The 2008 Kistler Cuvee Natalie Pinot Noir  from the Silver Belt Vineyard was Grown, Produced and Bottled by Kistler Vineyards.   This is the ideal data when found on a wine label. They didn’t buy the wine from someone else. It had 14.1% alcohol, a bit high for this grape, scored 17- points on the Dionysian scale of 20, and was bottle number 588 out of the 12,264 that were made.

Pinot Noir, grown in the Sonoma Coast AVA, is always very balanced with black cherry, vanilla and spice rounding them out. They have very long aftertaste.

This $140 bottle is an excellent sipping wine, but hard to pair with subtle foods. At seven years old, it was at peak and could round out for another three or four years.  All of Kistler Vineyard’s  wines are special treats. In vino veritas.

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The flavored pasta worked well with a big jammy Californian Pinot Noir.