Hanzell, Pinot Noir, Sonoma Valley

This was drinking exceptionally well. Audozed for 3-4 hrs. Mature but still lively. Very classic PN. Red fruited, Asian spices, forest floor, black tea, orange zest. Blind I probably would have thought Burgundy. Last bottle - wish I had more.

2011 vintage

Sonoma Valley, Calif. 2011 Hanzell Pinot Noir ($88 in 2014). Mid-brick, amber edges, viscous (13.5 alc.); smokey, earthy, red fruit, Pinot, old leaves nose; mid acids/tannins; rounding out; semi-long red fruit and wood finish. 16.5/91.

2011 vintage

Tasted at a friend's home after a fairly long decant. This was just gorgeous in every way. Bright acidity, fresh, floral, and fruity nose with notable berry and orange peel components. Deeply complex palate with distinct raspberry, strawberry and lots of light baking spices. Very long. Delightful. Delicious with a beet salad as well as grilled beef ribeye. This is the best bottle of this I have had yet, much more complex and beguiling than some of the others I …

2011 vintage

Decanted about an hour before serving with grilled steaks. Delicious from the start. Bright red berry fruit, gobs of mineral notes and red florals on the nose. Palate is fresh and energetic with a medium bodied presentation and silky texture. Finishes long and lip smacking. Elegant and beautifully balanced.

2011 vintage

Excellent+. Drank beautifully over two nights, gaining complexity with air. Getting hints of sois bois in the second night, some cherry balsamic notes and acid sap, tea leaf, baked strawberry (subtle), some teal leaf, the finish continues to build. Fantastic quality domestic Pinot. Paired well with simply baked salmon alongside Middle Eastern styled lentils. This is cruising along with apparently plenty of life left in it. It seems set up very well for aging into complex tertiary qualities in about …

2011 vintage

(YC) 3.5-4 cm. still holding up well. A dark, sweet nose offers up notes of spices, caramel, dark fruit, herbs, flower and minerals. The palate is smooth with good concentration and a rather dry finish. Loads of cocoa and dark cherry. Drink up.

1967 vintage

Improved with age. Herbaceous but still showing plenty of red fruit. Lots of layers of black tea, cola and even some cocoa.

2011 vintage

This was still young and very lively!! Tons of bright fruit and long finish on the palate. Sorry it was the last bottle, but a great finish for the case!

2011 vintage

Same tasting note as that for my previous bottle.

2011 vintage

Good, balanced, Pinot. I was hoping for some interesting tertiaries, but rather primary (still?) A touch of alcohol, reasonable acidity (probably goes through acidification), enjoyable notes of red fruits and tea. Hanzell wines sometimes age extremely well, so perhaps this will suprise me pleasantly in a few more yrs? Not sure about it.

2011 vintage

Sonoma Valley, Calif., 2011 Hanzell Pinot Noir ($88 in 2014). Light brick, amber edges; subtle Pinot nose; smoke, cedar, raspberries; mid-body; balanced; softening tannins/acids; long refined finish; nice style. w/veal. 16.5-17 UC Davis scale; 91-92 other scales.

2011 vintage

Much improved after a couple of hrs of air - initially it had noticeable VA. Suggest opening and audozing for at least 2hrs. No tasting note. But recall good acidity, very restrained fruit, earthy notes, and some tannins.

2011 vintage

PnP. Initial presentation: light garnet color; reticent nose; palate with only a light showing of red fruit, but searing acidity. After 30 minutes of slo-ox (with each glass getting better): The wine showed clear dark garnet. The nose was clean with some red fruit and earth. The medium bodied palate showed some very nice dark red fruit, some earth, balancing acidity and integrated tannins. As good as last month's bottle and without any evidence of the fruit fading (but we …

2011 vintage

Slo-oxed for 25 minutes which allowed the wine to take on some weight, and expose the dark red fruits. A medium bodied palate of both red and dark red fruits (mostly dark cherry), some earth and spice, with balancing acidity and integrated tannins. A bit better than the previous bottles last year, but after about an hour the fruit began to fade. Plan accordingly.

2011 vintage

Krotida Wine Gang Tasting, Hanzell Vineyards Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Vertical Tasting (Fita) : 18 months elevage 50% new French oak barrels, bottled 08-09/05/2013, alcohol 13.5% The wine shows high intensity of ripe fresh fruit, currants, cherries, thin oak frame, spicy, decadent. The wine shows beautiful ripe palate, rich red fruit, cherries, currants, medium tannins, medium acidity, thin oak frame, sweet spices, nice tannins, medium finish, well balanced. Wine of the tasting for me 93+

2011 vintage

Slo-ox for 30 minutes based on previous bottle. Aromas of red fruit and earth. These followed onto the medium bodied palate, along with darker red fruit, some spice and some earth, wrapped in balancing acidity, and with totally integrated tannins. Should hold for a year or two.

2011 vintage

PnP, but continued to open with air, so give a splash decant, or 15 minutes slo-ox. Rather reticent nose. Medium bodied palate. Similar flavor profile to Bravo.Solares note of 2/2/19 in that the initial flavors were red and bright, but with more air the flavors turned darker red, with lots of earthiness and black tea, wrapped in juicy acidity, and with a touch of drying tannins. Should hold for a couple of years.

2011 vintage

Wonderful Pinot. This vintage has arrived!

2011 vintage

Similar to previous bottle. No tasting note.

2011 vintage

Upon opening, the wine had mostly red fruits, some pomegranate, and wonderful acidity. After a while, the wine had a darker fruit profile, and plenty of earthiness, mushrooms, forest floor, and some delicious black tea notes. This paired great with a simple roasted chicken. It was also great by itself. I will revisit my remaining bottles every 6-12 months, I think. May cellar one or two for the long haul though, as Hanzell wines can sometimes age extremely well.

2011 vintage

Very similar to previous bottle - same tasting note applies. Very enjoyable.

2011 vintage

After more years of cellaring, closer to what I tasted at winery in 2014. Paired well with Thanksgiving dinner. Red fruits on palate. Finish was medium. As previously indicated, more Burgundian than heavier Cal. Pinots.

2011 vintage

This wine was also driven 300 miles yesterday. Decanted and tasted over about 3-4 hours. Bright medium ruby with a crimson undertone. Nose is red berry fruited with some creaminess, vanilla and florals like violets and roses. Medium plus acidity with light tannin. Tart red berry flavor profile of raspberry, cranberry and pomegranate and some creamy spices. Nicely layered and complex on the finish.

2011 vintage

Hanzell dinner at Table, Donkey and Stick (Chicago, IL) : This needed some air to coax out the fruit, but it did show up to the party after a while. A little more earthy and less spicy than the brilliant 1998, this is just getting to the end of its plateau, at least to my palate. There are nascent autumnal things going on here (how appropriate for the season). There's a meaty quality on the palate that seems out of …

1993 vintage

Hanzell dinner at Table, Donkey and Stick (Chicago, IL) : Crunchy, bright red fruit, with a slight spice and a floral tone that is (and I hate the Burgundy comparisons) quite Chambolle in character. The palate is lighter, with red fruit that is a bit tart and crunchy. Very nicely integrated too, with a softer structure making this a little more accessible and less brooding now.

2011 vintage

Double decanted (some fine sediment), then back to bottle for 3 hrs in the fridge, and finally drank over 3 hrs. The wine changed quite a bit with air contact. First glass, the wine had mostly red fruit, some pomegranate, and was somewhat light and tart. Little in the way of earthiness. After a while, the wine had a darker fruit profile, esp. ripe black cherries, and plenty of earthiness and mushrooms. Some tea notes too. Very good acidity. Really, …

2011 vintage

I was really looking forward to this bottle, and had decanted for more than an hour. Perhaps held too long. It was good, but not great. A bit thin, shallow and flat. Flavors too muted for a special wine.

2011 vintage

Butterscotch and toffee aromas from the start. Rich, sweet, and slight raisiny, with flavors of plum, and raspberries. Good acidic backing keeps this bottle alive--started tart, but let up as we continued to enjoy this bottle over the night. California meets Burgundy.

1993 vintage

Smoky, smoky, smoky. Tannins smooth as silk. A little bit of acidity at the beginning, which burned off fast. Deep, dark color. Fruit started to sing after about an hour - dark cherry, plum. More Hanzell is needed.

1993 vintage

Totally charmless. I opened this after a 1994 Calera Reed, and the contrast was almost like going from pinot noir to claret. This had none of the vibrancy, sap, or savoriness of the Calera - it was light-bodied, slightly ashen, and restrained in a pleasant way but not at all in a pinot way. Very much like a cru bourgeois Bordeaux of a similar age.

1993 vintage

Hanzell Vertical (Seattle, WA) : Red fruit, more of a raspberry and cherry personality, bright and quite in contrast to the older wines which were much more black. Silky, saturated, enveloping, quite peppery. Lovely resin, sour cherry, nice, twangy, lotsa grip.

1993 vintage

Hanzell Vertical (Union Restaurant, Seattle.) : Smoke and chinoiserie. Red current fruit. Very � point. Nice kick. Acids moderated, but rising. Brassy notes. Missing low notes. Pokeberry. A bit tiring.

1993 vintage

Vinocellar 4th Annual Celebration; 2/16/2007-2/18/2007 (Sonoma County) : Tasted at the Freeman winery as part of the Vinocellar 4th Annual Celebration. Quick notes: strong eucalyptus with mint and smokey tastes. OK.

1993 vintage

Nice but unimpressive Pinot

1993 vintage

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Hanzell, Pinot Noir, Sonoma Valley

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