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1257 Kensington Road NW
1 (403) 283-8000 / atyourservice@kensingtonwinemarket.com
$56.99
Stephen Hansel (Walter Hansel's son) on the Cuvee Alyce Chardonnay
"Produced from the highest elevation and is a product of 3 clones; the Hyde/wente; the Hudson/wente and French Dijon clone 95. These clusters are extremely small and the berries are the size of BB's; offering rich and flavorful wines. My mom, Alyce, was an exciting Lady with over-the-top energy and appeal. This wine takes after her."
The 2020 was whole- cluster pressed and then aged in one-year old French oak for 12 months. The fruit is sourced from the highest elevation of their vineyard sites which helps preserve acidity and freshness. The oak is present but nicely integrated while the palate offers baked apples and spice with just the right amount of acidity to balance things out. Only 708 cases were produced.
750 mlOUT OF STOCK
If you'd like us to try to order it, add it to your cart. We can't promise, but we'll do our best!
Praise for previous vintages
Vinous.com Tasting Note (2019 Vintage)
95 Points - Antonio Galloni - "The 2019 Chardonnay Cuvee Alyce is a total knock-out. Rich, ample and explosive, the 2019 possesses tremendous depth and textural elegance to burn. Citrus confit, white flowers, chamomile and light tropical notes lend an exotic flair to this striking, beautifully delineated Chardonnay from Hansel."
Robertparker.com Tasting Note (2018 Vintage)
95 Points - Erin Brooks - "The 2018 Chardonnay Cuvée Alyce opens slowly to lovely aromas of warm peaches and apricots with accents of toast, roasted almonds and honey. The medium-bodied palate is silky, super concentrated, layered and fresh, cut through with uplifting mineral character and finishing very, very long. Gorgeous! 1,154 cases produced."
Robertparker.com Tasting Note (2017 Vintage)
94 Points - Erin Brooks - "The 2017 Chardonnay Cuvée Alyce opens with new oak aromas of toast, smoke, nutmeg and a gunflint hint with pie crust, spiced red apples, warm yellow peaches and loads of savory nuances—honey, hazelnuts, dried hay—at the core. Medium to full-bodied, it packs a wallop of flavor in the mouth, giving up oodles of warm fruits, spices and savory flavors, with great freshness to lift the very long, layered finish. This is fabulous! Give it another couple years in bottle. 892 cases produced."
Walter Hansel started out in the 1970’s planting everything. He loved to grow everything from kiwi to oriental pears. He also planted his first 250 Chardonnay vines on a half acre plot. Stephen Hansel, Walter’s son, planted additional acres in the late 1980s and built the winery in 1996, and made the first commercial vintage, 1996. To make better wines he enlisted the help of his friend, Tom Rochioli.
Today, Walter Hansel Winery farms about 80 acres located at the southern tip of the Russian River Valley near the Sebastopol Hills. All the vineyards in the estate are contiguous to each other. Each vineyard is planted with distinct Pinot Noir and Chardonnay clones and only their fruit is used to produce Burgundian style wines. Stephen’s long-held belief is that you must listen to the vine; react to Mother Nature and ALWAYS compromise quantity for quality.
Kensington Wine Market is proud to be one of the exclusive Wine Stores to carry Walter Hansel since 2004.
$51.99
In the 1970s Walter Hansel enlisted the help of his son Stephen to plant 257 Chardonnay vines. Throughout the 1980's the winery grew, as did the quality of the wine. It's still a relatively small winery but their Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs are now highly regarded and offer a Burgundian esthetic in a Sonoma setting. The Estate Chardonnay from Walter Hansel is one of the best showcases of what this winery can do with the grape. It avoids extreme oak and over-the-top flavour in exchange for balance, elegance and food-friendly compatibility.
$69.99
From The Winemaker
Alyce was my Mom and she was the life of the party.
There is a section of vineyard right in the middle of the North slope where the soils are very heavy adobe clay resulting in the vines struggling to produce a crop more than 1 ton to the acre. It is a field blend of clone 777 and 115. This minimal crop yield tends to produce wines that are big, rich, "over the top" flavors; perfect for "Alyce". The South Slope begins at the highest elevation and the furthest South of all of the vineyards blocks. Soils are predominantly sandy loam and the vines are all from Burgundy clone 777. Dark cherry, tobacco, cedar, dried autumn leaves and iron lend this wine tons of character and depth.
$69.99
The South and North Slope vineyards of Hansel lie in the Russian River Valley. The two vineyards face each other, side by side, but show very different characteristics despite their proximity. Here is what Stephen Hansel has to say about the South Slope and the French Clone 777 Pinot Noir planted there: "The South Slope begins at the highest elevation and the furthest South of all of our Vineyards blocks. It slopes from South to North about 45 feet and it's soils are predominantly sandy loam. The berry size is medium with a high berry count giving cluster weight that has yields approaching 2 1/4 tons/acre (our highest yields). It is 100% French clone 777, and tends to show it's earthy side far more then our other clones. Although this wine definitely has a French origin, each year it becomes more and more new world."
$69.99
The North and South Slope vineyards of Hansel face each other, side by side, but show very different characteristics despite their proximity. The North Slope's Pinot Noir plantings are from clone 115. Stephen Hansel states "...115 exhibits the most fruit-driven flavors and appears more "New World" then French." This is might be the most expressive of the Pinot range, a lush, plush wine with notes of cherry, cranberry, spice and forest floor. It's a great example of Burgundy meets California, in other words the best of both worlds. The vibrant acidity will allow it to age gracefully for another decade but it's hard to resist right now.
