Opened a bottle tonight, not knowing what to expect. Well structured and balanced. Nice fruit, but not overwhelming. Still drinking incredibly well - would never guess it's 25 years old!
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Medium golden amber with a veritable spectrum ranging to faded green at the edge. Dried fruit and nuts, burnt orange peel, and mineral nose. Earthy, caramelized lemon, citrus oil, and crushed some roasted hazelnuts on the palate. Medium bodied, intriguingly layered, with a lingering finish with just a touch of bitterness. Aged, and nearly done I think, but surprisingly enjoyable.
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The color of a bladder infection, it smells like a cross between shellac and Madeira, which comes through in the taste along with a big dollop of ascorbic acid. Bitter, unpleasant and lingering. This bottle was gone.
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The smell of shellac upon opening. Needed to breath for a short time in the glass. Then a mature chardonnay, very good length on the palate, some caramel, but clean and balanced.
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This wine is absolutely showing its age. The color is a medium dark amber, but the taste is wonderful--that of a mature Chardonnay. Sure there is a bit of caramel, but it isn't dominant. There is a bit of bitterness too in this complex wine, but there is also pear, apricot, a hint of vanilla, and a richness and length that is all too rare in 15 year old Chardonnays be they from California or Burgundy. Well done Kistler! If you enjoy well made, mature Chardonnays, then it is time to pull the corks on your 1998 Kistlers. They are too structured to serve with fish, but I would match them with cheese, poultry, or pork. Very good.
opened this bottles and wine was very dark, just shy of brown, taste wasn't as bad as i would have expected given color... i had a few sips to chk it out but definitely didn't pour for my guests... too bad, kistler can sometimes hold up well for 10-15 years, guess it wasnt meant to be this time
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Amber shellac in color. Bitter at first, but that fades with air. The wine is excellent. No signs of Madeira despite the deep golden color. Some caramel in the aroma with a hint of spice. Some caramel in the flavor too, rich and deep. Alcohol gives a peppery edge, balanced by the richness. Butterscotch pears, and mellow citrus keeping this wine fresh. A great, mature glass of Chardonnay.
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this wine is over the hill. it has that weird musty mushroom thing going on. there is still some sweet nice fruit here and a thicker oily mouthfeel than most chards but drink up quick!
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Mike/DaveR event at AOC. Golden in color with a fragrant nose, nice fruit, juicy finish. I loved this one. Most of the group seemed to like this over the 1997, but several of the more knowledgable ones in the group preferred the 1997.
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I suspect an off bottle. Much more advanced than expected, and even than older vintages of Kistler. Deep Amber in color, an off putting acetone like nose for the first thirty minutes, something I have never had before in a Kistler. This passed after thirty minutes, and the wine was better after an hour. This followed the 1998 Dutton, which was oxidized. No additional tasting notes recorded.
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Golden yellow color. Nose of lemon, caramel, mineral. Pallet similar to nose. Pretty good balance between acidity and fruit. Surprisingly young for being 9 years old. I think this could last for a few more years, but its peak may have passed. Still very good.
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Given the age, a lot better than I expect. Typically Kistlerian body of lightly honeyed, thickened, fatness. Really a nice body to this wine. I don't expect it to improve, and it may deteriorate soon. Drink up.
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Honeyed nose tropical fruit and oily. Went well with bacon wrapped scallops and grilled swordfish . Kistler chards are very unique and the durell did not stray from this. Questionable qpr. More of a $40 chard.
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ERI Pre-Auction Tasting (Chicago IL): Wine tasting. Rich fruit with lots of ripeness on nose and palate. Seemed flabby to me, getting a bit long-in-the-tooth, showing emerging oxidation on finish.
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Deep morning sample color. Explosive butter-toasted hazelnut nose with just a little floral component adding some interest. Rich and oily palate with some balancing acidity and a long finish. I'm not an especially big Kistler Chard fan, but this was very good.
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Off the bat, the color was a dark golden honey amber. Every at the dinner party commented on the darkness of the color of the wine, and it was certainly the darkest and most viscous Kistler that I have had to date (include some far older bottles opened this year). After sixty minutes, the wine really focused on it’s base components, vanilla, butterscotch, caramel, citrus and lemon with tropical exotic fruits. It continued to evolve for several hours until the last pour was consumed some six hours later.
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The nose was an overpowering citrus bomb. After getting past the orange and lemon rind, I got a bit of champagne nose with a good smelling sweatsock. We let it warm up from cellar temp for 45 minutes. It was very well integrated. Smooth on front and mid-palate and very earthy & somewhat oaky on the back palate. This is the kind of wine you could crawl into. Would purchase again.
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The color is a deep straw, showing some age. The nose is strong with nuts, lemon peel, and that Chardonnay funk that I compare to a light sweat sock odor. The palate is equally strong with chestnuts, lemons, custart, and smoke. It shows terrific length and good balance, expect for a tad too much acid on the finish.
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12/11/2023 - Tobinski Does not like this wine:
OMG #105 (Ann Arbor, MI): Very soft and flabby, with a lot of oak and spice notes. But it's still sound and drinkable.
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1/29/2023 - dfsolo wrote: 92 Points
Opened a bottle tonight, not knowing what to expect. Well structured and balanced. Nice fruit, but not overwhelming. Still drinking incredibly well - would never guess it's 25 years old!
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1/12/2021 - Lipsman wrote: flawed
Completely gone. Undrinkable.
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6/4/2015 - Lipsman wrote: flawed
Completely gone, bitter madeira, cloying honey, shellac.
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7/11/2014 - JDRFoster wrote: 89 Points
Medium golden amber with a veritable spectrum ranging to faded green at the edge. Dried fruit and nuts, burnt orange peel, and mineral nose. Earthy, caramelized lemon, citrus oil, and crushed some roasted hazelnuts on the palate. Medium bodied, intriguingly layered, with a lingering finish with just a touch of bitterness. Aged, and nearly done I think, but surprisingly enjoyable.
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7/11/2014 - Lipsman wrote: flawed
The color of a bladder infection, it smells like a cross between shellac and Madeira, which comes through in the taste along with a big dollop of ascorbic acid. Bitter, unpleasant and lingering. This bottle was gone.
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12/20/2013 - Lipsman wrote: 92 Points
The smell of shellac upon opening. Needed to breath for a short time in the glass. Then a mature chardonnay, very good length on the palate, some caramel, but clean and balanced.
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4/13/2013 - Lipsman wrote: 92 Points
Golden in color, deep and rich flavors. Some nuttiness, but still crisp and clean. Drinking well but it won't last for many years longer.
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1/10/2013 - Lipsman wrote: 92 Points
This wine is absolutely showing its age. The color is a medium dark amber, but the taste is wonderful--that of a mature Chardonnay. Sure there is a bit of caramel, but it isn't dominant. There is a bit of bitterness too in this complex wine, but there is also pear, apricot, a hint of vanilla, and a richness and length that is all too rare in 15 year old Chardonnays be they from California or Burgundy. Well done Kistler! If you enjoy well made, mature Chardonnays, then it is time to pull the corks on your 1998 Kistlers. They are too structured to serve with fish, but I would match them with cheese, poultry, or pork. Very good.
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10/25/2012 - WoodieBayArea wrote: flawed
opened this bottles and wine was very dark, just shy of brown, taste wasn't as bad as i would have expected given color... i had a few sips to chk it out but definitely didn't pour for my guests... too bad, kistler can sometimes hold up well for 10-15 years, guess it wasnt meant to be this time
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3/23/2012 - Lipsman wrote: 92 Points
Amber shellac in color. Bitter at first, but that fades with air. The wine is excellent. No signs of Madeira despite the deep golden color. Some caramel in the aroma with a hint of spice. Some caramel in the flavor too, rich and deep. Alcohol gives a peppery edge, balanced by the richness. Butterscotch pears, and mellow citrus keeping this wine fresh. A great, mature glass of Chardonnay.
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10/20/2010 - JDRFoster wrote: 91 Points
Feeling a little more youthful, with more layers and improved fruit, especially tart green apple and citrus.
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9/3/2010 - JDRFoster wrote: 90 Points
Consistent with prior notes, with a little more fruit and nuttiness this bottle.
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6/23/2010 - JDRFoster wrote: 88 Points
Showing signs of age, but surprisingly drinkable. Oak, straw, citrus oil, hints of tropical fruit, with some aged earthiness.
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2/28/2010 - ScottS wrote: flawed
Completely Madeirzed
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1/21/2008 - mike l. wrote: 89 Points
this wine is over the hill. it has that weird musty mushroom thing going on. there is still some sweet nice fruit here and a thicker oily mouthfeel than most chards but drink up quick!
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1/20/2008 - Clarkmeister wrote: 91 Points
Mike/DaveR event at AOC. Golden in color with a fragrant nose, nice fruit, juicy finish. I loved this one. Most of the group seemed to like this over the 1997, but several of the more knowledgable ones in the group preferred the 1997.
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9/12/2007 - Mark wrote: flawed
I suspect an off bottle. Much more advanced than expected, and even than older vintages of Kistler. Deep Amber in color, an off putting acetone like nose for the first thirty minutes, something I have never had before in a Kistler. This passed after thirty minutes, and the wine was better after an hour. This followed the 1998 Dutton, which was oxidized. No additional tasting notes recorded.
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5/6/2007 - lebo9968@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
Golden yellow color. Nose of lemon, caramel, mineral. Pallet similar to nose. Pretty good balance between acidity and fruit. Surprisingly young for being 9 years old. I think this could last for a few more years, but its peak may have passed. Still very good.
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12/8/2006 - kkazaks wrote: 91 Points
Given the age, a lot better than I expect. Typically Kistlerian body of lightly honeyed, thickened, fatness. Really a nice body to this wine. I don't expect it to improve, and it may deteriorate soon. Drink up.
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10/14/2006 - vintage72 wrote: 92 Points
Honeyed nose tropical fruit and oily. Went well with bacon wrapped scallops and grilled swordfish . Kistler chards are very unique and the durell did not stray from this. Questionable qpr. More of a $40 chard.
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3/4/2006 - Burgundy Al wrote: 87 Points
ERI Pre-Auction Tasting (Chicago IL): Wine tasting. Rich fruit with lots of ripeness on nose and palate. Seemed flabby to me, getting a bit long-in-the-tooth, showing emerging oxidation on finish.
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3/1/2006 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
Surprisingly rich and balanced. Lovely tropical fruits with a hint of sweetness. Showing great. 3/06
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1/15/2006 - lebo9968@gmail.com wrote: 88 Points
Not bad, but getting tired. Drink last bottle soon.
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6/14/2005 - BordeauxNut wrote: 93 Points
Deep morning sample color. Explosive butter-toasted hazelnut nose with just a little floral component adding some interest. Rich and oily palate with some balancing acidity and a long finish. I'm not an especially big Kistler Chard fan, but this was very good.
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1/2/2005 - Mark wrote: 91 Points
Off the bat, the color was a dark golden honey amber. Every at the dinner party commented on the darkness of the color of the wine, and it was certainly the darkest and most viscous Kistler that I have had to date (include some far older bottles opened this year). After sixty minutes, the wine really focused on it’s base components, vanilla, butterscotch, caramel, citrus and lemon with tropical exotic fruits. It continued to evolve for several hours until the last pour was consumed some six hours later.
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2/20/2004 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
Red Carpet: Yeasty, bread, a little bell pepper; med. bod, nice a’s.
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1/5/2004 - Tracy wrote: 93 Points
The nose was an overpowering citrus bomb. After getting past the orange and lemon rind, I got a bit of champagne nose with a good smelling sweatsock. We let it warm up from cellar temp for 45 minutes. It was very well integrated. Smooth on front and mid-palate and very earthy & somewhat oaky on the back palate. This is the kind of wine you could crawl into. Would purchase again.
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1/5/2004 - Jason wrote: 91 Points
The color is a deep straw, showing some age. The nose is strong with nuts, lemon peel, and that Chardonnay funk that I compare to a light sweat sock odor. The palate is equally strong with chestnuts, lemons, custart, and smoke. It shows terrific length and good balance, expect for a tad too much acid on the finish.
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