Walter Hansel Winery Pinot Noir The South Slope Vineyard

Contaminated by brettanomyces, and I think there was an excess volatile acidity thing going on too. I know there's a debate about brett: some people think a little bit of it conveys old world charm, while others strictly consider it a production flaw. I usually don't appreciate it, but I can understand both sides. But this Pinot wasn't even qualified to be in the discussion. It was undrinkable. Just to be sure, I kept it in the fridge overnight and …

2003 vintage

Rich, fruity pinot. Smooth and integrated upon opening. Then got a little disjointed. Perhaps will even out on day 2.

2003 vintage

Hanging out at Jim's house : Nose: Red fruits with a deep inky quality and some loam. Palate: Meaty, deep red fruits with spice on mid palate and a medium length finish. Very nice.

2003 vintage

Impromptu Wine Gathering (Lake Elmo) : I know we had this, I know I liked it. That's about all I've got on this one.

2003 vintage

Never had a domestic pinot with brett, but here it is... unmistakable. On the brett scale it was mild to moderate, but enough to make it undrinkable for me.

2003 vintage

Light-bodied pinot, black cherry fruit and a slight peppery finish. Not terribly complex, but easily drinkable.

2003 vintage

Strawberry fruit and licorice flavors (unusual for a pinot), nice color and depth, relatively high alcohol for a pinot (14.5%) but didn't taste "hot." Went well with roasted chicken and vegetables.

2003 vintage

Had some initial heat upon opening, but after an hour open, it gelled. Nose of red fruit and musky earth, some oak. Dark rich palate, with more meaty, musky, cherry goodness. A sexy, but still slightly restrained wine.

2003 vintage

Big and crisp, with the same fizz as the bottle I had seven months ago. Though, I pick up a dry, brown spicy edge that I did not get previously. This is drinking a little better than before; I remain pleasantly intrigued by these Hansel pinots. Buyer beware: Total Wine jacked the price up $8 for the same wine / vintage. Thank you, CellarTracker!

2003 vintage

Initially out of balance, with acidity poking out badly and smelling of sweet oak and a dose of funky-funk, but this finally came together with 3+ hrs air. Nose of ripe black cherry, too much vanilla, some earth. Sweet vanilla black cherry pie on the palate, almost cloying, but fortunately there is also a good bit of savory, meaty stuff going on. Pretty good length, with lingering meaty, cherry flavors. Seemed to be heading downhill on day 2.

2003 vintage

Aromas of bing cherry and earth. The palate unfolds into cherry akla-seltzer fizz and petting zoo funk, which surprisingly, is not completely unpleasant.

2003 vintage

Not much different this time. The fruit is pretty enough but the powerful lashing of acidity seems artificial and cuts off the pleasure mid way through the tasting cycle. Is this really representative of the Hansel style?

2003 vintage

Very interesting Cali PN. Rather advanced for a 4 year old with orange rim and interesting aromatics of crushed plum, dark cherry and a hint of smoke. On the palate, it's medium to full bodied and surprisingly complex. While fruity enough, it is definitely not a one dimensional fruit bomb. Distinct soil tones give a very Burgundian expression, perhaps a premier cru Vosne or Morey St. Denis. Unfortunately the very promisng start is not fufilled due to excess fruit acidity …

2003 vintage

Ack! This wasn't so much corked as overwhelmed by brett and funk. We waited a couple hours to see if it would blow off, but it never did. Kind of a brett/TCA carnival going on in the bottle -- bummer!

2003 vintage

Decanted for 1.5 hrs. This pinot exhibited a rich dark garnet color with ruby tinges. On the nose, nice fruit aromas including cranberries, strawberries and cherries underlined with notes of earth and cloves. On the palate, flavors of dried cherries and cranberries, followed by hints of black raspberries leading to a nice finish filled with spices and earth. A nice food friendly pinot. HS91

2003 vintage

Starts with some spritz, which blows off after about 20 minutes of air. Distinct barnyard note (brett?) adds complexity and makes this more Bug like (and more interesting than most Cali pinot). Perhaps slightly more zoo than prior bottles...Good balance of fruit (cranberry, raspberry), acidity and spice--nutmeg, cinnamon, clove.

2003 vintage

Zesty, bright red fruit character but a bit harsh right now. Needs a little time to settle down.

2003 vintage

Zinging w/ acid, and a short finish. Would not buy again- there are better Pinots out there for the $.

2003 vintage

Another great showing....on first opening this showed a bit too much zinging acidity and even a hint of spritz, but with 30 minutes of air the sweetness really came out. Brettaphobes beware, there's a bit here.

2003 vintage

Drank with Thanksgiving Dinner. Lot of barnyard on the nose as well as cherries, cranberry, and cola. Very earthy. This had a good amount of acidity and went well with food. As it sat in the glass it gained body.

2003 vintage

Delicious, balanced, food-friendly, and well-priced. Nice job!

2003 vintage

Nice bright-red fruit and cola matched with a vibrant acidity. good mouthfeel. Long, lingering finish of spices and earth.

2003 vintage

More acidic and less sweet than previous bottles from the same source...

2003 vintage

Exotic perfume of cranberry, roses, peat and christmas spice. Bright red fruits (cranberry, cherry and raspberry). Lots going on here for a terrific price. It doesn't have the extraction to appeal to the Kosta-Browne set, but it is probably easier to drink a bottle of this at a sitting....

2003 vintage

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Walter Hansel Winery Pinot Noir The South Slope Vineyard

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