Opened for regular wine group this was still alive and going but imo it is in its sun set years so to speak. Dried fruit, hint of butterscotch, oak still sticks out Will say that it was a last bottle purchase so have no idea of provenance, but similar in character to others I've had from the producer over the years.
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Holy moley! This was definitely the chardonnay of the table tonight but was outdone by a 7 year old Sauvignon Blanc. This wine still had quite a bit of weight and density, beautiful peach preserves, granny smith apple, sharp acidity on the front balanced with white pepper on the finish. Great salinity and mineral density. I would have said based on what I knew about this wine before it was even offered that I would have approached this with caution. Today? I would have put a straw in it! I'm not sure how much longer this bottle has, but this one was an absolute beauty today.
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Opened about 30 minutes before serving. Golden straw color. Tropical fruit, pear, vanilla and a little toasted oak. Had an oxidative note at first that diminished with air but never quite departed. Rich fruit was balanced by good acidity -- one of the things I like about Kistler's McCrea. This was still excellent wine, but time to drink up IMO.
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Yellow with a golden tone. Vanilla and butterscotch on the nose, it carries through on the palate as well. Creamy, ripe golden delicious apple, and crisp apricot, pineapple and it finishes slightly tart. This was opened and tasted over one hour.
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Straw yellow. Since my previous bottle this has pulled everything together, smooth and polished, with ripe apple, honey, stone fruits, subtle pineapple and tropical fruit. It was interesting to see how the different flavor aspects changed as the wine went from chilled to cellar temperature, but it was always good. I see that other tasters were worried about this going over the hill, but for me this was spot on now!
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Aromas of flowers. Flavors of ripe peaches, ripe melons, ripe pears. A little bit of wet stone/organic earth. Butter and cream notes are present but muted. A bit of spice from the oak. Tasted next to the 2008 and this was much more restrained/Burgundian in approach, which is to say, to my liking.
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Just a beautifully balanced wine. If Burgundy and California married their best Chardonnays to each other, this is what youd get. Consume at dinner at Cafe Bouloud in Palm Beach. The meal consisted of pumpkin ravioli, tile fish and scallops. The wine was the best of a bit of Oakland butter with lots of fruit in a long, very complex finish.
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At home with Valerie and Suzy H. Last bottle of my aged Kistlers, have had mixed experience with the older ones but luckily this one did well.
From prior notes: "Medium/dark gold color. Nose of orchard fruit, stones and white flower. Plate of candied pineapple, honey, lemon, peach, wet stones. Rich texture and long finish. Rich, rounded CA Chardonnay in its prime..."
Really gorgeous at this point, fully mature, expressive and nuanced. Would drink over next 2 years for best experience
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A remarkable wine. It's golden and sweet and veers closely towards going OTT, but somehow the acid and backbone and classic flavors pull it back. Minerals and stone with pineapples and white flowers. Really reminds me of a meursault 1er. It's a tad hot, and it won't last for that many more years, but darn this is special juice.
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Aging beautifully. Golden colored. Intense oaky nose when just opened but it disappears after a bit to reveal a nose of ripe tropical fruit that carries through the palate. Silky bodied and a strong finish that lingers for minutes.
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With Jim and Subha in the cellar, a farewell party...first wine of the evening, wanted to start with a Chard that Valerie would like. Some concern with this bottle as my older Kistlers had not held up...Slightly chilled/PnP, 4 of us drank over an hour.
Prior notes: "Medium/dark gold color. Nose of orchard fruit, stones and white flower. Plate of candied pineapple, honey, lemon, peach, wet stones. Rich texture and long finish. Rich, rounded CA Chardonnay in its prime..."
Luckily this repeated, really gorgeous and expressive. The candied citrus and pineapple was present and not overdone. This wine is fully mature at this point and drinking well...would not wait.
Still great on Day 2...
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Notes of toast, ripe yellow apple, Meyer lemon and vanilla, this Kistler drinks beautifully at age 7. Side by side with 2005 McCrea this was the brighter, more balanced wine that literally danced out of the glass. Drink up and enjoy over next 2-3 years.
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Christmas Eve with some cheeses and appetizers. PnP, drank over 90 minutes. Wine opened up nicely as it had air and warmed a bit in the glass, this had been in the fridge for a bit.
Rich medium/dark gold color. Nose of orchard fruit, stones and white flower. Plate of candied pineapple, honey, lemon, peach, wet stones. Rich texture and long finish. Rich, rounded CA Chardonnay in its prime.
This has improved (from memory) since last bottle, putting on weight and developing secondary characteristics. In its prime right now (IMO), would drink over next 1-2 years. My older Kistlers (06-09 vintages) did not hold up well with age. This bottle in a very different spot than some of the prior vintages, aged nicely and really drinking well.
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Even better than the last bottle I had six months ago. Dark golden color, rich, with aromas of fruit and flowers. Flavors of pineapple and honeydew melon with a kind of creamy mouth feel. Quite delicious!
Classic Kistler Chardonnay! Dark gold in the glass with hints of stone, lemon, and flowers! Nice round texture in the mouth with medium acidity and a 30 second plus finish! In a nice spot.
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Really nice classic Kistler flavors. viscous, smooth, consistent. Don't think it will improve, but in a good spot now. little lemon, flowers. smooth, good acid.
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I can see why Kistler gets the rave reviews on its Chard. I prefer white burgundy any day, but I can tell you that this is a worthy wine. Gold color, apricot, tangerine, pear and floral on the nose. Very good finish. I appreciated that it was not over-oaked like many California chards. Paired it with broiled lobster tail and truffle mac and cheese.
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Given my last tasting note must be an off-bottle (oxidised?); medium to full yellow; buttery fresh slightly sharp nose, some pineapple; some body but impression is lean and somewhat sour; ok wine but not Kistler standard
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My first Kistler, and I got to say, i liked it! It has been a couple of days, so it would be hard for me to give tasting notes. I recall it being more mineral than many Chardonnays I have had, but in a very good way. I also recall the perfect amount of fruit to balance it out, mainly in the middle of the taste.
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Barely got a glass of this as my wife and Christa took this one down. Nothing in that glass would suprise fans of Kistler...lemon, pineapple, mineral in a full, lush wine.
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11/9/2023 - deadwax Likes this wine: 90 Points
Opened for regular wine group this was still alive and going but imo it is in its sun set years so to speak. Dried fruit, hint of butterscotch, oak still sticks out Will say that it was a last bottle purchase so have no idea of provenance, but similar in character to others I've had from the producer over the years.
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12/23/2022 - mflesh wrote:
Holy moley! This was definitely the chardonnay of the table tonight but was outdone by a 7 year old Sauvignon Blanc. This wine still had quite a bit of weight and density, beautiful peach preserves, granny smith apple, sharp acidity on the front balanced with white pepper on the finish. Great salinity and mineral density. I would have said based on what I knew about this wine before it was even offered that I would have approached this with caution. Today? I would have put a straw in it! I'm not sure how much longer this bottle has, but this one was an absolute beauty today.
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4/11/2020 - stoneb Likes this wine: 91 Points
Opened about 30 minutes before serving. Golden straw color. Tropical fruit, pear, vanilla and a little toasted oak. Had an oxidative note at first that diminished with air but never quite departed. Rich fruit was balanced by good acidity -- one of the things I like about Kistler's McCrea. This was still excellent wine, but time to drink up IMO.
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1/18/2020 - Tony Ling Likes this wine: 93 Points
PNP into Zalto Burgundy glass (“Flower” day): Medium golden to the eyes.
Very floral this. Highly mineral but not so much on acidity. Oak is there, solid but still good for my tastes.
Not unlike a hot vintage Burgundy.
93 points.
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9/16/2019 - jdhannah Likes this wine:
No detailed notes but just since no recent notes, still great
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11/14/2018 - rustyRudy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Yellow with a golden tone. Vanilla and butterscotch on the nose, it carries through on the palate as well. Creamy, ripe golden delicious apple, and crisp apricot, pineapple and it finishes slightly tart. This was opened and tasted over one hour.
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10/26/2018 - rustyRudy Likes this wine: 95 Points
Straw yellow. Since my previous bottle this has pulled everything together, smooth and polished, with ripe apple, honey, stone fruits, subtle pineapple and tropical fruit. It was interesting to see how the different flavor aspects changed as the wine went from chilled to cellar temperature, but it was always good. I see that other tasters were worried about this going over the hill, but for me this was spot on now!
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5/11/2018 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot wrote: 93 Points
Aromas of flowers. Flavors of ripe peaches, ripe melons, ripe pears. A little bit of wet stone/organic earth. Butter and cream notes are present but muted. A bit of spice from the oak. Tasted next to the 2008 and this was much more restrained/Burgundian in approach, which is to say, to my liking.
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1/24/2018 - bigneil Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very nice, lemon,citrus. Crisp green apple in the mouth with some light butter and oak. Holding up well for an older Kistler
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11/1/2017 - brujazz wrote: 94 Points
Just a beautifully balanced wine. If Burgundy and California married their best Chardonnays to each other, this is what youd get. Consume at dinner at Cafe Bouloud in Palm Beach. The meal consisted of pumpkin ravioli, tile fish and scallops. The wine was the best of a bit of Oakland butter with lots of fruit in a long, very complex finish.
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10/7/2017 - walkerjfw wrote: 94 Points
At home with Valerie and Suzy H. Last bottle of my aged Kistlers, have had mixed experience with the older ones but luckily this one did well.
From prior notes: "Medium/dark gold color. Nose of orchard fruit, stones and white flower. Plate of candied pineapple, honey, lemon, peach, wet stones. Rich texture and long finish. Rich, rounded CA Chardonnay in its prime..."
Really gorgeous at this point, fully mature, expressive and nuanced. Would drink over next 2 years for best experience
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9/23/2017 - jeffreylubowski Likes this wine: 94 Points
A remarkable wine. It's golden and sweet and veers closely towards going OTT, but somehow the acid and backbone and classic flavors pull it back. Minerals and stone with pineapples and white flowers. Really reminds me of a meursault 1er. It's a tad hot, and it won't last for that many more years, but darn this is special juice.
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9/4/2017 - IvanKrazy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Aging beautifully. Golden colored. Intense oaky nose when just opened but it disappears after a bit to reveal a nose of ripe tropical fruit that carries through the palate. Silky bodied and a strong finish that lingers for minutes.
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6/16/2017 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
In the bouquet ripe fruits and rich. On the palate very full bodied, rich and ripe. A beautiful wine. Ready now and the next few years.
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6/16/2017 - walkerjfw wrote: 94 Points
With Jim and Subha in the cellar, a farewell party...first wine of the evening, wanted to start with a Chard that Valerie would like. Some concern with this bottle as my older Kistlers had not held up...Slightly chilled/PnP, 4 of us drank over an hour.
Prior notes: "Medium/dark gold color. Nose of orchard fruit, stones and white flower. Plate of candied pineapple, honey, lemon, peach, wet stones. Rich texture and long finish. Rich, rounded CA Chardonnay in its prime..."
Luckily this repeated, really gorgeous and expressive. The candied citrus and pineapple was present and not overdone. This wine is fully mature at this point and drinking well...would not wait.
Still great on Day 2...
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5/14/2017 - Winedad53 wrote: 93 Points
Notes of toast, ripe yellow apple, Meyer lemon and vanilla, this Kistler drinks beautifully at age 7. Side by side with 2005 McCrea this was the brighter, more balanced wine that literally danced out of the glass. Drink up and enjoy over next 2-3 years.
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3/24/2017 - MemorialWineFan wrote: 92 Points
Big and buttery with hints of butterscotch and pear. Very good if you like this chard style.
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12/24/2016 - walkerjfw wrote: 94 Points
Christmas Eve with some cheeses and appetizers. PnP, drank over 90 minutes. Wine opened up nicely as it had air and warmed a bit in the glass, this had been in the fridge for a bit.
Rich medium/dark gold color. Nose of orchard fruit, stones and white flower. Plate of candied pineapple, honey, lemon, peach, wet stones. Rich texture and long finish. Rich, rounded CA Chardonnay in its prime.
This has improved (from memory) since last bottle, putting on weight and developing secondary characteristics. In its prime right now (IMO), would drink over next 1-2 years. My older Kistlers (06-09 vintages) did not hold up well with age. This bottle in a very different spot than some of the prior vintages, aged nicely and really drinking well.
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11/15/2016 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 94 Points
This has taken on weight since sampled in 2013 - the lemon and tropical notes have mellowed, giving more balance to the wet stone and spice qualities.
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11/1/2016 - bzell Likes this wine: 91 Points
Really nice chardonnay but not quite what i anticipate in a kistler chardonnay.
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8/26/2016 - Wuthee wrote:
Decent out of the gate--had with pasta (homemade sauce--it's tomato season--but plain Jane, no cheese to wreck the palate--opens up very nicely
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7/29/2016 - Wuthee wrote: 94 Points
Very long dry runway on the taste
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7/17/2016 - Wuthee wrote: 92 Points
Decent--was expecting a little more lightning on the tongue
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7/3/2016 - VAD wrote: 95 Points
Just excellent right now. 2010 and drinking fabulous right now.
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6/10/2016 - VAD wrote: 92 Points
Great color. Nice balance and fruit.
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5/24/2016 - Wine_in_HD wrote: 95 Points
Even better than the last bottle I had six months ago. Dark golden color, rich, with aromas of fruit and flowers. Flavors of pineapple and honeydew melon with a kind of creamy mouth feel. Quite delicious!
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4/2/2016 - WineWheelz Likes this wine: 95 Points
Classic Kistler Chardonnay! Dark gold in the glass with hints of stone, lemon, and flowers! Nice round texture in the mouth with medium acidity and a 30 second plus finish! In a nice spot.
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3/21/2016 - WestCoast wrote: 94 Points
Really nice classic Kistler flavors. viscous, smooth, consistent. Don't think it will improve, but in a good spot now. little lemon, flowers. smooth, good acid.
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1/30/2016 - yaki wrote: 93 Points
Rich, opulent and very Burgundian in style. Drinking well now.
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12/21/2015 - Wine_in_HD wrote: 92 Points
Not a big chard drinker but this one was very nice with deep golden color, ripe flavors of pear and apple. Very good.
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3/22/2015 - MemorialWineFan wrote: 92 Points
I can see why Kistler gets the rave reviews on its Chard. I prefer white burgundy any day, but I can tell you that this is a worthy wine. Gold color, apricot, tangerine, pear and floral on the nose. Very good finish. I appreciated that it was not over-oaked like many California chards. Paired it with broiled lobster tail and truffle mac and cheese.
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11/15/2014 - Miceri wrote: 87 Points
Given my last tasting note must be an off-bottle (oxidised?); medium to full yellow; buttery fresh slightly sharp nose, some pineapple; some body but impression is lean and somewhat sour; ok wine but not Kistler standard
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7/12/2014 - Hayward wrote: 94 Points
Love this wine! Big nose, golden color, big finish. The taste of pear and apple came through with a hint of citrus. A delightful wine.
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5/29/2014 - willthethrill wrote: 91 Points
Crisp, lemon, perhaps a bit of grass...a touch dry and mineral...some oak comes out later.
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1/5/2014 - rustyRudy wrote: 92 Points
Light straw. Apple,pear and tangerine on the nose. Nicely oaked, Granny Smith apples, complex with a long finish. Excellent with food and by itself.
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4/16/2013 - jlaws7lh wrote: 94 Points
My first Kistler, and I got to say, i liked it! It has been a couple of days, so it would be hard for me to give tasting notes. I recall it being more mineral than many Chardonnays I have had, but in a very good way. I also recall the perfect amount of fruit to balance it out, mainly in the middle of the taste.
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4/15/2013 - kmforster Likes this wine: 91 Points
Expressive nose, lush palate, big and deep tropical flavors, and persistent -- but impeded by a touch too much oak.
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3/18/2013 - Miceri Likes this wine: 96 Points
Golden yellow; nose of sunny corn and honey; nice soft rich attack, good acidity, perfect balance; long aftertaste; excellent
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3/12/2013 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 92 Points
Barely got a glass of this as my wife and Christa took this one down. Nothing in that glass would suprise fans of Kistler...lemon, pineapple, mineral in a full, lush wine.
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12/15/2012 - El Tej wrote: 95 Points
Lemon, citrus and herbal notes balanced with a full-bodied subtle oak velvety mouthfeel
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