2011 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard
Community Tasting Note
cephomer Likes this wine:
89 Points
Tuesday, December 8, 2015 - WWS Price/Preference Smackdown (blind tasting) (White Plains, NY): Drank at WWS tasting blind. Lots of sweet oak on the nose, along with tropical fruit. Big and viscous, fruit forward and oaky. There's a sense of minerality here, with good concentration of fruit and nice length. BUT, this wine clearly needs more bottle age to develop. Was universally panned by almost our entire tasting group, and a $20 burgundy was greatly preferred, though not by yours truly. I won't touch this wine again for a few years when I'm sure its elements will be far better integrated and balanced.
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2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue (2,642 views)
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue (2,642 views)
Comment posted by BuzzzzOff:
12/13/2015 11:02:00 PM - Thanks for your note and rating. Wow, we usually find people more keen on Kistler. Definitely a Chardonnay for oak-suckers...we tend to prefer that style. Great to hear a USD20 Burgundy fared so well...you can sip more than a few of those for the price of one Kistler ;-)
Comment posted by cephomer:
12/14/2015 8:02:00 AM - Thanks for your comment. I saw your notes prior to choosing this wine for our blind tasting, and see that you guys really love your Kistlers! I have to tell you that I was quite surprised at how negatively the wine was received by our group--many of whom are pretty experienced winos like you and me. Believe it or not, the wine received the lowest ratings of 16 wines that nite--all tasted blind! I didn't hate it but it definitely needs to sit for awhile and gain some maturity (blow off some of its very heavy oaky influences). Before choosing this wine, I was going to bring an 05 Dutton but was concerned that it wouldn't please this crowd. Blew this one big time! lol
Comment posted by BuzzzzOff:
12/14/2015 9:17:00 PM - Oh my, we hope not to have contributed to the disappointment. Yes, Kistler ranks very high on our list of Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. We have a fairly large allocation (more than 10 years on the list), and we tend to like the toasty oaky aspects. To hit bottom out of 16 is embarrassing. You should mention to Kistler. We find them very approachable and keen to get feedback. Yes, in two more years the oak will integrate/mellow and you will get more creamy vanilla with hints of the toasty oak. Wow, the 2005 Dutton would have been interesting. We had the 2006 Cuvee Cathleen a few months ago. A completely different wine. You need to serve it would a nice baguette where you can lather the bread with vanilla-butter...knife necessary :-).