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 place for pinot.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Hanzell Vertical (Union Restaurant, Seattle.): Smoke and chinoiserie. Red current fruit. Very á point. Nice kick. Acids moderated, but rising. Brassy notes. Missing low notes. Pokeberry. A bit tiring.
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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.
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10/8/2018 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
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 place for pinot.
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2/10/2011 - Holagatitos wrote: 91 Points
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.
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2/7/2010 - mhauser wrote: 95 Points
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.
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1/16/2010 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 80 Points
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.
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4/15/2007 - AndrewSGHall wrote:
Hanzell Vertical (Union Restaurant, Seattle.): Smoke and chinoiserie. Red current fruit. Very á point. Nice kick. Acids moderated, but rising. Brassy notes. Missing low notes. Pokeberry. A bit tiring.
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4/15/2007 - Eric wrote:
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.
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2/17/2007 - tanglenet wrote:
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.
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10/9/2006 - winefool wrote: 88 Points
Nice but unimpressive Pinot
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