About Occidental
Occidental has been our family’s pinot noir project with a singular focus - to make world-class pinot noir from unique sites on the headlands in the Freestone-Occidental area. From the early 1990s, my father believed that the climate and soils on the uplifted marine terraces and ridges around the town of Bodega would be ideal for growing distinctive pinot noir vineyards. He founded a small, pinot noir brand in 2011, and built a state-of-the-art winery just east of the town of Bodega – overlooking the Pacific Ocean. In 2017, I joined him full time, gradually assuming winemaking responsibilities and learning to run our family business.
Today, the Occidental vineyards represent the extreme western edge of where pinot noir can be successfully grown in California. The Occidental pinot noirs are crystalline wines with vivid aromatics and intense red-fruit flavors. They have a wonderfully chiseled quality and an unmistakable coastal character.
Occidental is today wholly owned and operated by the second-generation of Kistler family, my sister Elizabeth and myself. I am proud to be Winemaker and CEO of Occidental and to carry forward a family tradition of farming and winemaking at the western edge of the Sonoma Coast. Today, Occidental farms eighty-five acres of pinot noir vineyards in the Freestone-Occidental area with great skill and commitment. The vineyards are farmed by many of the same men and women who worked closely with my father at Kistler Vineyards; the Occidental wines are produced by the same cellar crew he trained over thirty years ago.
As a second-generation winemaker, I want to make my own mark and to carry on the work that my father began in the vineyards he planted over twenty-five years ago. Farming the Occidental vineyards requires all our skill, experience, and tenacity, while the Occidental wines need our most delicate touch. My goal each year will be to try to refine and adapt our approach to farming and winemaking to best express the singular character of each site.
- Catherine Kistler
Occidental is today wholly owned and operated by the second-generation of Kistler family, my sister Elizabeth and myself. I am proud to be Winemaker and CEO of Occidental and to carry forward a family tradition of farming and winemaking at the western edge of the Sonoma Coast. Today, Occidental farms eighty-five acres of pinot noir vineyards in the Freestone-Occidental area with great skill and commitment. The vineyards are farmed by many of the same men and women who worked closely with my father at Kistler Vineyards; the Occidental wines are produced by the same cellar crew he trained over thirty years ago.
As a second-generation winemaker, I want to make my own mark and to carry on the work that my father began in the vineyards he planted over twenty-five years ago. Farming the Occidental vineyards requires all our skill, experience, and tenacity, while the Occidental wines need our most delicate touch. My goal each year will be to try to refine and adapt our approach to farming and winemaking to best express the singular character of each site.
- Catherine Kistler
To receive an allocation of our wines in future releases, please join our Mailing List.
Sign Up