2009 Walter Hansel Pinot Noir Cahill Lane
91-94 pts (WA) Made from tiny
yields, the 2009 Pinot Noir Cahill Lane comes from Dijon clones 114
and 115 and the Rochioli Selection. It reveals a slightly sweeter
fruit profile along with abundant notes of black raspberries, black
cherries, earth and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied and fleshy
with a richer, more authoritative, deeper style than the Estate
cuvee, it should drink well when released and evolve for 7-10
years.
If I were giving out
awards for proprietors who combine remarkable humility with high
quality, candidates for the top two spots would be Tom Dehlinger
and Stephen Hansel. Stephen prefers his 2009s to his 2008s,
primarily because they were easier to make and they have shown well
since the first pressings of the grapes, always a reassuring sign
of quality. Moreover, prices at this estate have not risen in over
seven years and it is rare to see such reasonable prices for such
high quality. The outstanding 2009 Chardonnays are all perfumed and
French in style. All of them go through malolactic fermentation and
are aged in approximately 40% new French oak with lees stirring and
minimal clarification if possible. Hansel is also making wines from
purchased grapes that sell for lower prices. All the 2009 Pinot
Noirs are completely destemmed, fermented to total dryness, and
then transferred on their lees into French oak barrels (70% new).
Hansel is a believer of early bottling, so these cuvees are bottled
13 months after they are moved to
barrel. Robert Parker Wine
Advocate #193 February 2011
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