Kistler Vineyards: Consistently Among the Best
Kistler Vineyards, a small, family-owned and operated winery in the Russian River Valley, is a nominee for a Readers' Choice Award for Best Domestic White Wine.
The winery is operated by winemakers Steve Kistler and Mark Bixler. Kistler is a Stanford graduate who was formerly an assistant at Ridge Vineyards, oversees vineyard operations. Bixler, an M.I.T. grad who taught chemistry for seven years at Fresno State University before working at Fetzer Vineyards, is Kistler's chemist and business manager.
Kistler's grape sources include some of the finest vineyards in Napa and Sonoma Counties. Its winery is a state-of-the-art facility optimized for the production of limited quantities of the very highest quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Kistler Vineyards Burgundian-styled Chardonnay has been recognized by all of the most respected wine writers as being consistently one of the very best Chardonnays made in California. It is made using traditional French techniques, with the winemaker himself performing the cellar work on the wines.
So it is no wonder that Kistler Chardonnay has a distinct character. It is completely barrel-fermented using indigenous and cultured yeasts. It is aged in 50% new French oak barrels unracked and in contact with all its fermentation lees. It undergoes a malolactic fermentation, receiving minimal handling and processing.
Lastly, the Chardonnay is bottled unfiltered and, generally, unfined after 11 to 18 months of barrel age. Kistler's wines are released semi-annually: once in the spring and once in the fall. Most of its wines are available exclusively through its mailing list.
The winery sells all of its wine each release and does not maintain an inventory of previously released wine that is available for purchase.
Vote for the winemaker that you think is the best of breed. The voting period ends on June 30th, with winners announced on July 1, 2010.
Lastly, the Chardonnay is bottled unfiltered and, generally, unfined after 11 to 18 months of barrel age. Kistler's wines are released semi-annually: once in the spring and once in the fall. Most of its wines are available exclusively through its mailing list.
The winery sells all of its wine each release and does not maintain an inventory of previously released wine that is available for purchase.
Vote for the winemaker that you think is the best of breed. The voting period ends on June 30th, with winners announced on July 1, 2010.
