Walter Hansel Cahill Lane Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, USA

沃爾特卡希爾巷黑皮諾干紅葡萄酒

點擊次數：5152

The 2010 Pinot Noir Cahill Lane blossoms beautifully on the palate with tremendous depth in its dark fruit. Black cherries, flowers, mint, spices and violets inform the finish in this plush, overt Pinot. This is an especially open, radiant style within the context of the year and it works beautifully. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020. This is an excellent set of wines from Steven Hansel. The Chardonnays are fermented and aged in barrels for a total of 10 months with lees stirring once a week for the first 8 weeks. Hansel favors Francois Freres and Seguin Moreau barrels, typically 50% new for the Chardonnays. The Pinots are made with fully destemmed fruit and aged in Seguin Moreau barrels, 70% new. Like many growers, Hansel was affected by late season rains in 2010. The estate was very aggressive with leaf pulling, which then created challenges, especially for the Chardonnays, when the heat spikes arrived. The 2010s have lower alcohol and higher acidities than the 2009s, but they also at times have a bit of heaviness from the very low yields of the year. The Pinots seem less affected by the weather in 2010. Vintage 2009 was much more regular, and that comes through in the consistency of both the Chardonnays and the Pinots.Tel. (707) 525-3614; www.walterhanselwinery.com

Another of the deeper, richer wines in the range, the 2010 Pinot Noir Cahill Lane places more emphasis on power than elegance. There is plenty of depth in the glass, but at the same time, I find the aromas and flavors less well-defined than in the very best Hansel wines. The Russian River richness dominates over elegance. Hints of tar, smoke and game emerge on the powerful, virile finish. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2018. I was quite taken with the wines I tasted with proprietor Stephen Hansel earlier this year. In particular, the 2010 Chardonnays have turned out far better than I had expected. A year prior, the wines were heavy and clunky. Today, they are complete and beautifully balanced to a degree that is surprising. According to Hansel, in 2010 the Pinots were less affected by the heat spikes that year than the Chardonnays, echoing a common refrain among growers. As was the case throughout California, 2011 was an exceptionally long and cold growing season. Hansel lost the fruit for the Meadows bottling, a casualty of the October rains. At the risk of sounding repetitive, it is impossible not to realize how exceedingly fairly priced these wines are in today’s market. Stylistically, the Hansel Chardonnays show the richness from stirring of the lees and the use of 40-60% new oak. The Pinots are made from fully destemmed fruit and also tend towards the bolder side of things. Hansel reported that sugars were about a degree lower in 2011, especially for the Chardonnays. Consequently, he gave the Chardonnays a little less new oak than normal, but at the same time increased lees stirring to give the wines a bit more body. Ripeness of the Pinots was more consistent across the two vintages. Tel. (707) 525-3614