“The 2018s from Occidental are simply magnificent. That’s pretty much all there is to it… readers will not want to miss the Occidental 2018s. They are reference point wines for an emerging appellation that one day may very well be viewed as iconic bottlings by future generations.” - Antonio Galloni’s Vinous

The CellarStocker Event continues with the Jedi Pinot Master, with the same obsessive attention to detail he carries on from his Kistler years. And like all his wines, it pulls huge scores - WA95+ and VN94.

There’s just one big, MASSIVE difference - the price. Actually, make that OUR price. 35% OFF to be exact.

Very, very little to go around so get your speed reading on because what little we have is already vanishing.

Steve Kistler created the Occidental label to pursue his passion. That says a lot considering what he did at Kistler. This wine comes from younger vines from two of their top vineyards, with the same white glove winemaking treatment as all the vineyard designates. Delivers precision via sheer might, with an explosion of dark red fruits, savory dried meats, and a fascinating saline minerality all carried along in a soft, cashmere like texture.

You simply don’t see these wines very often as they’re mostly relegated to restaurants and select shops. Finding them at a discount? Well, that’s just silly. Only a few cases. Will. Not. Last.

95+ Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

“The 2018 Pinot Noir Freestone-Occidental comes mostly from younger vines at the Occidental property but is made with the same attention to detail as the other wines in the portfolio, using free-run juice. Its nose is an aromatic well, offering crushed blueberries, charcuterie, Earl Grey tea leaves, graphite, saline, bitter orange peel and potpourri aromas. In the mouth, it explodes with lush fruits that give way after their initial rush to bitter, citrusy, minerally accents. It has a fine grain, seamless freshness and long, layered finish. It’s enjoyable now but will age well over the next five to eight-plus years. Drink 2020-2030.”

94 Points – Antonio Galloni’s Vinous

“Steve and Catherine Kistler describe 2018 as a year with a long growing season. The relaxed, drawn-out harvest allowed for smaller picks and more time to sort. It was the first year Steve Kistler was fully at his new Occidental property and winery. In the cellar, Kistler opted to work with mostly destemmed fruit and gave the wines more time on the skins than normal. The result is deep, flavorful wines that combine fruit intensity at relatively low sugars with intense saline minerality, the signatures that make the best Pinots from the West Sonoma Coast so thrilling. I found all the 2018s improved materially with aeration, so I would open them well in advance. The 2018 Pinot Noir Freestone Occidental is a truly remarkable wine. Maybe that is the vintage, or the added complexity the vines are acquiring with time, but the 2018 Freestone Occidental makes me incredibly curious to taste the rest of the 2018s. Bright, focused and beautifully sculpted, the 2018 is a wine of total elegance and finesse. Moreover, it captures the savory, energetic, saline style that is so typical of this part of the Sonoma Coast. Drink 2023-2039”