The Kistler estate thrives in the heart of California’s Sonoma County. This little-known American winegrowing region, somewhat dwarfed by the iconic Napa Valley, is nevertheless a land of great diversity, with a wide range of terroirs producing wines with very distinct aromatic palettes. Sonoma is a particularly hilly region, which protects the landscape from cold winds and where proximity to the Pacific Ocean helps to regulate temperatures. Steve Kistler, who studied at Stanford University and UC Davis and honed his skills working with his brother John Steve, decided to establish his estate in 1978, unveiling his first vintage in 1979. He strives to elevate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to new heights by adapting typical Burgundian growing and winemaking methods to the New World terroir. In the vineyard, yields are carefully controlled and each stage in the winemaking process is performed with little intervention, to produce remarkable cuvées of great finesse.