2015 Pinot Noir SWK Vineyard

I have never seen Steve Kistler as relaxed as he appeared when I stopped by Occidental recently. I suspect much of that has to do with his formal stepping down from Kistler Vineyards, which he founded in 1978, and the beginning of a new chapter at Occidental, where he has been joined by daughters Elizabeth and Catherine. The 2015 Occidental Pinots are every bit as thrilling from bottle as they were when I tasted from tank prior to bottling. Stylistically, the wines are quite a bit more backward than the 2015 Kistler Pinots. In fact, even with all of the natural richness of the 2015 harvest, the Occidental Pinots are very tight and in need of at least a few years in the cellar. The 2015 Pinots were bottled in December, 2016. Ordinarily I would have also reported on the 2016s prior to bottling, but the October fires made that impossible. Needless to say, it is going to be fascinating to see what Steve Kistler comes up with in his second act. The first wines here have been positively dazzling. There is every reason to believe these wines are only going to get better now that Kistler and his daughters can focus 100% on Occidental. The range is set to expand next year with one more Pinot, but there will almost certainly be a few more selections that will be added over the near-term future.

(Originally published in Sonoma Preview: January 2018 New Releases)

For the second act in his brilliant and distinguished career, Kistler is choosing to work with coastal Pinot sites that achieve full ripeness at lower sugars than those in the Russian River Valley and other parts of Sonoma. For now, there are four wines in the range, although Kistler told me he expects to add at least two more vineyard designates in the coming years. Kistler's Occidental Pinot Noirs are off the charts in 2015. The low yields of the vintage produced deep, penetrating Pinots buffered by high acidity and bright, saline notes that keep the flavors fresh and vibrant. Kistler started experimenting with whole clusters in 2015 and subsequently increased the percentage of stems in 2016. Equally impressive, the bottled Occidental 2014s capture every bit of potential I saw when I tasted them from tank prior to bottling. Readers who have not tasted these wines yet owe it to themselves to do so. These are some of the most riveting, profound Pinot being made in California, or anywhere, for that matter.