2021 | Walter Hansel | The South Slope Pinot Noir

The 2021 Pinot Noir The South Slope Vineyard takes on a notably darker profile, and assuming its name is derived from the exposition of this vineyard, that comes as no surprise. Pouring a dark red/purple hue, in the glass it reveals more warmth and depth, with aromas of blackberry, pine sap, porcini, and violets. The palate is full-bodied, with more hearty richness, a meaty texture, and a rounded frame. With ripe tannins and a more grounded sensibility, it carries an earthier profile and retains a stamp of toastiness on the finish.

Reviews:

• Vinous: The 2021 Pinot Noir The South Slope Vineyard is a classic Steven Hansel wine. A rush of dark cherry, plum lavender, rose petal and licorice are all dialed up. This boisterous, exuberant Pinot Noir has a ton of character. Plush contours wrap it all together in style. The 2021 will be nearly impossible to resist on release.

Producer Information

Walter Hansel Winery is a wine producer based in the Russian River Valley region of Sonoma County, California. The estate, which was established in the late 1970s produces a range of cool-climate wines from (predominantly) Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grown on estate vineyards. Walter Hansel himself started with 257 Chardonnay vines planted in the Russian River Valley in the 1970s. The first commercially-available vintage was released in 1996, and today the estate's Sonoma County vineyards cover 80 hectares (198 acres) of land planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with an additional vineyard planted to Sauvignon Blanc in Lake County. The 32-hectare (80 acre) vineyard is split into six blocks, each with a distinct terroir. The oldest block, the 3 Rows, was established in 1989 with Pinot Noir vines, and makes Walter Hansel's most long-lived wines. All of the vineyards are hand-harvested and sorted, and the blocks are fermented separately. The Pinot Noir grapes are destemmed and gravity-fed into open-top fermenters, while the Chardonnay grapes are pressed in whole clusters and fermented in French oak. In total, there are five vineyard-designated Pinot Noir wines and four vineyard-designated Chardonnay wines, as well as blended examples of each. These vineyard blocks were recently augmented with the purchase of a small one hectare (2.5-acre) site in Lake County planted to Sauvignon Blanc.

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