Walter Hansel North Slope Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2021 Red Wine

Walter Hansel North Slope Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2021

Russian River Valley AVA, CA

94 pts. Jeb Dunnuck:

"The North Slope Vineyard pours a deep yet transparent magenta color and reveals lifted aromas of toasted pine, red cherry, and crushed roses. Medium-bodied, it delivers wonderful freshness, with fine tannins, a gorgeous, supple texture, a linear feel, and clean, lifted finish. It has a lot of fresh energy with an elegant touch that should hold up nicely over the coming 10-12 years."

92 pts. Vinous:

"The 2021 Pinot Noir The North Slope Vineyard is a heady, explosive Russian River Pinot. A burst of dark red/purplish berry fruit opens first, followed by sweet floral and spice notes that build effortlessly. This exuberant Pinot is an absolute delight. The North Slope has a touch more savoriness than is the norm in these wines."

We're big fans of Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs, and Walter Hansel ranks right up there as one of our all-time favorite producers from the area. Their Pinots really "hit the sweet spot" for us! This one's not only a single-vineyard wine, but also a single-clone - 115. It's a "new world" style of Pinot; with a lot of juicy Russian River fruit in it, a bit of spice and earth, smoothing out into velvety silkiness. Oh what a beauty! Lip-smacking good! – Wine Factor

FROM THE WINERY

Vineyard:

Estate grown, Russian River Valley, 100% 115 clone produced from the block furthest north with a south to north facing slope. Yields 1.75 to 2 tons/acre.

Winemaking:

All pinot noir is stainless steel fermented after a 5-7 day cold soak with punchdowns 3 times daily. Whole clusters are employed in only a few tanks at 5%. Barrels are 60% new Francois Freres and the remainder 1 year old. The wine is aged in barrel for 12 months and settled in tank for 2 months.

909 cases produced

Bottled 1/19/23

Alcohol 14%