7/27/2015 - etirer wrote:

There is fruit hiding beneath a mountain of tannin and shoe leather, but this wine is best reserved for use as a cooking wine. I routinely add to my beef and venison stews.

6/11/2011 - etirer wrote:

Who says California chardonnay can't age as well as a white burgundy? This wine is still full of citrus notes with apple and almond but those are all subtly tucked into this creamy, doughy bread pudding of a wine. Others tasting it at first guessed Kistler and then Peter Michael but no one guessed 1994. A Grand Cru of a California chardonnay!

12/26/2009 - etirer wrote:

Delicious amazing cab with so much going on. It tasted fabulous the first day but without vacumvin, simply left in decanter for a day, it opened up wonderfully the second night with full fruit wrapped in sliky smooth tanin. I suspect this wine continues to evolve despite already being 12 years old.

12/26/2009 - etirer wrote:

Big thick cab with tons of red fruit - cranberry, currant, cherry with hints of mint and lead pencil. Don't know that it gets much better but has gone from being a slutty CA cab to a more refined Bordeauxish wine.

9/8/2009 - etirer wrote:

Although it will probably still drink well for 10+ years, it is hard to imagine that it could get markedly better than it is now. Not the toungue coating bomb that it was in its youth, but now something better. The fruit is still strong in the nose, full of sweet dark berry fruit on the palate, tanins have softened and acids are in balance, with a finish that just lingers in layers. There is casis, vanilla, cedar, a hint of leather, and that distinctive spring mountain 'mint' note. This is why I love California cabernets and why I own a cellar.

8/28/2009 - etirer wrote:

apricot, honeysuckle and grapefruit notes. drinking better than it did 3 years ago. sad this is my last bottle. whomever says that california chardonnays can't last didn't drink this 7 year old bomb with me last night.

11/28/2008 - etirer wrote:

Another Steve Sherwin fruit bomb, whose tanin is just starting to mellow into the massive weight of blackberry, cherry, cough syrup grape, and casis that is surrounded by tart cherry, lemon and gooseberry. Drinking this wine now may be infanticide, but killing children has never been so much fun!!!

9/22/2008 - etirer wrote:

Again opened for Rick's B-day (celebrated late) and this wine did not disappoint! Opened, tasted, vacvined and began drinking 24 hours later. I only hope I can stay away from the last 4 I have for several years.

4/22/2008 - etirer wrote:

This wine sucks! If you have any of this in your cellar send it all to me and I'll make sure it is properly disposed of! Seriously - another fabulous example of white burgundy style chard made in good ole CA.

4/22/2008 - etirer wrote:

First bottle of the case I've opened and all I can say is that I didn't buy enough. Classic, well structured, CA cab full of casis and fruit with a back bone of oak and tanins. This is starting to drink well but I suspect will drink well for another decade+.

3/21/2008 - etirer wrote:

yet another example of why (other than Peter Michael) this continues to be my favorite CA chard!
peach, grapefruit, a hint of pear, with a whiff of apple blossoms without any overoakiness - could fool most into thinking grand cru white burgundy

3/21/2008 - etirer wrote:

was almost to overwhelming upon opening, actually tasted better after being corked (no vacu vend) and left in refrig for 24 hours. began ot open up second evening and drink fabulously! oak peeled away and fruit really came out.

11/21/2007 - etirer wrote:

Bigger than I remembered. This wine was a little tight, even almost herbal green - early on, but quickly opened up and drank fabulously well. This goes down as my favorite CA cab in what was otherwise a lackluster vintage. I decant first and then get ready to enjoy. We drank during and after dinner as we prepared (the night before) for Thanksgiving.

11/15/2007 - etirer wrote:

on my birthday

10/14/2007 - etirer wrote:

Fabulous depth of fruit and structure, but still young. Bottle developed for the 2 hours that there was any left.

4/14/2007 - etirer wrote:

Tasted at University Club wine tasting along with other BIG wines and it more than held its own. 1997 grand cru chablis was dwarfed by this monster. Nose screams citrus blossums. Still huge fruit - grapefruit, apricot, honeysuckle - up front, balanced by a caramel butterscotch finish. Drinking fabulously now, but could still cellar for some time.

3/25/2007 - etirer wrote:

drank in Park City

3/25/2007 - etirer wrote:

drank in Park City

3/25/2007 - etirer wrote:

drank in park city

2/24/2007 - etirer wrote:

Drinking very nicely. Concentrated citrus and apple notes that reminded me of a Pride chardonnay

12/9/2006 - etirer wrote:

another crisp sharp fruit bomb from Kistler!

12/9/2006 - etirer wrote:

Fabulous, drank over Thanksgiving weekend

12/9/2006 - etirer wrote:

drank over Thanksgiving, can't imagine it getting any better - fabulous

11/23/2006 - etirer wrote:

Awesome Aussie fruit bomb!

11/3/2006 - etirer wrote:

Magnificent! This is what a Grand Cru Burgundy is supposed to be.

8/16/2006 - etirer wrote:

Had really begun to come together. Too bad it was my last bottle. it would have been interesting to see it evolve over the next five years.

8/16/2006 - etirer wrote:

drinking extremely well, although we did decant it for about an hour before drinking. Tasted even better at the end suggesting that this wine is still not anywhere near peak. Drank with Wilhelms and Meyers at Rick's B-day party.

7/11/2006 - etirer wrote:

drinking very well - could still use more cellar time as it really opened up after decanting for an hour.

6/27/2006 - etirer wrote:

Time is proving how balanced this wine was built to be from the start. It is blending a fruit bomb with structure in a manner that exemplifies why great wine gets better with proper cellaring.

5/9/2006 - etirer wrote:

even in the tough years this vineyard makes very enjoyable wine

5/2/2006 - etirer wrote:

delicious, spicy zin - gun it, cause it doesn't a lot better than this!

5/2/2006 - etirer wrote:

powerhouse of orangy yellow color with apricot, vanilla, and honeysuckle balanced with acidity, crisp without being tart

4/30/2006 - etirer wrote:

Drinking extremely well. Lovely fruit with structure. Always loved the reserve but must admit the standard issue bottling is anything but. Still has several years of good drinkability, but can't imagine it developing any better.

3/26/2006 - etirer wrote:

monster zin and although a zin it is infanticide to open it already; should be really interesting to see how this uncellarable grape cellars.

3/26/2006 - etirer wrote:

Really starting to come together like a fine burgundy. Should be even better in a few years. Too bad Mr. P can't rate this cause he'd assign it the grade it deserves. Class A American pinot.

3/26/2006 - etirer wrote:

nice crisp balanced white without the oak or attempts to be more than it is

3/26/2006 - etirer wrote:

powerhouse chardonnay, another citrus laden with apricot fruit bomb that Kistler is famous for. Not fading yet but hard to imagine it getting any better.

3/22/2006 - etirer wrote:

tasty zin blend, was drinking great but foreward strong fruit suggested there was plenty of life left in this bottle

2/27/2006 - etirer wrote:

Drinking very well. May improve slightly with time as wine really began to open up about an hour after opening.

2/25/2006 - etirer wrote:

As always, big tasty Zin!

2/25/2006 - etirer wrote:

Solid, tasty white with plenty of apricot and pear, without too much oak interuption. Ready to drink, but second half of bottle still tasted great on second day after being vacuum vended.

2/25/2006 - etirer wrote:

Starts with a light floral nose. First taste was Monster cherry bomb with structure to support it. Tanin has softened into a spice note. Hint of rasberry on the finish. If this in what American burgundy can be - bring it on!

12/9/2005 - etirer wrote:

So big, except for the grapefruit, you wouldn't guess it was a sauvigon blanc.

11/24/2005 - etirer wrote:

Cherry bomb! A little tight at first with a hint of phenol, could be cellared for several more years. Opened up nicely and is drinking very well about an hour after opening. Last glass was the best.

11/12/2005 - etirer wrote:

Started strong as a classic cab and finished over the top as the tanins softened. This should be decanted before driniking and some could argue that it still needs to age but I can't imagine it getting any better.

9/15/2005 - etirer wrote:

Rich golden color, this wine is a treat to swirl around in the glass and look at before consuming. Might not be quite at peak yet, but can't imagine it getting any better. Strong citrus acidity still balanced by some mango, lemon fruit notes. Just as is true with most Kistlers, it had a super thick mouth feel for a Chardonnay.

8/31/2005 - etirer wrote:

Still drinking extremely well. Tastes as if it has concentrated honeysuckle with a hint of peach surrounded by grapefruit and lemon tartness notes. Minerality persists and has an almost Mesault quality to it and helps produce an apple blossom cleam finish. Might last for another 5 to 10+ but this unfortunately was my last bottle.

7/26/2005 - etirer wrote:

Big blackberry bomb! Started tight but 3 hours into opening it let go and let the fruit shine through. Over the top fruit with plenty of structure to support it. Disappointed I opened it already. Glad I've got a couple of more to open in a few years.

5/27/2005 - etirer wrote:

Solid, classic bordeaux style with hints of cedar. We opened this 3 liter bottle at my brother's rehersal dinner and everyone enjoyed (even the non-wine drinkers). Common comment was "I'd drink more red wine if the red wine I drank tasted like this." Opened the bottle a full 3 hours before begining to pour, then filled a few decanters. Wine was a little tight at the start, but after an hour + in the decanter, the tannin began to ease and the fruit really shone through.