The Russian River Valley, and the Walter Hansel Winery, need no introduction—not if you’re a serious Pinot Noir drinker, and especially not if you’re a sommelier, as there is no more perfect representation of Russian River Valley terroir at this price.
And make no mistake, this is not an “economy of scale” wine; it is, in fact, an extremely rare (about 750 cases produced in a generous year) single-vineyard bottling mostly swallowed up by restaurant buyers. However, having developed a relationship with second-generation winegrower Stephen Hansel, we’ve been fortunate to get our hands on a few recent releases, including a small parcel of today’s 2017 “Cahill Lane Vineyard” Pinot Noir. Cahill Lane is a little dead-end country road, across the way from Hansel’s winery facility in Santa Rosa, and the vineyard that surrounds it is one of five distinct sites from which Hansel bottles a vineyard-designate wine. In addition to being one of the very best Pinot Noir values not just in Russian River but in California in general, “Cahill Lane” is usually the bottling that most appeals to my ‘Burgundian’ palate: it has the kind of finesse, nerve, and refinement I more readily associate with Chambolle-Musigny or Morey-Saint-Denis. Since the 1970s, Walter, and later Stephen, Hansel have risen to the Russian River’s—and therefore Pinot Noir’s—top rank, right alongside Williams-Selyem, Rochioli, Merry Edwards, you name it. This wine outperforms so much more-expensive competition, both at home and abroad, I’m frankly amazed the Hansels haven’t bumped up the price in kind. Don’t think the very top California Pinots can be had for less than three figures? Think again!
We were having fun thinking of different analogies for Walter Hansel. If you’re a sports person, this is the Cal Ripken, Jr. of California Pinots. If you’re a music lover, it’s the Charlie Watts of California Pinots. Film? It’s the Philip Seymour Hoffman. I’m talking about consistent, year-in-year out virtuosity, without excessive flash or self-regard. Stephen Hansel—who helped his father, Walter, plant the very first vines on the property back in the 1970s—is quick to cite his Russian River Valley cohort, Tom Rochioli, as a mentor (and a supplier of prime vine material). Over the years, the Hansel vineyard plantings have grown to 80 acres, but overall, they don’t produce large quantities of wine—I think that, because the Hansel bottlings have such a strong restaurant presence, people may think this is a much larger operation than it is.
The Cahill Lane vineyard was first planted in 1989, so, as Stephen Hansel notes, the vines are “in their peak, quality-wise.” The soils are a mix of clay and sandy “Goldridge” loam, a Russian River Valley signature, and the site is planted to a variety of Pinot Noir clones, including a “Rochioli Pommard” clone, which Hansel believes imparts a real Old World character to this bottling. In a region that is perhaps better known for luxurious, fruit-drenched styles, Cahill Lane is reliably nervy and mineral, which I strongly prefer.
Fruit for today’s ’17 was hand-harvested, fully de-stemmed, and fed by gravity into open-topped vats for fermentation. Hansel’s oak-aging regimen varies with each vintage and vineyard, in this case opting for 60% new François Frères French oak barrels. As always, the oak is well-managed in this ’17, adding a subtle note of sandalwood spice to a fresh, upright, highly perfumed glass of Pinot Noir. It displays a deep ruby core moving to magenta/pink at the rim, with concentrated aromas of black cherry, black and red raspberry, violet and rose petals, wild herbs, turned earth, and baking spices. It is medium-plus in body, juicy and immediately satisfying but also blessed with something I consider crucial in Pinot Noir: tension. It’s a nimble, delicious red with some palpable minerality and great freshness for food. Decant it 15-30 minutes and serve in Burgundy stems at 60 degrees now and over the next 3-5 years. A more reliable, crowd-pleasing, food-friendly Pinot does not exist: pair it with all the classics, from roast chicken to grilled salmon to roast pork. Rarely is such a rarity so generously priced—don’t miss out!
