Kistler Sonoma Mountain Chardonnay has been produced since 2009. Ranked fourth among the wines from this region with respect to number of awards won: the The TEXSOM International Wine Awards awarded the 2019 vintage Gold Medal and the 2017 vintage Gold.
Green-tinged, pale yellow. Elevated and elegant perfumes of both fresh morning citrus blossom and just peeled citrus rind that are so unique to McCrea. Perfectly ripe stone fruits woven with chalk undertones lead to an approach that fills and cleanses the palate transitioning to a finish that is luxurious, long and lasting. A bright acid driven return lifts the slightly supple textural aspects of the wine and is a clear marker of the vintage.
The northern and western most of our Chardonnay plantings lie in our Sonoma Coast vineyards. Metered by the persistent influence of the Pacific, these sites all owe their soils to the sands derived from ancient ocean bed layers. This Gold Ridge soil series produces wines driven in part by the soil influenced earth tones that come by way of the noble sulfides produced during fermentation, which are layered over their stone and orchard fruit core.
The Kistler plantings on Sonoma Mountain, situated on a hillside bench perfectly suited for growing world class Chardonnay, are interlaced with the rare combination of red volcanic and fine grained chalky soils. The vineyards are planted to California Heritage clones that were selected specifically over the last 30 years to ripen to our balanced wine standards. They are some of the oldest Chardonnay vineyards in Sonoma County. When coupled with the selections in the vineyard the textbook growing conditions afford a wine that is decidedly Sonoma Mountain in character. Annually some of our earliest vineyard pickings each year, this is a wine driven by a grounded, focused mineral core yet lifted by striking ethereal tones of vibrant light fruit raised at elevation.
Jeb Dunnuck Rating: 97 Pts.
Varieties: 100% Chardonnay
Origin: Sonoma Mountain, North Coast, California, United States
14.6% ABV
750 ML