(December 13, 2017 — Sebastopol, CA) — Steve Kistler, and Managing Partner, Bill Price, of Kistler Vineyards jointly announce that Steve is stepping down as CEO and Director of Winemaking in December 2017, after 39 years of managing the iconic winery he founded in 1978. Steve will move on to focus on winemaking at his family’s Occidental brand, crafting site specific Pinot Noir with his daughters.
Steve Kistler and Jason Kesner
“Steve and I have been working together since I purchased Durell Vineyard in 1997, and will continue to do so in the future,” says Bill Price. “When I led a group of investors that eventually purchased a majority stake in Kistler in 2008, Steve and I planned out an orderly succession plan and brought in Jason Kesner 9-years ago to begin an Old-World style apprenticeship at Steve’s side. Today’s announcement is the natural conclusion of this process, and we are all very excited about the next stage in Kistler’s storied history”
Jason Kesner added, “I am humbled to have been selected to carry the torch at Kistler Vineyards. These are a special set of vineyards and wines that are a big part of winemaking history in California. Having them in my continued care and seeing to the next generation of their expression and growth is an honor. I have a great team filled with people who have been pruning these vines and tending to the fermentations for the last 25 years. We’re looking forward to continuing to guide the tradition of site driven wines, that the winery was founded on. I can’t wait to see where we can take them in the next 25 years.”
“For years my hope has been that my daughters Catherine and Elizabeth would one day join me at Occidental, working by my side in our vineyards and winery. This day has finally come, and so I am pleased to be handing off my current responsibilities at Kistler Vineyards to people I have worked with for many years,” said Steve Kistler.
ABOUT KISTLER VINEYARDS
Founded in 1978, Kistler Vineyards is a small, privately owned and operated winery dedicated to the vinification of world class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir using old world Burgundian techniques to bring out the very best in our new world vineyards. Kistler Vineyards has consistently bottled some of the finest examples of these two varietals for almost 40 years. The winery produces single vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs, which are available exclusively to our mailing list members. A small amount of Kistler Vineyard wines are sold in top quality restaurants and retail stores in select markets throughout the country. To learn more, please visit: http://www.kistlervineyards.com/.
