History
Kistler planted Stock Ranch in 2016, making it the youngest site in a portfolio otherwise built on plantings from the 1970s and 1980s. The winery itself was founded in 1978 by Steve Kistler and Mark Bixler; Bill Price has held the majority since 2008 and Jason Kesner has led the winemaking since 2017, so this is a site developed under the current ownership rather than the founding one. The 2023 was only the second wine released from it.
The Site
A ridge at 800 feet north of Occidental, above the Bohemian Highway, on Goldridge sandy loam. The wines carry the Sonoma Coast appellation.
Vines and Blocks
Chardonnay throughout, with no red planted.
The Wines
Kistler's Stock Ranch Chardonnay is the only wine from the site, and with vines this young its record is still being written.