Kistler & Occidental: in pursuit of Sonoma’s true identity
Exploring these two special estates – and the people behind them
I first met Cate Kistler in my days at Berry Bros. & Rudd. She’d flown over to help host a lunch for private clients, who were inevitably blown over by the talented, Harvard-educated 20-something. After five courses and countless wines, I arrived to interview her for our blog – but it seemed impossible to do justice to the wines based on just one conversation in St James’s. There was so much more to Occidental.
Earlier this year, I finally got the chance to visit this remarkable corner of the Sonoma Coast, where Cate – along with her dad, Steve, and a tight-knit family of long-time employees – is producing truly extraordinary wine. Having also had the chance to sit down with Jason Hester, the man who took the baton from Steve at Kistler, I explore the Kistler legacy.
