 Walter Hansel 'North Slope' Pinot Noir 2010
REGION: Russian River, CALIFORNIA VARIETALS: 100% Pinot Noir PRICE: $67.00 /bottle FORMAT: 12 x 750ml AVAILABLE: 9 cases CSPC: +317719 DRINKABILITY: now thru 2020 93 POINTS - Wine Advocate (February 2012, Issue #199) "The 2010 Pinot Noir North Slope is a gorgeous wine laced with freshly cut flowers, spices, red berries and minerals. Saline notes are woven throughout, giving the wine its lift and vibrancy. The North Slope boasts gorgeous inner perfume and fabulous overall length. It will be interesting to see where this goes over the coming years. The future appears to be very bright. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2022" 92 POINTS - Stephen Tanzer (May 2012) "Vivid ruby-red. High-pitched raspberry and floral aromas are complemented by notes of star anise, allspice and mace. Tangy acidity adds lift and cut to intense raspberry and cherry-vanilla flavors, which pick up a floral character on the back half. Lively and precise on the energetic finish, which lingers with excellent spicy persistence." |
 Walter Hansel 'North Slope' Chardonnay 2010
REGION: Russian River, CALIFORNIA VARIETALS: 100% Chardonnay PRICE: $67.00 /bottle FORMAT: 12 x 750ml AVAILABLE: 9 cases CSPC: +445981 DRINKABILITY: now thru 2020 92 POINTS - Stephen Tanzer (May 2012) "Vivid yellow. Lively, spice-accented aromas of tangerine, melon and white flowers, with toasty lees and sweet butter accents adding depth. Offers an array of citrus fruit and spice flavors, with suave honeysuckle and brioche nuances emerging with air. Lingers impressively on the finish, which shows nervy orange pith and ginger character." |
|
The Story
 At Walter Hansel Winery, the emphasis is on low yields (which range from 1.5 to 2.7 tons/acre), precise viticulture and non-interventionist winemaking. Stephen Hansel (Walter's son) exercises strict control in the vineyards, producing beautiful - vineyard designated Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
All of Hansel's fruit is hand-harvested, and it is re-examined again at the winery. Stephen makes an average of 9 passes through each vineyard including one pass just to pull the second crop. Each pass is time consuming and expensive but Stephen feels the vine rewards him with more concentrated flavours. The winery uses only natural yeast during fermentation. The Chardonnays are whole cluster pressed into French oak for fermentation. The primary fermentation is kept cool to slowly complete in 2-3 weeks. Malolactic fermentation can last until early spring the next year. The Pinot Noirs are destemmed and fermented in open topped fermenters. The resulting wines are beautifully balanced combining complexity and finesse.
|
