Hanzell, Chardonnay, Sonoma Valley

Fabulous. Ageing beautifully. Worked and ripe, but intensely mineral, with fabulous bottle age complications. White flowers, white peach, gorgeous oak elevage. Wonderful lingering finish. Clearly at its peak in an aged style, but this is fresh, with an authoritative finish. Mealy and complete. An easy 94 points for me!

2016 vintage

Classic Hanzell. Great vintage. Crisp acidity lovely texture. Long finish with all the usual fruit - white peach, citrus pith, apple pear. Delicious!

2016 vintage

Brought to a week away for a wedding in Cape Cod, MA. Double decanted for 2 hours and taken to in-laws house for a gathering. This was just wonderful. Crisp, minerally, citrus and florals. Balanced and easy to drink with a distinct elegance. Needs the air time!

2016 vintage

pale gold colour. moderately expressive developing aromas and flavours of pear, golden apple, quince and creamed lemon laced with butterscotch, melon skin, and a subtle nuttiness. dry, with creamy plus body and matching acidity. initially more citric in mouth than nose would suggest, time and temperature bring out the richer, more developed flavours that are always held in check by the acidity and base mineral vein. very good complexity and fairly long persistence. likely at its peak. 14.3% AbV; all …

2016 vintage

Consistent with previous note but showing more development in the form of quite pungent butterscotch notes. For my taste this is at its peak.

2016 vintage

Ageing beautifully. Very fresh, plenty if mealy complexity. Certainly Californian in style, but there is a rare sense of structure that is slightly astringent, which resllly adds a beautiful definition. Drinking well, but it appears that there is no hurry. Excellent.

2016 vintage

really nice chardonnay. still drinking strong. decent aromatics. moderate complexity. nice acidity. clean balanced finish. yum

2016 vintage

Really loving this. Custard, straw, lemon, stone, and baking spice on the nose. Way more stone fruit on the palate, with nice grip and persistence. This feels quite youthful, and I think more time will bring more complexity, but this is delicious now.

2016 vintage

Mittleres Gelb. Offene Nase nach Caramel, Schwarzbrot und exotischen Früchten, dazu kommen nussige Noten, Kräuter. Im Gaumen üppig, cremig, rund, reife Frucht, top Säurestruktur, das Holz mit der safgigen Frucht verwoben, dezente Gerbstoffe, gute Länge. Ein spannender New-World Wine der mit rund 60 Euro nicht günstig ist, jedoch performt!

2016 vintage

Straw-yellow. Gorgeous nose of nutmeg, earth, oak, vanilla, peach and green plums. Subtle walnut note. Spicy palate of great intensity. Very buttery, but the power of the fruit supports the elevage. Superb acidity brings it all together. Absolutely outstanding, and drinking very well.

2016 vintage

Light golden color. Floral and bright citrus nose along with something slightly candied. Subtle and contemplative Chardonnay with graceful mouthfeel and high acidity.

2016 vintage

Tasted blind. Excellent, great value. Flowers, citrus, peaches, rocks on the nose; honeyed lemon and slight buttery, nutty-ness and oak presence on the palate. Balanced with wonderful acidity that had me thinking of both riesling and high quality burgundy from a warm vintage at half the price.

2016 vintage

This is really starting to sing, developing some tertiary flavors. A little more honey and savory notes than what I picked up on previous bottles.

2016 vintage

Tastes tired, but hints of butterscotch. Light apricot, stone fruit, finishes with a little tarty yellow peach. Hint of pineapple. Not bad! 88-89

2001 vintage

Punchy new world chardonnay. Exactly what one expects. Spicy oak immediately upon opening, but then with layers of peaches and cream. Plenty of body. Will improve but no need to wait.

2016 vintage

Thanksgiving Wimps 2022 - James Baldwin Table (La Trompette) : Compared to the 2017 Chanin which preceded it - a bit plumper, a bit yellower, a bit more candied lemon. Definitely more "Cali Chard" - decent stuff but as time went on it seemed to meander while the Chanin just became more sure of itself.

2016 vintage

Complete wine with lemon and pear flavors with balanced amount of oak and acidity. Drinking great for me at this time.

2016 vintage

On night one its a bit reductive but mostly showing a ripe apple expression. I'm not feeling a lot of fruit density. At least not what I would expect for this bottle. Complexity really blossoms on night two with more classic styles of lemon, pith, florals and mineral in an almost steely way. A touch unfocused right at the finish. It still doesn't carry much depth but the expression is quite good. I'd bet on this one being best over …

2016 vintage

We found this bottle while cleaning out an office and so had very low expectations, which were greatly exceeded. Very fresh and alive, and delightful considering it’s a 21 year old CA chardonnay. Very Burgundian in character, with none of that ashtray taste I dislike so much. I wonder whether Hanzell still makes wine in this style.

2001 vintage

had on day one and not 92 pts, tasted like a little too much oak was an issue... then the last two glasses on day three (argon and fridged) and it was much nicer, still a little too much sweetness for me but suspect this would be a crowd pleaser for sure (if decanted long enough)

2016 vintage

Crisp, mineral driven style of Chardonnay. On the palate, it’s flinty with flavors of lemon, apple and lemongrass. Finishes with bracing mouthwatering acidity. Very good! Drinking just fine now, and I suspect it can stand up to at least a few more years of aging if you’re inclined to hold it longer.

2016 vintage

Clear, light-gold, brightly toned. Aromas of lemon zest, fresh pear, crushed stone, honeysuckle bloom and hazelnut, with a pervasive mineral salinity. The palate opens with bright citrus and quince, richly textured with a dense core of miso, ginger and Eastern spices, along with an expansive minerality and fresh florals like hibiscus and white rose, displayed with precision. Clean and refreshing acidity, complementing an expansive mid-palate, still tightly wound, holding layers of depth. Round and refined structure on the finish, with …

2016 vintage

Crisp, lemon, not too oaky, no green flavors. Nothing to dislike but nothing particularly outstanding or memorable. Good wine.

2016 vintage

Slight oak, stoney fruit and touch of pineapple on the nose. Taste similar with end of orange peel. Just felt a bit lacking in length and depth

2016 vintage

Outstanding wines with a couple of last bottles! (Abbot Street, Ngaio, Wellington, New Zealand) : Even at the age of 6, this wine is still a baby, which promises great potential for upside development. Tight, but refined in texture, there are pronounced beeswax and honeysuckle notes to the nose and palate which is unusual. The wine itself has a similar structure to Kumeu River wines, in terms of its reliance on fruit quality and the firm acid structure, but the …

2016 vintage

A very solid chardonnay with notes of white fruit, citrus, honeysuckle and minerals. Nicely balanced and paired well with grilled marinated rockfish.

2016 vintage

Restaurant purchase, so I didn't have the opportunity to give this any air in advance of tasting as I usually do with Hanzell Chards. This was still a beautiful wine with plenty of life in it. Bright and energetic, minerally with great balance. Mouthwatering acidity and fruit notes of lemon/citrus, pineapple and apple. Slight creaminess and a kiss of oak. Perfect with scallops, sea bass as well as chicken. in a good cellar I can see this lasting well past …

2016 vintage

Excellent, still a lot of life, well balanced, apples, crispness, fruit and oak in harmony, cork broke on opening which seems to happen with this bottling

2008 vintage

Over the hill.

2008 vintage

Still good. Rich but not over buttery.

1999 vintage

Buttery and smooth. Yellow Apple on the nose. Crisp acidity. Great for it’s age.

2008 vintage

Consistent with my prior notes from years ago. Has held up nicely at 10 years.

2008 vintage

Jim W. brought this to Cotta on the Upper West Side. No apparent oak on the nose apart from some spicy notes. Palate is fresh and pretty clean, lacking (thankfully) in butterscotch that one gets all too often in older California Chardonnay and in that respect, rather Burgundian. Good, sound, interesting, but didn't love it.

2001 vintage

No formal note, this is ready to drink and will not improve, a classic Cali expression of chardonnay with a stronger oak presentation that is kept in balance with good acidity.

2008 vintage

Balanced, elegant, good acidity still

2008 vintage

The epitome of California Chardonnay. This great wine continues to age with incredible grace. Its golden straw color belies its age. It still excels in the perfect balance of acidity, fruit, and oak. There is yet none of the sherry character that comes to older whites. The cork broke upon opening, but no harm done. This is a wine meant to solo and not be covered by a chorus, so we savored it without food and enjoyed every sip.

2008 vintage

Hanzell Estate Chardonnay 1972-2013 (Swift & Sons) : The last of the wines to show lemon color, like the '98, also a little savory aroma (the machine oil). Still quite fresh next to the 2001. This is where Jason really calls out the machine oil, that I placed as savory. 16 years old and still loaded with freshness.

2001 vintage

P/no decant. Clear, med straw/yellow color. Wonderful example of well aged, not over oaked, CA Chard. Delicious, true to fruit and ideal balance/integration.

2008 vintage

gift to Cindy

2008 vintage

Lemon curd and hazelnut aromas. 1999 was a VG Chard vintage in RRV. Cream soda. Palate is still very fresh and lovely. Quiet floral note and just a hint of barrel hanging on. Wonderful example with 3-4 more years of fine drinkin'. Just a hint of variation between the two bottles opened.

1999 vintage

In a really good place right now. Acidity still very high, but well-balanced and tasty.

2008 vintage

2001 Chardonnay Magnum Tasting (New Jersey) : From Magnum. Notes were taken with wines blinded. Light to medium lemon yellow, incredibly youthful looking tropical fruit and citrus on the nose. Very crisp, medium weight on the palate with citrus, tropical fruit and limestone. This seems almost backward, least developed and in need of a long time aging. Even after 3 hours plus in the decanter it seemed wound very tightly. Given its crispness and acidity it was better with food …

2001 vintage

Probably my favorite Chardonnay and this vintage is wonderful. Balanced is the key word. Acidity, oak, fruit all beautifully combine to make a truly exceptional wine.

2008 vintage

love this wine - the balance is impeccable, hint of reduction on initial pour but blossomed over an hour into dinner.

2008 vintage

Hanzell chardonnay is my favorite us chard along with mount eden. Both age beautifully, however I think 14 years may be pushing it especially when I don't know how the original purchaser stored it. That said, this puppy still has acid and minerality. There's just little fruit left. Creme brulee, bruised apple, caramel. Probably was a smash hit 5 years ago. Drink em if ya got em.

2001 vintage

Carmel, citrus...nutty finish. Quite elegant. Drink over the next 2 yrs. LO

2008 vintage

An aged beauty with nose of caramel apple, toasted hazelnut and earth tones. Palate has round mature fruit and still-fresh acidity. Age worthy and complex, for those that like their chards long in the tooth.

2001 vintage

lovely pale gold in color, nose of light lemon at first pour - nice crisp acidity - with air and coming to room temperature lemon moderates - exceptionally well-balanced, superb

2008 vintage

Spectacular wine. Let breathe after decanting for 2+hours. Beautiful deep lemon yellow color with just a hint of gold. Fresh and young tasting. Butter, minerals, tropical fruit and a hint of vanilla on the nose. Rich and layered mouth feel. Velvety smooth mouth coating buttery, pear, citrus and mango. Fantastic with my homemade crab cakes.

1999 vintage

It doesn't get much better than this for Chardonnay!

2008 vintage

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Hanzell, Chardonnay, Sonoma Valley

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