Kistler Vineyards Tasting, Triple Creek Ranch, Darby, Montana October 2020

2018 Kistler, Sonoma Coast, Les Noisetiers, Chardonnay 

One of Clark's favorites this particular wine is only distributed to restaurants. It is made as a blend from the Russian River, Dutton, Laguna Ridge, and Trenton vineyards. . It opens with a perfumed nose with a variety of flowers and some sharp honeysuckle. The taste is a balance of fruit and earth with some vanilla and moderate acid and a low level of oak. 

From KL Wines 

Few names are synonymous with California Chardonnay the way Kistler is. This winery almost single-handedly raised the bar to heights not seen before. The Les Noisetiers is a combination of three Sonoma Coast sites (Vine Hill Vineyard, Dutton Ranch, and Trenton Roadhouse) and emphasizes the area’s sandy Gold Ridge soils. The vilification draws on techniques used in Burgundy. The result is one of the most luxurious and complex white wines made in this county, possessing a minerality rare in New World Chardonnay. 

2017 Kistler, Dutton Ranch, Russian River Valley, Chardonnay WS 94 RP 93+ 

The grapes are grown in sandy soil with rock that tends to be on the darker side of soil variations. It opens with a fruity nose with a hint of grapefruit. The taste is very smooth and velvety with a fruity buttery taste. There is some pear noted. It has somewhat higher acid content. It is tart with predominate apple taste but also some pear. The mouthfeel is smooth and pleasant and the finish is long. 

Wine Spectator 94 "Pure and precise, with a lithe blend of intense white fruit and minerality, backed by juicy acidity. The vibrant finish is filled with lemongrass notes and long, powerful hints of savory herb." 

Robert Parker 93+ "Scented of gunflint, toast, and petrichor to begin, the 2017 Chardonnay Dutton Ranch, grown in Goldridge soils, fleshes out slowly to savory notions of baked apple, pie-crust, spring honey, lemon curd, dried leaves, and quince peel. Medium-bodied, rounded, and textured with savory layers, it's lifted by juicy acidity and finishes long. I suspect this needs more time in bottle to flesh out and give all its got" 

2017 Kistler, Stone Flat Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, Chardonnay JD 95 RP 95 

Starts with balanced fruit and mineral nose with limestone predominating. I detected some apple on the nose, a tart green apple. It has a very smooth mouthfeel and on the taste is an apple and pear flavor profile and the fruit flavors are again tart. I also tasted a hint of vanilla. 

95 points Jeb Dunnuck "The 2017 Chardonnay Stone Flat Vineyard comes from the Durell Vineyard as well but is from a selection of only 420a rootstock, which results in a slightly lower pH as well as slightly better yields. It’s not far off the Durell Vineyard and offers impressive caramelized citrus, white flowers, brioche, and pineapple. It’s fresh, vibrant, and ethereal, and has a great finish." 

95 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate "The Stone Flat Chardonnay is planted on the same soil as Durell—they are separated by a few feet—and picked at the same time," says winemaker Jason Kesner. "They're fermented in the same room and with the same barrel program, so the only difference between these two wines is the rootstock." The 2017 Chardonnay Stone Flat Vineyard has an uber-inviting nose with scents of honeycomb, peach cobbler, toasted hazelnut, quince, guava, and a classy framing of baking spice with underlying mineral notions. It's medium-bodied with intense, savory-laced ripe fruits knit by rocky notions and tangy acidity, finishing long and layered." 

2017 Kistler, Hudson Vineyard, Carneros, Chardonnay RP 93 WS 93 

Opens with a fruity nose of pear and apple with somewhat less tartness, more subdued so to speak. The taste follows with a lighter taste of apple and pear. Acid seems higher than the others to me here. Overall pleasant wine which should be food-friendly and a long smooth finish. 

Robert Parker 93 "The 2017 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard offers dried white flowers, toast, gunflint, and rocky notions to begin, opening out to baked apple, white peach, yogurt, and lemon peel. Medium-bodied, rounded and toasty in the mouth with youthfully restrained fruit, it has seamlessly woven, bright acidity and finishes very long and minerally." 

Wine Spectator 93 "Well structured, featuring direct and focused white fruit flavors that offer hints of dried thyme. Finishes with vibrant minerality and rich acidity that linger on an elegant frame" 

2015, Kistler, Durell Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, Chardonnay, served at dinner 

Many years ago I was able to present and lecture on the 1997 vintage of Kistler wines. During that presentation, I made the comment that Steve Kistler was making the great "American Montrachet" as I still to this day feel Kistler wines come the closest to having the same taste profile of the great Montrachet vineyards in France. "Catherine Cuvee" has always been Kistler marquee top Chardonnay and it is always a triumph. But for me, the Durell vineyard wines are parallel to the "Catherine Cuvee". It is a rich powerful wine with an exceptional balance of fruit and mineral tastes and has a hint of lime and greenish coloration which seems to be present in the greatest Chardonnay's. It is the wine I most likely will drink on my death bed. 

96 points Jeb Dunnuck "In the same ballpark, the 2017 Chardonnay Durell comes from a Sonoma Coast site and is a richer, fuller Chardonnay that offers lots of lemon curd, pineapple, and some orchard fruits as well as a kiss of smoky minerality. Medium-bodied, nicely textured, and beautifully balanced, the wine builds with time in the glass, displaying a beautiful mid-palate and a great finish. While it’s one of the richer wines in the lineup, it’s firmly in the new, racy, crisp style of the estate." 

95 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate "The 2015 Chardonnay Durell Vineyard opens with alluring lemon curd, green guava and ripe apricot notes with suggestions of allspice, coriander seed, almond croissant, and orange blossom. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a seductive oiliness to the texture with loads of rich tropical fruit layers generously accented with baking spice notions, finishing very long." 

My overall impression with just these wines was that Kistler Chardonnays were changing into more of a California style with more fruit-forward wines. They still retain their mineral tastes and smells but for a moment seems to get away from the Burgundian styles I had always associated with them where the mineral nose and taste predominates more. They also are going in the direction of lower alcohol and oak but that is consistent with the rest of the world, especially in Burgundy where that is exactly what they are doing today.

Spottswoode Vineyard Tastings, Triple Creek Ranch, Darby Montana October 2020

The owner and CEO of Spottswoode, Beth Novak Milliken, presented all of these wines over the weekend. There is a small amount of duplication as I have included in this article the wines that were presented with the last dinner. I wanted to have all the wines in one article so you might compare them to each other. The Triple Creek Ranch sommelier, Matt, made a comment that when guests asked him what of many wines on his wine list to offer he always could rely on Spottswoode wines to be a hit with his guests and I would agree with that. If you look closely most of these wines are 100 points or damn close to it. To see that level of consistency year to year in any vineyard is frankly remarkable. It doesn't hurt however that California Cabernets have had over 10 years of stellar vintages with great weather year to year which cannot but help. 

2016 Spottswoode, Mary's Block, Sauvignon Blanc, St. Helena, Napa Valley V 92 

The nose and bouquet presented a tart apple and pear flavor profile that was bright. The taste was a little harsh but immediately dissipates presenting a predominate flavor of Granny Smith tart apple. Acid content is moderate and food-friendly. 

92 points Vinous "The 2016 Sauvignon Blanc Mary's Block emerges from a single parcel on the estate property right next to Spring Creek. Dense and surprisingly powerful, the 2016 is built to show off textural volume and intensity rather than the brighter aromas and flavors that are typical of Sauvignon. The 2016 was done entirely in oak, 8% new. More importantly, it is a wine of real personality and class." 

2018 Spottswoode, Sauvignon Blanc, Mary's Block, St. Helena, Napa Valley WE 91 

A tart fruity nose with a hint of jasmine, low acid, crisp, and light with a long pleasant finish. Very balanced will go well with food or by itself as an aperitif. 

WE "This wine opens in a nutty flourish of earthiness and floral apple blossom before exposing complex waves of Meyer lemon, green apple,and fig. Intensely high toned, it is crisp and dry, with plenty of bite and texture." 

2003 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena, Napa Valley Served from Magnum RP 95 W&S 94 

A complex nose and bouquet of chalky, smoky, cedar chocolate, and cigar. I was impressed highly that this is still a young youthful puppy with no age on it continuing to evolve for years. On the taste was pucker up tannins with a flavor of licorice and chocolate. The finish was pleasant and long. Acid and tannin though extensive were moderate and balanced. I noticed a hint of color loss on the edges but you would have never known this was an aged wine based on the taste. To me it was a complex wine well made and well structured that should age for years but I admit with the color showing some loss, even though minimal, the wine might rapidly deteriorate quicker than expected. Reminds me of the 2003 French Bordeaux's who initially came out not that highly rated, after a few years developed extremely well and approached higher ratings than expected, then crashed and burned and rapidly matured so you had to go and drink them fast. 

95 points Robert Parker "In 2003, production jumped up to 3,700 cases, with the blend identical to so many other vintages with 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Cabernet Franc. This was a year where there were some freaky heat spells, but this wine has come through nicely. Deep bluish purple with notes of blackberry and cassis and charcoal followed by a soft, velvety-textured, opulent, and full-bodied wine that seems to be approaching full maturity. It is interesting, this wine is far more evolved, and on a faster evolutionary track than the 2001 or 2002. Nevertheless, it is a beauty, loaded, layered, and impressive. It must be one of the top 2003s. Drink it over the next 20-some years. (RP)" 

94 points Wine & Spirits "The Spottswoode estate celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, and its latest release is a fitting tribute to the vineyard on the property first planted in 1916 by the Spotts family. The Novak family bought Spottswoode in 1972 and replanted the vines. Tony Soter made the first Spottswoode Cabernet in 1982; this current vintage was made by Rosemary Cakebread. Her '03 is lovely, a wine of tremendous richness packed with black currant flavor. It's smooth and lush, a sleek Napa Valley red, destined to be a classic." 

2010 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena, Napa Valley RP100 V97 ST96

A super dark black color with no edge loss. Of all the wines this weekend this one had the darkest color. Opens up with a licorice nose and bouquet as well as Jasmine so a complex nose. Again a young wine with young tannins still even after 10 years. A nice smooth mouthfeel. A very well balanced wine with moderate acid integrated with the tannins well. A long pleasant finish. Clearly deserves the 100 point rating. I wrote this prior to reading the following reviews and was pleased to note that my comments regarding the smooth mouthfeel as well as the licorice taste were picked up by the professional tasters. Gives me faith in my tasting abilities. 

100 points Robert Parker Production in this cooler year than 2009 produced 2,586 cases and the blend was 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Consistently perfect from barrel and bottle multiple times, the 2010 is one of the recent blockbuster efforts from Spottswoode. Superb aromatics of spring flowers, blue and black fruits, forest floor, and a touch of toast, are followed by a wine of exceptional intensity, texture, purity, and a full-bodied finish with velvety, but noticeable tannins. This is still extremely young, but also remarkably impressive even though it is only six years of age. Expect this to hit its prime in about 10 years and last for at least 40. (RP)" 

97 points Vinous "A rich, exotic beauty, Spottswoode's 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon is one the most representative wines from a cold vintage that was marked by heat spikes at the end of the growing season. That contrast makes for a viscerally thrilling wine endowed with magnificent complexity and pure class. Powerful and unctuous, with tremendous depth and tons of character, the 2010 is a total stunner. Dark plum, cherry, chocolate, spice, and new leather all flesh out in this vivid, utterly breathtaking wine. There is so much to love here. (AG)" 

96 points Stephen Tanzer "Good bright ruby. Huckleberry, blackberry, violet and licorice on the scented nose; became increasingly floral with air--a real essence of its St. Helena site. Enters the mouth suave, silky and floral; wonderfully pliant in spite of its acid-driven energy, precision and youthfulness. The wine's perfume and definition pique the taste buds in the middle palate and on the very long, rising finish, where the noble tannins play a supporting role without impinging. This wonderfully youthful, floral wine appears to be at the beginning of a long plane of peak drinkability. Really fills the mouth with perfume, but not at all weighty or overly fleshy. Finishes with great sappy, rising length and grip. My sample was even better after 72 hours. (ST, for Vinous)" 

2012 Spottswoode, Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena, Napa Valley RP 99 JS 98 

The nose opens with a rich, tobacco, chocolate nose, frankly a complex and elegant bouquet. The taste very approachable and chewy with licorice and chocolate. It is aging well, the tannins are still there but have dropped off somewhat. I also found it had some sweetness and residual sugar remaining which added to the complexity. 

99 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 

"With the lowest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in of any of the wines from this vertical, the 2012 final blend was 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Production across the board in 2012 was high and reflected in the 3,977 cases made at Spottswoode. This is a dramatic, flamboyant, modern-day version of the 2002. Dramatic blueberry, black raspberry, and blackcurrant fruit, along with camphor, charcoal, white flowers, and forestry notes all emerge from the impressive aromatics that soar from the glass. The intense, explosively rich, full-bodied palate is layered with beautiful purity, stunningly sweet, silky tannins, and terrific presence and complexity. This is a gorgeous wine on a relatively fast evolutionary track, I suspect, but certainly, it has 30 years of upside left." 

98 points James Suckling 

"Incredible blueberry, blackberry, black walnut, mineral, black licorice, and flowers. Full-bodied, very tight, and structured with hints of hazelnut, fine chocolate, mineral, and spice. Layered and very fine. A solid and classic-styled Napa Valley Cab." 

2013 Spottswoode, Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena, Napa Valley JD 100 RP 99 

Opens with a tight, closed nose, with the taste of moderate tannins, come across as still a very young wine. I detected a hint of flint and a subdued taste. To me the wine needed some extra decanting to open up but it is obviously young and continuing to evolve. It also may have been in a temporary "dumb" phase like you see with some French Bordeaux's which Jeb Dunnuck mentions referring to other 2013's. Obviously, the professional taster's comments below are key to evaluating this particular year. It clearly is one to cellar and drink for years to come. 

100 points Jeb Dunnuck 

"One of the most classic examples of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon I could image is the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon from Spottswoode and this blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot is a truly heavenly, classic wine built for the ages. Offering beautiful notes of black and blue fruits, graphite, exotic spices, violets, and spring flowers, with a touch of earthy, damp river rock-like minerality, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, stunning purity of fruit, perfect balance, building tannin, and a great, great finish. While a number of 2013s have closed down at this point, this still offers beautiful freshness and purity, yet will ideally be given another 4-5 years of bottle age and enjoyed over the following 3-4 decades. Do you want a sure bet in awesome, age-worthy Cabernet from northern California? Buy this wine." 

99 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 

"The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is deep garnet with a touch of purple and exudes pure black truffles on the nose to begin, slowly unfurling to reveal a core of black cherries, warm blackcurrants and plum preserves with suggestions of eucalyptus, tilled soil, chargrill and new leather. Medium-bodied with a great intensity of earth-tinged black fruits, it has a firm frame of grainy tannins and a long truffle-laced finish." 

2014 Spottswoode, Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena, Napa Valley RP 98 WE 98 

Opens with a floral nose with honeysuckle and charcoal. The taste is dark chocolate with a smooth silky mouthfeel. The structure of the wine is exemplary with integrated acid and tannin and great balance. It has a long finish. 

98 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 

"Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon has a drop-dead gorgeous nose of Sichuan pepper, hoisin, peppered salami and fertile loam over a core of blackberry preserves and redcurrant jelly with touches of kirsch and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied and concentrated yet still maintaining that wonderful purity and elegance that is the signature of this estate, it has layer upon layer of earthy nuances and a very long finish. Drink 2021-2050." 

98 points Wine Enthusiast 

"Nuanced, with 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, this is a quietly powerful wine, smooth and structured and immediate in its beauty, yet possessed of legs to cellar for 20-plus years. Crushed flowers and rocks open on the nose, providing a clutch of minerality, as grippy tannins support red currant, plum, and a freshness of persistent acidity. Try to wait on this one. Best 2024 through 2034." 

2015 Spottswoode, Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena, Napa Valley RP 100 JD 99 

The nose has a smoky nose with hints of cedar. With both the nose and taste it is somewhat closed, again a possible "dumb" time. The tannins were tart but balanced. I tasted again cedar as well as chocolate. Acid was moderate but well integrated with the tannins. Overall a very complex wine, still young, and will age well. 

100 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 

"The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is deep garnet-purple colored with a mind-blowingly gorgeous nose that defies words: warm cassis, red roses, sandalwood, Indian spices, crushed rocks, menthol and iron ore with wafts of lilacs and truffles. Medium to full-bodied with a rock-solid frame of super-ripe, grainy tannins and tons of freshness, it finishes incredibly long and remains incredibly provocative." 

99 points Jeb Dunnuck 

"A more exuberant, sexy wine than the 2014, yet still in the house style emphasizing elegance and purity, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate knocks it out of the park with its huge nose of crème de cassis, plums, Asian spices, scorched earth, tobacco leaf, and graphite. This flows to a full-bodied, opulent, incredibly concentrated wine reminiscent of the 2013 on steroids. Full-bodied, with building tannin, integrated acidity, a stacked mid-palate, and a great finish, this is a tour de force in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from one of the greats. It has three to four decades of life ahead of it." 

2016 Spottswoode, Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena, Napa Valley JD 100 RP 100 

A blockbuster wine. It had the darkest black color of most of the wines. The nose was tight but I could detect hints of fresh flowers as well as milk chocolate. The taste was smooth and silky and well balanced. Tannins were subdued and actually not tart. Acid was low and integrated well with the tannins. Everything about the wine was balanced and pleasant. It had a nice long finish. To me, it was very young and was holding back on its grandeur. It will be very interesting to see how it evolves over the years. My last thought was it was more of a feminine wine and a lady playing hard to get. 

100 points Jeb Dunnuck 

"The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate has shut down slightly since I tasted it last year, yet it’s still a magical, perfect wine. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Petit Verdot, it offers incredible notes of pure crème de cassis, blueberries, camphor, crushed rocks, and lead pencil shavings. This rich, full-bodied beauty always reminds me of a great vintage of Château Margaux with its beautiful complexity, power, and elegance." 

100 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 

"Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is still very tight and youthful, slowly unfurling to reveal a multifaceted wine with tons of black, blue and red fruit sparks—plums, cherries, black currants, and red currants—with dark chocolate, cedar chest, black tea and red roses in the background plus wafts of pencil lead and prosciutto. Medium-bodied and firmly textured by superbly ripe, grainy tannins, it has a fantastic core of intense, complex layers, finishing on an edifying mineral note. Wow!"