Winery - Hanzell
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The acids hit you first. They perk up a creamy wine with pleasant flavors of cherries, cola, mocha and spice. It’s dry and balanced. The impression is of a lovely Pinot that combines delicacy and elegance with power. Drink now and over the next four years.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A fabulous and exciting Chard. It’s a big wine, with powerful pear, tropical fruit and oriental spice flavors, and well oaked. But it’s balanced with clean acidity, and feels elegant all the way through. This is a wine with a history of aging well. Drink now, but will hold and improve for at least ten years.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Hews to the Hanzell style, which is almost old-fashioned in this age of ripely opulent Pinot Noirs. This one’s tight as a drum in tannins and acids, a quivery, nervously wound wine. Yet it’s quite rich and complex, with a tapestry of cherry, red licorice, tobacco, Canadian bacon, dusty Indian spice and buttered toast flavors. Needs 7–8 years in the cellar, and, based on tastings of very old Hanzell, should slowly unfold through the 2020s.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This very expensive release is one of the rare examples of Chardonnay that absolutely requires bottle age. Dry and leesy now, with a mineral compactness, it shows a rich core of baked peach, spiced apple, butterscotch and smoky honey. As it warms in the glass, it develops great flavor and textural complexities. Should come into its own by 2009, and improve for many years after.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Shows the dry tannins and astringency of youthful Hanzell, but these Pinot Noirs are famously capable of extended aging. Tastes almost rustic now, with a deep core of cherries and cola. The oak is unintegrated, further accentuating the wine’s immaturity. Needs time. Better after 2013, and should develop for an additional decade.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Shows the dryness, acidity and tightly wound minerality of all Hanzell’s young Chardonnays, but with a depth of citrus and apricot fruit that marks it as a reserve. It really warrants time in the cellar. Best after 2013, and should develop for several more years.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Hanzell says this Sebella Chardonnay is meant to drink now, while their regular Chardonnay, which is famously ageable, develops in the cellar. That’s strange logic, because the wine is so close to the regular Chardonnay as to be nearly indistinguishable. It’s bone dry, crisply acidic and minerally, with citrus, green apple and pear flavors. Give it 3–5 years.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This vintage just can’t compare to the exquisite ’97. It shares the house style of balance, elegance and harmony. Everything that winemaking could contribute, it has. But Mother Nature rules. This year, the concentration is lacking. —S.H.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Starts out with aromas of peaches and green apples, made complex by the addition of butter, oak, oriental-spice accents, and a whiff of anise or pine. Really comes alive on the palate, where it has all the required big-Chard elements of deeply ripe fruit, well-integrated oak, lees, and fine acidity. What's notable is the tight, elegant balance and harmony.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The harvest heat seems like it made things tough for Hanzell. The tannins kind of step on the wine’s generosity, making it dry and edgy. Troublesome, too, is a touch of raisin. Still, Hanzell Pinots develop well over time, and can surprise. Decant, or try after 2007.
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