July 12, 2016 - Second notes on this wine. Medium-dark red garnet in color. Forward, fragrant & attractive nose of rich, ripe red fruits aromas of dark cherries, blueberries & plums with overtones of spices notes of cloves & cinnamon, earthy/dusty, floral notes, cola, herbs, minerals & a touch of vanilla in the background. Medium bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, plush & rich ripe red fruit flavors of sweet cherries, strawberries & blueberries with spice notes of cloves and cinnamon, cola, cocoa, some earthiness, minerals & a bit of vanilla. Long lingering & smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present & while it may be close or at its peak of development, it has the fruit & structure to hold for several more years.
September 15, 2015 - This wine has evolved and may be better now than 2 years ago. Seems a touch bigger with ripe cherries jumping out of the glass.
January 22, 2015 - Drank alongside a Delinger. The Hansel was a much bigger wine while the Delinger had great purity of fruit. Both were drinking well. Solid medium body wine with soft tannins. Black cherry, with a pretty spices and touch of cola. 91 points
November 12, 2014 - Still a fantastic value wine, but it may be loosing a bit of it's pizazz as it ages. I would go as far to say that it's over the hill. Certainly it benefited from its youth when consumed younger. The fruit and earthy flavors blend well and the finish is pleasant but doesn't have the structure to linger as long as I hope. But for the price, I'm being way overly picky. I still lick my lips and think, yum!
September 23, 2014 - Great balance and beautiful bright fruit. Full throughout and nice finish. Glad I held it this long, and that I drank it now.
January 3, 2014 - Medium to medium-dark red garnet in color. Fragrant, attractive & assertive nose of lovely, rich, ripe red fruits aromas of cherries, raspberries & plums with lots of spice overtones of cloves and cinnamon, dusty, floral notes, cola, earthy and a touch of vanilla in the background. Medium bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced, elegant, seamless, plush & rich ripe red fruit flavors of sweet cherries, strawberries & tart cranberries with spice notes of cloves and cinnamon, cola, cocoa, some earthiness and a bit of creamy vanilla. Long lingering & smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present, but this delicious, elegant fruit focused Pinot should develop further with additional aging.
May 25, 2013 - Ditto last note..wish I could have saved a couple bottles to see how it ages long term, but too good now to run the risk. Only knock is a bit of green steaminess, but it blows off after an hour or so.
April 23, 2013 - Same notes as previous comment. Loved by all.
March 31, 2013 - Delicious right from the start. Ripe cherry on the nose, smooth and easy to drink, and a fantastic long finish. Not sure how many years ahead it will drink like this but it is sure great now.
November 9, 2012 - Drinking wonderfully, fresh, and youthful. I imagine it still has many years ahead of it.