2012 Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Cuvée Elizabeth

Steve Kistler's 2012 Occidental Pinots are off the charts gorgeous. My sense is that over time, the Occidental Pinots will become increasingly stylistically differentiated from the Kistler Pinots. Part of that is a reflection of the inherent personalities of the sites that are part of the Occidental range, but it also is quite evident that with Occidental Steve Kistler has a desire to get back to a smaller, more hands-on operation. Readers who can find the Occidental Pinots should not hesitate to grab them, as they are truly magnificent.

Occidental is Steve Kistler's new Pinot Noir project, which is starting essentially as a spin-out from Kistler Vineyards. Steve Kistler remains CEO of Kistler Vineyards and very much in charge of day to day operations. At the same time, Kistler understandably wanted to manage a small project of his own with an eye towards his two younger daughters who will one day run Occidental. For the moment, the Occidental range is composed of two Pinots; the Pinot Noir Occidental Station Cuvée Catherine and Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Cuvée Elizabeth, which are the same wines that were sold under the Kistler label through the 2010 vintage. Kistler is building a new winery in Bodega, where 20 acres of Pinot are planted and another 60 are in development. The Occidental Pinots will be marketed through the Kistler mailing list for the next 2-3 years, after which Occidental will become its own free-standing, independent winery. The focus will continue to be solely on Pinot Noir.