Kistler Chardonnay Dutton Ranch Russian River Valley 2016 750ml

Kistler Vineyards, founded in 1978, helped define Burgundian-style California Chardonnay, and its Dutton Ranch bottling draws on one of the Russian River Valley's best-known vineyard sources. The 2016 is a textbook expression, with Jeb Dunnuck noting brioche, apple blossom and white flowers over ripe orchard fruit, good acidity and brilliant purity. Wine Advocate found exuberant ripe apricot, pink grapefruit, lemon meringue and honeysuckle. A moderate, even growing season gave the wine both ripeness and freshness, and the texture is layered and creamy without heaviness. Drinking beautifully now, it should hold well through the end of the decade.