Chardonnay Dutton Ranch 2023 Kistler

Tasting Note Chardonnay Dutton Ranch 2023

Initially, notes of apple and white peach from the Golden Delicious emerge, followed by hints of honeycomb and toasted almonds, with an underlying edge reminiscent of wet slate. The Kistler Chardonnay Dutton Ranch 2023 needs to be swirled in the glass to allow the aromas to open up. On the palate, it feels rich yet tightly structured, with a fresh apricot flavor and a salty aftertaste that prolongs the finish rather than allowing it to spread out broadly. Acidity is the backbone of this wine. It's enjoyable now, but it will become even more interesting with a few more years of aging.

Grape Varieties

Chardonnay, and only Chardonnay. Kistler plants a single traditional Californian clone, selected for its small berries and natural acidity retention, and this is the secret behind Dutton Ranch's concentrated flavors without heaviness.

Cellaring Potential

Best enjoyed through 2038. The essence of the 2023 vintage lies not in oak but in its acidity and somewhat lower alcohol content. Serve at 10-13°C. Serving it any colder will dull its texture. Decanting is not necessary, but for young wines, letting it sit in a glass for about 20 minutes will allow you to appreciate its flavors better.

About Kistler

Kistler Vineyards has worked with only two grapes since 1978: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Steve Kistler and Mark Bixler started the Sonoma County estate with an unfashionable idea at the time, that California could produce Chardonnay reflecting a specific plot rather than a house style. Today Kistler farms seventeen vineyards across five appellations, from Carneros to the Sonoma Coast, with soils ranging from deep red volcanic to alluvial. Twelve of those plots become single-vineyard Chardonnay, two become single-vineyard Pinot Noir. Grapes are picked at night. Chardonnay ferments underground on indigenous yeasts, in barrels made from staves air-dried three years in Saint-Romain, Burgundy. Nothing is fined or filtered. Jason Kesner has run the cellar as president and winemaker since Steve Kistler retired at the end of 2017.

Terroir & Climate

Sand is the defining element of Dutton Ranch. It provides excellent drainage, which limits the vines' vigor and results in a Chardonnay with refined, deep flavors rather than broad ones. And then there is the Pacific. During the growing season, cool air and fog sweep inland through the Russian River Valley, slowing ripening and preserving the fruit's acidity. It is precisely because of that fog that Chardonnay can be this taut even in a warm region like California.

Winemaking

Harvesting takes place at night, when the fruit is at its coldest and the acidity is most stable. Kistler ferments all Chardonnay in underground cellars using only indigenous yeasts. The proportion of new oak barrels has decreased from about 60% a decade ago to the current level of 40%, and the barrels are made from wooden planks that have been naturally dried for three years in Saint-Romain, Burgundy. The wine undergoes no clarification or filtration whatsoever. As a result, it has a lively texture.

Food Pairing

Thanks to its acidity and salty finish, this wine pairs exceptionally well with shellfish dishes. Recommended pairings:

• Dungeness crab, plain, with drawn butter
• Roast chicken with tarragon: complements the wine's herbal notes
• Grilled halibut with olive oil and lemon
• Washed-rind cheese: The wine's clean flavor perfectly complements the cheese's rich flavor