TN: 2002 Kistler Pinot Noir Cuvee Catherine

I’ve owned this since release and never tried one so the other night I decided to pop and pour one to see what I was missing. It’s a surprisingly bright red, young looking wine, a touch cloudy when held up to the light. It’s got nice acidity which I like in pinot noir because I feel it’s a quality that makes you want to keep coming back for more. Additionally, I think it makes the wine food friendly. The acidity was prominent at first but faded on day 2 (I had the bottle over the course of 2 nights) It’s got a nice medium weight body and solid finish. The fruit flavors are from the red end of the spectrum on day 1 with a bit of cranberry which is a flavor I almost never identify in wine. Day 2 showed some black cherry coming out. Day 1 had the slightest hint of secondary fermentation spritz but it blew off very quickly. There was an interesting non-fruit flavor I kept noticing that added a nice level of depth and complexity. I think the best way to describe it is a smokiness, definitely a positive. Overall this is a very nice wine and drinking well now, may not improve much more so definitely open one if you have it.