, crisp '00 Kistler Vine Hill Chardonnay; exotic, fruit-driven effort.

91 PTS ROBERT PARKER, JR. The elegant, Coche-Dury-styled '00 Kistler Dutton Ranch Chardonnay reveals orange marmalade, liquid minerals, lemon rind; medium-bodied, rich, French-styled Chardonnay.

95 PTS ROBERT PARKER, JR. The blockbuster '00 Kistler Durell Vineyard Chardonnay; an intensely steely offering with extraordinary texture, ripeness, and weight, with a liquid minerality.

92-94 PTS ROBERT PARKER, JR. The 1999 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard shows the vintage's good, zesty acidity, a white peach, lemon custard, tangerine-flavored palate, full body; superb purity and length.

92-95 PTS ROBERT PARKER, JR. The E-Block of Hudson Vineyard, has produced a flamboyant, ostentatious, full-bodied, dense '99 Chardonnay with exotic notes; scorched earth, smoky, tropical fruit.

Clearly a top wine, the '00 Kistler Chardonnay Noisetiers abounds with bright core fruit flavors and sweet vanilla oakiness; well-balanced and delicious; great with a classic coq au vin.

90-91 PTS ROBERT PARKER, JR. Orange marmalade, pineapple, and mango aromas and flavors are apparent in this full-bodied, rich, smoky '99 Kistler Dutton Ranch Chardonnay; 4-6 years of ageabilty.

93 PTS STEPHEN TANZER. The Kistler '99 Estate Chardonnay has superripe yet reticent aromas of dried fruits, minerals and hazelnut; broad, rich and sweet but with perfectly harmonious acid.

92-94 PTS ROBERT PARKER, JR. The '99 Chardonnay McCrea Vineyard exhibits an intense liquid minerality, notes of white currants, a full-bodied personality with citrus oils and white flowers.

94-97 PTS ROBERT PARKER, JR. An awesome effort is the '99 Chardonnay Vine Hill; exhibits tell-tale minerality as well as a gorgeous nose of white fruits, citrus oils, minerals; impeccably-balanced.

93-95 PTS ROBERT PARKER, JR. The Kistler '99 Durell Vineyard Chardonnay is an intensely steely effort, this big, weighty, gorgeously delineated wine; awesome concentration, fabulous definition.

Extremely concentrated and superbly balanced, the '99 Kistler Chardonnay from the Les Noisetiers Vineyards may be the finest of its kind made in California; creamy, long, and toasty on the palate!

92 PTS WINE SPECTATOR. The '98 Kistler Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay is sleek and elegant, with flavors that gain complexity and nuance; lots of spicy and sharply focused citrus, pear, anise and apricot.

92 PTS WINE SPECTATOR. The '98 Kistler Dutton Ranch Chardonnay is a plump, rich and creamy style, with ripe fig, hazelnut and buttery flavors, and pretty glimpses of anise, pear and tangerine.

92 PTS WINE SPECTATOR. An elegant style, with subtle, understated fig, melon, anise and toasty oak; the texture of the '98 Kistler Durell Chardonnay is silky, with a long, rich, buttery aftertaste.

90 PTS WINE SPECTATOR. Ripe and rich, with concentrated fig, honey and hazelnut turning to hard oak, with firm, earthy flavors. Best to cellar short-term; drink the '97 Kistler Hudson Vyd thru 2006.

93 PTS WINE SPECTATOR. Aromatically rich and complex with flavors to match, the '97 Kistler Camp Meeting Ridge Chardonnay shows layers of fig, pear, anise, custard and citrus; drink now thru 2005.

92 PTS WINE SPECTATOR. THE '98 Kistler Vine Hill Chardonnay offers depth, richness, complexity and wonderful flavors, with layers of fig, peach, nectarine and anise; finishes w/ long complex flavors.

92 PTS WINE SPECTATOR. Delicious chardonnay; the '98 Kistler McCrea Vineyard is Rich and full-bodied, with ripe, complex and concentrated pear, butterscotch, fig, melon, hazelnut and honey notes.

96 PTS WINE SPECTATOR. The '96 Kistler McCrea Chardonnay is intense, with complex earthy pear, fig, melon, citrus and hazelnut flavors that are remarkably elegant and sophisticated on the finish.

93 PTS WINE SPECTATOR. Tight and flinty, with rich pear, fig, anise, vanilla and hazelnut flavors that start out subtly and build to a rich, complex aftertaste. Drink now the '96 Vine Hill to '02.

94 PTS WINE SPECTATOR. The '95 Kistler Vine Hill is a crisp and lively chardonnay with a rich, concentrated, tightly wound band of nectarine, pear, and citrus and spice; wondeful display of fruit!

91 PTS WINE SPECTATOR. The '95 Kistler Dutton Chardonnay (offers) a smoky, earthy style that's a bit heavy-handed, but the core of the fruit is intense and concentrated, with fig, pear, and hazelnut.

92 PTS WINE SPECTATOR. The '93 Kistler Vine Hill Chardonnay is aromatically complex, with flavors to match, offering tiers of rich honey, pear and hazelnut flavors that expand and linger; fascinating!

90 PTS WINE SPECTATOR. The '92 Kistler McCrea Chardonnay is young and tight, with smoky, toasty pear and spice flavors slowly unfolding; revealing more depth and complexity on the finish; try now.

91 PTS WINE SPECTATOR. The '97 Kistler Vine Hill Vineyard Chardonnay is deep, rich and smoky, with layers of ripe fig, lemon, custard and melon; long, long, intricate aftertaste; drink now thru '05.

One of the most requested Chardonnays.