Kistler Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2019

Steve Kistler and Mark Bixler founded this now legendary winery in 1978, since when it has become one of California’s most revered producers of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Steve Kistler’s vision, pioneering at the time, was to demonstrate transparency of vineyard site. He retired in 2017, passing on the baton of winemaker to Jason Kesner who had himself performed a long apprenticeship as assistant winemaker. The fifteen vineyards in the North Coast stretch from western Sonoma County to Carneros. The majority of them are owned and farmed by Kistler. In deference to site, the Pinot Noirs are made from the same clonal material: two small clustered, low yielding clones (Calera & Swan) that were originally imported from a Grand Cru vineyard in Burgundy over 20 years ago. It is fermented in open-top fermenters and the free-run juice is barrel-aged for fourteen to eighteen months before bottling. Kistler’s goal for the Pinot Noirs is to capture the elusive Pinot character expressed in each of their exceptional coastal sites. They aim for elegant, harmonious wines which are impressive for their purity, balance, and lingering perfume.