Inside Gracie’s Wine World – Kistler Vineyards

Kistler is most famous for being a single clone Chardonnay winery, they produce Chardonnays from 15 different sites across the Russian River Valley, Sonoma Valley, and Sonoma Coast of California. They also make Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast and the Russian River Valley. Like many Sonoma winemakers Kistler believes in being farmers first and winemakers second. Originally founded by Steve Kistler and Mark Bixler in 1978, Steve ran the winemaking operations until 2017 when he turned the day to day operations over to his assistant Jason Kesner; Mark ran the business side of the winery and assisted in the laboratory until his passing in 2017.

About Les Noisitier Chardonnay:
Named for the toasted hazelnut characteristics that this Cuvee typically displays. The grapes for this wine are sourced from three vineyards in Western Sonoma, Dutton Ranch, Vine Hill, and Trenton Roadhouse(where Kistler’s tasting room is located). This wine is classic California Chardonnay, barrel fermented and aged on the lees resulting in a rich style of chardonnay, however,this wine is known for being closer to Chardonnays from Burgundy, France than California.