2007 Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast)

Steve Kistler told me that all of his chardonnays clock in at under 3.4 pH in 2007, and that this is a vintage "that's all about freshness and energy." He also thinks that they will enjoy a slow and positive evolution "because of their dry minerality, which makes them a little stand-offish at this early stage but bodes well for aging." Kistler uses 50% new barriques across the board for all his chardonnays and noted that of course drinkers will notice the oak influence if they consume the wines in the first couple of years after they're bottled. "We're not making wines that are going to show their true hand straight out of the gate," he said. "Some bottle age is necessary for the fermentation character to recede and the terroir to come forward."