The 2010 Pinot Noir Occidental Station Cuvee Catherine blasts from the glass with waves of seamless dark fruit. A brooding wine, the Cuvee Catherine is endowed with serious power for the year. Ash, smoke, tobacco and incense add complexity as the wine opens up in the glass. The 2010 boasts serious structure, with big tannins supporting the huge, dramatic finish. Readers will have to give the 2010 another year or two in bottle. For now, it is the wine’s structure that dominates. It will be very interesting to see the direction the 2010 takes over the coming years. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2022. It is always a pleasure to visit with Steve Kistler and his partner Mark Bixler. The 2011s and 2010s are excellent across the board, although I currently have a preference for the 2011s. Vintage 2011 is shaping up beautifully, for both the Chardonnays and Pinots. As was the case throughout the region, the season was cool and slow to develop. The 2011s were picked at lower sugars than is the norm here, but very much in keeping with the personality of the year. Steve Kistler commented that a poor set in 2011 resulted in their lowest crop loads in years. Like a lot of his colleagues, Kistler noted that the experiences of 2010 had a huge positive impact on how he responded to similar challenges in 2011. The 2010 Chardonnays are beautiful across the board. Although solid, the 2010 Pinots aren’t quite at the level of the superb 2009s and I expect, ultimately, the 2011s. It was a tough vintage for the Pinots. Yields were mercilessly low. Sadly, there is no Cuvee Elizabeth, as the little fruit that came in went into the Kistler Vineyard bottling. Tel. (707) 823-5603