Previously recommended, no tastng note given. Following the brilliant success of Kistler’s 2007s, Steve Kistler and his sidekick, Mark Bixler, deserve kudos for what they have achieved in the more challenging 2008 vintage. This is the first vintage in which 100% of the fermentations were indigenous, and, fortunately, all their Sonoma Coast vineyards were far enough south that they were not tainted by any of the smoke from the ferocious fires that spread through Mendocino. The 2008s appear to be slightly more fruit-forward, with a touch less minerality than the 2007s. They are full-bodied, impressively endowed wines, with the Chardonnays best drunk during their first 5-7 years of life, and the Pinot Noirs during their first 10-12. Tel. (707) 823-5603; Fax (707) 823-6709

The 2007 Pinot Noir Cuvee Natalie Silver Belt, which emanates from a Sonoma Coast vineyard, is made from a 50/50 blend of the Swan and Calera heritage California clones. Sweet notes of balsam wood, black raspberries, spring flowers as well as hints of cherry and blueberry are all present in this dark, profoundly rich, broad, and savory Pinot Noir. It is well-built, although still backward and needing several years of bottle-age, but it should evolve for 10-15 years. If the scores seem slightly more conservative that in previous vintages, this probably reflects the vintage’s personality, which is more backward than the more evolved 2006s or fabulous 2005s, which have always shown brilliantly. Steve Kistler told me that in 2007, they only cropped 22 tons of Pinot Noir fruit from their 18 acres of Pinot vineyards.Tel. (707) 823-5603; Fax (707) 823-6709