2003 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Sonoma County (USA, California, Sonoma County)

I really tried to give this a fair and balanced shake, but even after two days of tasting this and following its evolution, I just can't say this is an excellent or even very good wine for me. The nose smells of candied fruit. On the palate, this has very nice texture and mouthfeel, but the flavors just come across as too cloying for me. I just see no finesse and minerality in this wine. I think it's true to its geographical heritage, but I'm beginning to think this style of wine no longer is for me. With that said, my friend Mike who was over for dinner last night loved the wine so it's clearly a personal issue. Pass if you're a Burgundy guy/gal. Buy if you love California Pinot.

2005 Walter Hansel Winery Pinot Noir South Slope (USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

Popped and poured. Ahhh. This is like visiting with an old friend. Light garnet red color. Classic Hansel nose of smoky red fruit and earth. Great balance on the palate and super long finish. Earth and red currants dominate on the palate and the earth and tobacco/leather dominate the finish. It seems more viscous than the 2002 and 2003 versions, but shows the funk and character of those two vintages for Hansel. Great stuff from one of the truly nice guys in wine making in Sonoma.

2004 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Sonoma County (USA, California, Sonoma County)

In anticipation of next week's spring 2008 release, I decided to open one of these. Popped and poured, this wine is a beauty. Light ruby red, completely translucent color. On the nose, plenty of cranberry, sour cherry, red currant and earth. Lovely on the palate with great red fruit, and earthy notes. Finishes well and shows absolutely outstanding balance. Great food wine as well. Paired with roast chicken and leek vegetables. 13.8% alc.

2004 Rhys Pinot Noir Alesia Sonatera (USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast)

I had to open one of these to validate my thought of taking the lion's share of the current set of allocations for the 2005s and 2006s. Right out of the gate, this wine is still very spritzy and needs a serious decanting of 1 hour+. The decanting worked nicely, and the wine sported a nicely dark color and a nose of crushed berry, plum, cherry, leather, and loads of earth. Very nice on the palate with a much softer texture and frame than I remember. For California Pinot, this is nicely dry and almost a little savory and salty. Finishes well and although this can certainly hold and maybe improve for a few years, it's drinking awfully well right now. If this is how Kevin and his team did in 2004 (a very hot year), I can't wait to see his magic in 2005 and 2006.

2002 Dehlinger Pinot Noir Estate (USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley)

My last of three bottles. Opened two nights ago and revisited today. Looks like cherry juice. On the nose, cherry, tar, earth, smoke, and a hint of tea leaves. Focused cherry and dark berry fruit with some cedar nuance. Smokey, meaty flavors that have some savoriness. Excellent finish with some spice. This bottle is drinking absolutely perfectly right now although I'm sure it would do fine for another 5 years minimum. A big, deep style of Pinot without overly high alcohol or extraction. Best bottle of my lot and I would highly recommend this.

2005 Walter Hansel Winery Chardonnay (USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley)

Pale, straw yellow color. Nose of green apple, cut grass, and crushed rock. Intense custard and apple flavors on the palate with a solid level of zingy acidity followed by a great finish that ends on an interesting spice and flower blossom note. As a fan of Stephen's wines, this is yet another great Chardonnay from him. Elegantly styled with good finesse, but also ample power. I believe even haters of traditionally large scaled, oak monster Chardonnay and friends of white Burgundy will like and appreciate this wine. At the release price of $29 this is a steal.

2003 Flowers Pinot Noir Andreen-Gale Cuvée Sonoma Coast (USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast)

This showed well last night, too. Dark fruit profile that is turning more into the red spectrum with good savory flavors and dryness. Shows some subtle spice, and pure Pinot fruit. I wouldn't call this elegant, but it's also not a brute. Somewhere in the middle. I am not going gaga over it, but it's definitely a very solid wine that will probably hold for quite a few years as it has a sturdy structure. If you can get it inexpensively, it's a buy, but at anything over $45 I would hesitate.

2002 Walter Hansel Winery Chardonnay Cahill Lane (USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley)

I got some fresh cooked, wild-caught dungeness crab last night and felt like opening a rich and flavorful Chardonnay with it. This didn't disappoint. Color is beginning to go golden slightly, but it's still a little pale. Nose is pure honey comb and beeswax with ripe Chardonnay fruit. Actually reminds me just a little of young Sauternes without the sweetness. Rich and round on the palate with some roasted nuts and lemon oil, lemon curd, and orange zest. Finish just goes on and on. 2002 is still Stepen's best vintage for his whites, I believe, at least in the richer, more typical style. The 2005s turned out more zingy and austere, so for you Chablis afficionados, that would be a better vintage to dip into as 2002 will probably not win you over.

2005 Walter Hansel Winery Pinot Noir Cuvée Alyce (USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley)

Nice dark color. Terrific nose bursting with cherry, earth, truffle, rose petals and lilacs. Superb balance on the palate with outstanding fruit, spice and structure, as well as a very seductive texture. Finish just keeps going...I think I may have said it before...I believe 2005 is Stephen's best vintage yet and it's eerily reminiscent of his 2002s in my mind. This 2005 Cuvee Alyce seems like it has returned to showing some of the funk of the 2003 and earlier vintages, but with greater focus and purity. Knowing Stephen and his winemaking skills, I believe this can be left alone for at least 3 more years and hold many years beyond, but it is very delicious right now. One of the best Hansels I have tasted (and I have had most of the Pinots from vintage 2001 on). Highly recommended.

2004 Dehlinger Pinot Noir Goldridge (USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley)

I'll stick to my thoughts from July 2007...this is the best Goldridge made in the last few years. This is just a really interesting wine that it hard to pin down. I get the kirsch liqueur, earth, spice, and orange rind that I consider to be typically RRV Pinot, but there are also those grilled herb, CdP-, Barolo-, and Burgundy-like components that don't fit my preconceptions about RRV Pinot. I think this is a wine that some won't like, but this was my last bottle, and it was singing when first opened and it's still signing a day later. The style of this wine reminds me a little of the Walter Hansel wines from the 2003 and earlier era.

2004 Pax Syrah Walker Vine Hill (USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley)

Dark purple color and nose of licorice, tar, coffee, tobacco and a good dose of earth. Thick, palate-coating, almost chalky texture with still primary chocolate, cigar box, cherry and blackberry flavors. Finishes extremely long. I would say that this is not an everyday drinking wine because it's definitely a monster, but when paired with turkey, heavy gravy, and the extremely heavy and flavorful Thanksgiving fixin's yesterday, this was magical stuff. Alternative food pairing right now would be an espresso-rubbed Ribeye steak. This is beginning to shed its baby fat as evidenced by the amounts of sediment in the bottom of the bottle, but many years of development are ahead for this wine, I believe.

2004 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast (USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast)

Clear ruby red color and nose that is brimming with forest floor, raspberry, cut roses, lilacs, and marzipane. Super fresh on the palate with very floral flavors of rose petal and raspberry, plum and strawberry. Finish is very nice and keeps sailing on. This was a fantastic match for a dinner of turkey cutlets "a la provencale" in a fragrant tomato and herb sauce. Great food companion at 13.8% alc. The most remarkable thing about this wine is that is is unbelievably drinkable and just a joy to consume without any heaviness. Has shed some of the heavy spice sensations I noticed 8 months ago when last tasted.

2003 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast (USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast)

Ruby color and expressive nose of cherry, tree bark, spice, and chocolate shavings. Red fruit profile with spice and a really nice, long, sappy finish. This is 100% ready to drink now, but can probably hold for a few more years.

2003 Dehlinger Pinot Noir Goldridge (USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley)

Last bottle, and as usual, a good quaffer that is being consumed with some nice Scottish salmon and rice pilaf. Stylistically, this bottle is a little fruitier and flabbier than I remember it, but a little air might change that quickly. Finished strong, and although I think this can go on for some more years, I think this isn't a bad time to wrap up the 3-pack I bought a couple of years back. Once again, I'm not sure this is a great value, but it's tasty nevertheless.

2003 Flowers Pinot Noir Frances Thompson Vineyard (USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast)

Dark ruby to garnet color. Nose is dominated by clove and allspice with red currant and cherry. Solid palate with great texture, balanced acidity and pleasant tannin structure. Finishes extremely well and completely dry without heat and the sensation of residual sugar. This is a joy to drink now, but should hold for a few more years without problems.

2005 Walter Hansel Winery Chardonnay Estate (USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley)

Ridiculously good. Pale yellow color and nose of hazelnut, pear, and crushed rock with white flowers. Silky smooth on the palate with loads of liquid minerals and bosq pear. Finish is tremendous. I love this wine and I will go on records saying that this is the best Walter Hansel Estate Chardonnay I have had yet. I am thinking 2005 is the best vintage for Stephen's wines, yet judging by my recent 2005 Hansels. At least if you're into more subtle wines, I think 2005 will please you.

2005 Walter Hansel Winery Pinot Noir Cahill Lane (USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley)

Inspired by the mailer I just received from Walter Hansel, I decided to open one of the SVDs I bought earlier in the year...and this one is a winner. Dark ruby to light garnet color and it smells like cherry, tree bark, and spice. Great mid-palate that is texturally broad, with satisfying acid levels and a long, dry finish (in a good way). On the more elegant side of Pinot and I think somewhat reminiscent of the 2005 Williams Selyem RRV I had in the past. Very good with a solid amount of upside potential.

2004 Dehlinger Pinot Noir Estate (USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley)

Audouzed in the cellar overnight. Dark color and nose of dark brambly fruit (almost cassis-like) and tree bark. Very sweet fruit with some herbaceousness on the palate, but the blackberry and raspberry fruit definitely dominate. A little earth and bark to join the fruit. Finishes well, but it's definitely very fruit driven for a Dehlinger. Probably a by-product of the vintage coupled with drinking it arguably too early in its life. Will last a few years, but my gut tells me it'll be less long-lived than usual for Dehlinger Pinot.

2003 Walter Hansel Winery Pinot Noir Cuvée Alyce (USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley)

Popped and poured. Dark ruby color. Smells like cherry, berry, leather, and earth. Solid mid-palate with distinct cherry and plum as well as a dried herb and licorice note. Finishes well. Needs some decanting before drinking well to get rid of some CO2. Reminds me a lot of the Alesia wines I've recently had.

2002 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Cohn (USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley)

Bad news folks...I think this one is definitely in decline. Color is beginning to brick around the edges and nose seems very alcohol-driven. Smells a lot like candy cane, spice, and alcohol. Almost reminiscent of a Martinelli Blue Slide Ridge. It's pretty round on the palate, but lacks the acidity I would like to see. Once again very viscous, fruity, and zinny with an OK finish. At this point, I would recommend drinking up as I believe the alcohol will become more and more pronounced. Drinkable, but not something I'd really look forward to opening.

Update from day 2 and day 3: Got a lot better with some air, so clearly, I was wrong about my assessment about the wine being downhill. It's still not my style, but that doesn't mean that many of you would not enjoy this wine. It actually got to be good and enjoyable, although never great.