Wine Country: America

Wine Subregion: California

Wine Varietal: Pinot Noir

$79.99 with shipping included on 4 bottles or more

Steve Kistler’s retirement present to himself and, ultimately, the legacy he has passed on to his two talented daughters, is this absolutely gorgeous property high in the hills of Freestone, a short drive inland and up from Bodega Bay on the Sonoma Coast. Dedicated solely to the production of Pinot Noir, Kistler has spared nothing to make this incredible winery the source of some of California’s most exciting wine. The winery, custom-built just for the production of small lots of Pinot, is a must-visit as the views are incredible and building state-of-the-art. Standing outside the winery, you see nothing but rolling hills of vines, not only the Kistlers’, but also the famous Platt and Joseph Phelps’ Freestone Vineyard are also right there between you and the Pacific….the Pinot promised land! As his vines have gradually matured, Steve (with increasing participation from daughters Catherine and Elizabeth) has resurrected some of the single-vineyard micro-cuvees he made famous at Kistler, but the mainstay is the roughly 1000-case production wine they call Occidental-Freestone. This is cool climate Pinot at its most thrilling- intense but elegant, with a ton of personality and the potential to live a very long time. Culled from the estate blocks called Bodega Headlands, Occidental Station and Bodega Ridge, the 2023 is from a potentially great harvest with a close-to-normal quantity. As it happens, it’s a precocious wine that doesn’t mind the early release at all and time will do nothing but fill out its youthful edges. It is another sensational effort- a sexy style of Pinot Noir that revolves around crunchy red and blue fruit, a set of ravishing, briary aromatics and a very Burgundian suave sort of texture. There’s also something uniquely coastal about it- a sort of saline freshness that reminds you that the blue Pacific is just over the hill from where you’re standing and that Pinot Noir wants to, in its heart of hearts, be white. Smoky, herby lamb chops would certainly be a great call but you could roast a lamb leg and be equally happy! Or take advantage of all the great wild mushrooms that are in season right now. Cellarable too!