External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.1 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 28 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Rebs in Chicago on 2/3/2024 & rated 93 points: Lovely nose. Served it cellar temp at 57 degrees or so.
Honey straw color. On the nose Meyer lemon, green apple, melons, a hint of butterscotch and vanilla, a touch of honey spice, a nice minerality. On the palate it’s a smooth and median bodied with a long finish.
Served tonight with lol homemade buttermilk fried chicken, homemade sriracha Mac and cheese, and buttermilk biscuits. (134 views) | | | Tasted by Rebs in Chicago on 8/30/2022 & rated 94 points: Apricot, peaches, citrus, melon, a hint of butter and oak. Beautiful (251 views) | | | Tasted by Rebs in Chicago on 8/25/2020 & rated 92 points: Lovely apple, apricots, toasted almonds, honeysuckle, a touch of citrus on the nose. Beautiful light yellow color. It has wonderful acidity and some solid minerality, drinking well above it’s cost with much youth left in the bottle. I’m excited to see what the last two bottles do over the next year or two. (612 views) | | | Tasted by Lockareff on 11/29/2019 & rated 92 points: Very nice. (928 views) | | | Tasted by seijaro on 9/11/2019 & rated 92 points: A classy Chard with classic flavor palette. It's in direct competition with Rombauer, the top of our House White portfolio. We like the Rombauer a point or two better, will stick with it.
11/12/19 It keeps improving, gave this one 93. A bit of apple in the taste, a lovely Chard for lunch. (1090 views) | | | Tasted by dsimmons on 5/13/2019 & rated 93 points: Another delicious bottle of Hansel Chardonnay. Fresh and fruity. Excellent balance. Drank with slow cooker pheasant. Unfortunately my last bottle. Drink or hold. (1281 views) | | | Tasted by Derek Darth Taster on 11/12/2018 & rated 93 points: Off the wine list over dinner at Imperial Treasure Fine Teochew.
Appearance is clear, medium intensity, yellow lemon colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of saline wet stones minerality, lemon curd, light salted butter cream, almond nuts dipped in honey. Floral bits with some air. Developing.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14%), fleshy medium+ body. medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of lemon curd, ripe white peach, light salty butter cream, honey drops and bitter almond nut. Salt and stones minerality in the background. Long finish.
Very good quality. Very balanced chardonnay. Oak is there alright, but has enough other supporting elements of fruit and minerality. Rather complete mouth-feel with a long satisfying finish. Has flashes of Batard-Montrachet. Not really firmly in any one camp. This is somewhere in between Burgundy and New California.
Drinking well already now, and over the next 3-4 years as it develops. (1456 views) | | | Tasted by Vinnut on 7/20/2018 & rated 92 points: Medium-light golden yellow in color. Full, forward & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of apples, pears & citrus notes of lemons/limes with overtones of smoky, flinty & floral notes of honeysuckle, minerals, stony, some slight honey/butterscotch notes, spices & a hint of vanilla & toasty oak in the background. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth texture, ripe flavors of apples, pears & lemons/limes with butterscotch, stony, minerals & a hint of toasty oak & vanilla. Lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present & has the fruit & structure to continue with its development for a few more additional years if cellared properly. (1234 views) | | | Tasted by slywka7 on 7/15/2018 & rated 93 points: Aromas of pineapple, lemon meringue, roasted nut, papaya and mango. Flavors of papaya, mango, lemon meringue, banana and pineapple. Ends with a long finish of 25-30 seconds. This was a bit more weighty than last time and the last bottle was a bit better. This could have been served too warm. (965 views) | | | Tasted by rustyRudy on 6/4/2018 & rated 92 points: Dark lemon yellow, nice color. At PNP the oak and butter overwhelmed the fruit. Had trouble with cheese and then also a BLT. The salt may have have been the detracting factor. For me, best slightly chilled, by itself, after more than an hour open. Tiny bit of pineapple and citrus, peach, pear, creme brûlée , and still finishes with butter and vanilla. For my taste not something I would age for fear that the fruit would not continue to balance the oak. Tricky to find its sweet spot air time and temperature wise for me. Still enjoyable. (1239 views) | | | Tasted by Jazz Nut on 1/17/2018 & rated 91 points: Just opened my first 2014 North Slope, and coming from the cellar was very closed (at 53 degrees), but as it warmed a bit flavors popped out (perhaps a bit reductive, initially) on the nose of vanilla, lemon, honey, and wet stones. On the palate, the wine is dry, medium bodied, and medium plus acid--it shows lightly roasted/sugared nuts like cashews, pear, possibly golden raisins, and candied pineapple. Long finish with vanilla, candied nuts, pineapple, peach, and some buttery oak. It is well balanced, just a lot of flavor going on at 60 degrees. This is not over the top for a California Chardonnay, because I think the acid balances out the rich flavors. Fairly good QPR. I'll wait on the other bottles, as I think this will age out very nicely. I would buy again, as I like this producers Pinot and Chardonnay. (1324 views) | | | Tasted by seijaro on 9/15/2017 & rated 91 points: Liked it, but not the 94 others rated it. A very nice medium weight Chard, excellent varietal nose and taste. Great fun to drink with lunch, clean and clear. We liked their Cuvee Alyce better, worth stepping up a few bucks more. (1305 views) | | | Tasted by slywka7 on 8/18/2017 & rated 94 points: Aromas of tropical fruit, roasted nut, smoke and a touch of lemon. Flavors of lemon meringue, papaya, marshmallow, butterscotch and banana. Ends with a 35+ second finish echoing the same fruit theme. This is a classic California Chardonnay that is full throttle. Producers making a similar style are charging twice the price! (1016 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Sonoma’s Sensational 2015s Parts 1 & 2 (Mar 2017) (3/1/2017)
(Walter Hansel Winery Chardonnay The North Slope Vineyard Sonoma) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2014 Sonoma and Points North: New Releases (Feb 2016) (2/1/2016)
(Walter Hansel Winery Chardonnay The North Slope Vineyard Sonoma) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Walter Hansel Winery Producer websiteChardonnay The Chardonnay GrapeUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Sonoma CountyMendocino CountyRussian River Valley Russian River Valley Winegrowers Association | Wikipedia |
|
