Always a favorite of The Wine and Cheese Place Walter Hansel continues to put out some of the most consistent Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from California's Russian River Valley, thankfully the prices haven't caught up with the praise.
2014 Walter Hansel Estate Chardonnay...$27.99
this outstanding Chardonnay that sells for a song. Notes of orange marmalade, honeysuckle and lemon oil jump from the glass of this crisp, light-straw, medium-bodied wine with outstanding concentration and density. This is a beauty that sees plenty of oak, but the wood is hidden because of the richness of the fruit. It should drink well for 3-4 years.
Rated 91/100 Robert Parker The Wine Advocate
2014 Walter Hansel Chardonnay Cuvee Alyce...$39.99
The top Chardonnay every year is named after Stephen Hansel’s mother. The 2014 Chardonnay Cuvée Alyce is a field blend of a Hyde and Hudson Old Wente. This vineyard always produces the smallest clusters and tiniest berries and, hence, the richest offering. It’s a stunner in 2014, with a light straw/gold color and terrific notes of pineapple, white peach, honeysuckle and citrus oil. Full-bodied and rich with great acidity, beautiful purity and subtle oak, this is a stunner to drink over the next 7-10 years.
Rated 95/100 Robert Parker The Wine Advocate
2014 Walter Hansel Estate Pinot Noir...$37.99
The 2014 Pinot Noir Estate is another realistically priced wine from Stephen Hansel and is a super value with its sweet cherry and raspberry fruit, allspice, subtle background oak and a medium to full body. It is a beautiful wine made mostly from Rochioli cuttings and a small amount of the Joseph Swan clone. Like most of these Pinot Noirs, it sees about 60% new French oak and the rest used barrels. All of these Pinot Noirs are bottled unfined and unfiltered just like the Chardonnays.
Rated 93/100 Robert Parker The Wine Advocate
2014 Walter Hansel Pinot Noir North Slope....$39.99
The 2014 Pinot Noir North Slope is fabulous, has a huge upside to it and probably will benefit from several years of bottle age. All of these were scheduled to be bottled in 2015. This is 100% clone 115 and Stephen Hansel says it’s the most fruit-forward of the wines. It is certainly seductive, hedonistic, with a dense ruby/purple color, beautiful black raspberry and black cherry fruit, a big medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, loads of glycerin and hedonism. It should turn out to be exceptional, but I do think it needs some time after it’s bottled to start its full potential.
Rated 92-94/100 Robert Parker The Wine Advocate
2013 Walter Hansel Chardonnay Cuvee Alyce...$34.98
Named after Steve Hansel’s mother and my favorite of his Chardonnays, the 2013 Chardonnay Cuvée Alyce is made from the Hyde and Hudson selections of the Old Wente clone blended with Clone 95. It sees 40% new oak, and comes across as the richest, most intense of the Hansel Chardonnays. Clean, pure, white peach, honeysuckle and crème brûlée notes are followed by a touch of brioche and subtle oak. This is a beautifully crafted, medium to full-bodied, rich, stunningly proportioned wine to enjoy over the next 7-8 years.
Rated 93/100 Robert Parker The Wine Advocate
No comments:
Post a Comment