2000 Kistler Chardonnay "Cuvée Cathleen". Sonoma County, California. 14.1% alcohol. $70. 535 cases produced.
A just slightly cloudy, deep gold color. A surprisingly mature and initially flat bouquet with scents of flint, smoky minerals, a hint of banana, orange marmalade, and sweet lemon. Good acidity and length. Nicely concentrated fruit but less complex and flavorful than I expect for a Cuvée Cathleen. From vines planted in 1979 and 1995 to the Mount Eden clone, this wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered after aging in 100% French oak. On a fast evolutionary track for a Kistler, I'd opt for drinking this wine now. Not a particularly memorable Cuvée Cathleen and frankly a disappointment in the context of Kistler's oeuvre and the 2000 Kistler vintage (which produced the monumental vineyard designates from Hyde and Hudson Vineyards) in general. 91 points.