Thursday, December 25th, 2008

Christmas Day

Also somewhat of a surprise, I didn't drink anything too big on Christmas. I don't really have the energy or time to focus on, or think about wine on Christmas. For me, it's all about family on this day, and wine somewhat distracts from that for me. At least, that is, when my little brothers want to play hockey. The wine inhibits my hockey skills. Late in the evening, however, we had a couple of bottles.

Walter Hansel, Chardonnay, Cahill Lane, Russian River, 2006

Beautifully pure and precise. Not overwhelmingly nuanced or developed. It seems like it may be at a stalled phase in it's life. Delicious and very well made, so I'll be interested to see the wonderful things that show up as it fleshes out.

Walter Hansel, Pinot Noir, The North Slope, Russian River, 2006

It's bigger and riper than many other Hansels I've had. I like it, but can't handle too much. It has a wonderful textural quality but a tart, tangy cranberry character to the finish. Again, I think that this will be 3 times better with just 2 years in the bottle. A great bottle, but not in its prime phase.

I've been drinking a bit of Walter Hansel lately and really enjoy the wines. I like the Pinots, but these fresh ones seem to be a bit too ripe for me. I think that the Chardonnays out perform Pinot's, at least in my limited experience. All the wines are really good though, and very fairly priced. I'm excited to see how they develop over the upcoming years. I hope that they keep the hits coming for decades. What a treat at this affordable price point!