History
Steve Kistler bought the original twenty acres in Occidental in 1999 and added parcels until the estate reached about eighty-five acres. Planting followed in the early 2000s, using a proprietary blend of field selections collected from two grand cru vineyards in Burgundy rather than nursery clones. The wines appeared under the Kistler label through the 2010 vintage, and in 2011 Occidental was spun out as an independent label. Kistler built a dedicated Pinot Noir winery on the ridge beside the vineyard. His daughter Catherine, one of the two the cuvees are named for, became assistant winemaker in 2017.
The Site
A southwest-facing ridge above Occidental at 400 to 750 feet, on fractured sandstone and decomposed marine sediment with marine shell fragments through it.
Vines and Blocks
Pinot Noir from the Burgundian field selections. Bodega Headlands is one of four Occidental estate vineyards, alongside Running Fence, SWK and Occidental Station, and the cuvees drawn from them are named Elizabeth and Catherine after Kistler's daughters rather than mapped to particular blocks of this site.
The Wines
Occidental's Cuvee Elizabeth comes from here. The style is the cold, taut coastal Pinot Noir that Kistler moved to after decades of Chardonnay.