2002 Walter Hansel South Slope Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, California

Several weeks ago we reviewed the 2002 Walter Hansel Pinot Noir and while I ended up really enjoying it, Cat did not. I knew that this winery also offered a few single vineyard Pinot Noirs and this is the first we have been able to try.

After sitting decanted for about an hour we glass tasted and found the wine immediately approachable. The nose had nice, round fruit of berries... primarily sweeter blueberry and a little blackberry. There is also a really nice fragrant floral component to the nose that we notice in some California Pinot Noirs. The floral scents are balanced by a little smoke and just a bit of alcohol. The palate is round and puts the fruit right out there with more berry, some cherry but not as deeply sweet as the nose. There is some wet soil flavors (like wet soil smells...) and a little peppery spice in there with really, really subtle cedar on the finish. This wine is lighter, totally Burgundian in style and remarkably complex. As we drank this Pinot Noir over the next hour or so it continued to open and soften, being incredibly well balanced and elegant. This was a terrific bottle of wine.

cost - $37.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 9

this wine is available at Raeder's Wines online

2004 Robert Hall Syrah, Paso Robles, California

We seem to be caught in a wine feedback loop presently. It seems that we have been consistently rotating our wine choices between Burgundy, the Loire, and non-French Syrah. Sure, we've thrown in the occasional Rhone blend or the odd bottle of Champagne, but largely you all have seen reviews that predominantly fall into those three main categories. Prepare yourselves for one more.

To be honest, I would say that our taste preferences fall into those three broad wine categories, and this is evidenced by the diversity of reviews within each here on winecommando. I talked about Rioja earlier, but we haven't really gotten around to reviewing any of merit. Yet. Stay tuned for that one.

We picked up this Syrah simply because we had not tried it before, and we had not yet reviewed a wine from Paso Robles (pronounced "passoe roe-blays"), named for the areas oak trees and shortened from the Spanish El Paso de Robles. What we know of Paso Robles is that there are some great wineries and great wines in this area. It is one of the fastest growing wine regions in California, located between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast, and is currently home to over 100 wineries, producing over 40 different wine varietals. It is still overshadowed by Napa and Sonoma, but Paso Robles is resurgent... and not least of all due to the changing tastes of American wine drinkers. As different varietals, like Syrah and Viognier, gain popularity so do the fortunes of the areas that produce these grapes, areas just like Paso Robles. To be fair, though, there is also great Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel produced there, the backbones (with Chardonnay) of the Californian wine industry.

The winery owner, Robert Hall, is another individual who came to wine indirectly. He was a very successful developer of shopping centers and when faced with options for retirement, chose to dive into wine. He had always had a passion for wine, and had developed this passion with many visits to France, especially to the Rhone valley. When he bought his winery in Paso Robles, it was this passion for the Rhone style wines that he sought to pursue. He partnered with winemaker Don Brady to create wines that are true to the Southern French style, with special focus on the Syrah grape.

It was interesting to learn that this Syrah is blended with both Mourvedre and Merlot. Mourvedre is a traditional Rhone varietal that is often blended with Syrah and Grenache, but the Merlot part of this equation was not something we had experienced before. We opened and decanted this bottle for about an hour and a half. When we poured to taste the nose was full, rich and very aromatic. We could smell the wine well before putting the glasses to our noses. There is intense, concentrated raspberry and blackberry with hints of mint and earth. The palate was also rich and full, but without being cloying or over-the-top. It was remarkably balanced, which I think surprised us given how powerful the nose is. We tasted deep, sweet raspberry with dark chocolate, a little coffee, and some woody flavors. It definitely approaches being a heavier bodied wine, but the balance of the flavors and the structure keeps it well on the elegant side. The finish on this Syrah was long and flavorful. This is a Syrah that would be terrific with beef tenderloin, or a rich meat like bison. It would also work great with Cat's special vegetarian chili filled out with bulgar, which is what we paired it with. It was a good match.

I would not say that this wine was off the charts, or that it delivered some wildly sophisticated flavors. It is incredibly solid, and for the money an exceptional value. This would be another excellent example of a great value wine with which to bolster your cellar as this 2004 will drink great for the next five years or so.

cost - $18.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 8.5

2002 Jade Mountain Syrah, Napa Valley, California

The year is 1991. You have the chance to buy some vineyard property. You look, you hunt, and you wait patiently for just the right opportunity to become available. Your perseverance pays off and 42 acres of PRIME vineyard land on Mt. Veeder, vineyards that produce especially excellent Cabernet Sauvignon grapes for several reserve wines, hits the market. You are Jim Paras, a San Francisco attorney with a passion for wine that runs very, very deep. You buy the 42 acres on Mt. Veeder and what do you do next? Do you get into the Cabernet Sauvignon business?

No.

You rip out all of the vines on the property and replant Syrah. The actions of a man who has gone insane. Or, perhaps, we are the ones who are insane.

Jim Paras had a vision and he wanted to make top notch Syrah. He joined forces with Doug Danielak, a known Syrah master who had trained in the crucible of the Rhone Valley. You see, they both knew that the land Jim had purchased on Mt. Veeder, with its cool temps and soil type was primo Syrah growing territory, and anybody can grow good Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa Valley. They executed their plan with extreme prejudice.

Cat and I had not had any wines from Jade Mountain before, but given our lucky streak with New World Syrahs, and given that today is Wine Blogging Wednesday (WBW) and the theme of the day is "New World Syrah" we concluded it is a great time to review this wine. I submitted our review of the Chilean Montes Alpha Syrah to WBW being hosted at Winecast, a wine blog worth checking out.

This wine, blended with 3% Viognier, was very nice. We decanted for one hour prior to tasting. When we poured our glasses we found the nose full of lilac and blackberry. We loved the lilac. There were hints of smokiness, and even some rosemary. Initially, there was an odd scent to the nose... almost like green olives, I think, but it dissipated quickly. The palate was incredibly well balanced and tasted of more blackberry with dark chocolate and earthiness. The flavors were round and full, and the finish was long. Tannin was present, but not sharp and was softened the longer it was in the glass. This wine made me want to eat roasted duck, it would have paired really, really well.

cost - $27.99 on sale from $29.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 8.5

1999 Kent Rasmussen Petite Syrah, Napa Valley, California

We posted a review of a Kent Rasmussen Carneros Pinot Noir a couple of weeks ago. We liked that wine a lot and enjoyed learning about this highly regarded winery. I saw this Petite Syrah by Kent Rasmussen and thought it would be an interesting wine, especially given its vintage of 1999.

Petite Syrah (Sirah) is an interesting grape varietal. Many people assume that it is a version of Syrah, and they are not incorrect, but Petite Sirah is a distant, distant hybrid cousin of Syrah and has its history intertwined with winemaking in California in the late 1800's.

In the 1880's a French doctor specializing in the wine producing grapes of southern France began experimenting with hybrids and clones. His name was Dr. Francois Durif, and he created a new grape based on the seed of an ancient varietal, Peloursin, and the pollen of a grape he assumed to be Syrah, which through genetic testing we now know to be the source. He named this new varietal after himself, Durif, which was not especially catchy.

During the 1870's the Syrah varietal had been introduced into California with much success. Among the Syrah vines were many that produced very low-yielding but concentrated fruit. These came to be known as Petite Syrah and began to be cultivated in their own right separated from what vineyard owners took to be traditional Syrah. In the mid-1880's the Durif varietal from Dr. Durif was brought over to California and vineyard owners began planting vineyard lots to experiment with diversifying their vineyard holdings. The Durif grape in California came to be known as "Petite Sirah." During the 1890's Phylloxera destroyed almost all of the Syrah vines of California and as the Durif/Petite Sirah vines were thriving and seemed resistant to Phylloxera many vineyards were replanted with Petite Sirah brought over from France or from cuttings from the existing vines. Though Petite Sirah is distantly related to Syrah, in several vineyards the name came to mean Syrah, Petite Syrah, Petite Sirah and Durif. It was not until the 1990's that it was conclusively established that Petite Sirah is genetically related to the noble old-world Syrah of the Rhone, the same grape that makes up Hermitage and Cote-Rotie.

Kent Rasmussen makes wines from several different varietals, but as mentioned before it is Pinot Noir that the winery is most known for. Petite Sirah, though, is a favorite and the winery has consistently produced excellent vintages of this varietal. Interestingly, the 1999 vintage was the last vintage that the winery referred to the wine as "Petite Syrah" and in 2000 they began labeling it "Petite Sirah," which is technically more accurate.

We decanted this wine and let sit for about 45 minutes before tasting. When we poured we were very surprised by the nose. It was full of terrific blueberry fruit, round and almost sweet smelling. This was balanced by a little bit of coffee and a very distinct quality that was hard for me to place. At first I thought it was almost like the sweetness of kerosene, with a tinge of sulfur or tar. All in all, the nose was complex and very interesting. The palate delivered soft blueberry and blackberry balanced by nice tannins, totally reined in, and an earthy finish with the same tar-like quality that was in the nose. It was very balanced and the structure would lend itself very well to pairing with a variety of foods. We found this wine enjoyable and an excellent value given its excellent quality.

cost - $22.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 8.75

2004 Ridge Three Valleys Zinfandel, Sonoma County, California

You deserve better photography, and perhaps we should take the label shots before we drink the wine. Please be patient with us.

A couple weeks ago we tried the Ridge Syrah, a limited production wine from a winery that is highly respected for its Zinfandels. That Syrah rocked our world, and winecommando gave it a solid 10 rating. I am going to buy a case of it for the small basement room that we call the "cellar."

It's the Zinfandels, though, that everyone talks about from Ridge. I've had several from them including the Lytton Springs, Geyserville and Pagani Ranch. They are all consistently excellent. We had not tried the Three Valleys Zinfandel, though, and were excited to give it a taste.

The name "Three Valleys" for this wine is to signify that it is blended from multiple vineyards. The wine itself is a mix of 68% Zinfandel, 11% Carignane, 10% Syrah, 7% Petite Sirah, and 4% Grenache. You can bet that a tremendous amount of effort and tasting went into figuring that blend out. The grapes that Ridge chooses for this wine are from the more accessible of the lots from their single vineyards. This wine is made from grapes grown in the vineyards of Lytton Springs, Dry Creek, Geyserville, Mazzoni, Stone Valley Ranch, and Pagani Ranch. It was fermented in classic Ridge style, meaning with the natural yeasts and minimal intervention.

We opened and decanted the wine without tasting right away. It's a Zin, I figured we shouldn't rush it. After about 30 minutes we poured a couple glasses. The first thing that struck us was the color. Deep, dark red. So dark that it is almost black towards the center of the glass. The nose was full of grape jelly, a tinge of sharper raspberry, and a scent I can only classify as wet hay or wet grass. The nose was wonderful. I also picked up a little black pepper. We had read a review of this wine earlier and it said something about "briar" in the nose. I have no idea what briar smells like and can't tell you that we picked that one up. What the hell does briar smell like? I want to know.

The palate was exactly what we thought it would be, given the nose. It was concentrated and rich, though the wine was surprisingly medium bodied. You think Zinfandel and you conclude, typically, big and heavy bodied wines. Not so here. Dare I say, this Zinfandel is ELEGANT? Must be the blend. Anyway, the palate had round jammy strawberry and chocolate, if you smoke cigars you might recognize just the slightest tobacco type taste. I don't really smoke cigars, but we have these friends who always foist them on me when we get together and I tend to oblige, much to Cat's chagrin.

The finish on this wine is long, and overall it was especially pleasing. It is not incredibly sophisticated, nor is it exceptional. It is solid and for the price delivers an excellent experience. It would be terrific with grilled beef, chili, or even tacos.

cost - $22.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 8

2005 Fess Parker Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County, California

If you look closely at the label above you'll notice the raccoon skin cap above the name Fess Parker. You're asking why. Good question. Some of you may remember that Fess Parker was the actor who played Davy Crocket on the television show from the 1950's and 1960's, and Daniel Boone in the 1960's. I remember seeing reruns when I was young, but fortunately I am not old enough to remember the show being on tv.

Anyway, those who saw the show will remember that Davy Crocket, and Daniel Boone too, I think, work buckskin suits. They were rugged pioneer type guys after all. Well, story has it that Fess Parker was horribly allergic to leather, to the buckskin, and had to be slathered in salve in order to wear the buckskin outfit. There were times when he was in absolute agony. He suffered for us.

I think that Fess bought the land his winery would ultimately be built on back in the 1950's. It wasn't until the late 1980's, though, that Fess and his son Eli set out to make a world class winery. Eli studied with renowned winemakers to learn his craft, one of whom was Jed Steele. Now Eli is the winemaker at Fess Parker and it is a true family run operation.

We did not decant this wine, as when we tasted it right out of the bottle (not literally, we do use stemware...) it seemed good to go. The nose was interesting and had blackberry and cherry, some spice... like cinnamon and maybe even just a little cumin, and cola flavors... but not like a soda, like the candy that is flavored like the soda. The palate was a bit thin, but had decent fruit, a wet leather quality, restrained tannins and a short finish. It was easy to drink, a solid Pinot Noir, and a good value for the price. It was not over the top in any way, but it also did not leave a particularly strong impression on us. We love the story about Fess Parker's buckskin allergies, though. Good times.

cost - $22.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 7.5

2000 Merryvale Profile, Napa Valley, California

My brother's birthday was a few days ago. We don't normally exchange gifts as we are of that age where birthday gifts for your siblings is not top-of-mind, so to speak. Anyway, he sent me a pretty terrific surprise gift for my birthday earlier the same week (the DVD box set of ALL of the Pink Panther Movies... and yes, that's how I roll) and I needed to reciprocate. So I contacted a recommended wine shop in Brooklyn (Red, White, and Bubbly) , where he and his wonderful girlfriend live, and this beautiful bottle was hand delivered on behalf of winecommando as a birthday gift. I asked that they review the wine for us, as we have not tried it, and JL and mattisimo have obliged with what is the FIRST guest wine review on winecommando:

"Having friends and family who know wines is a great asset for novices like us. We've attended our share of tasting events and have wined and dined with those in the know, and through these experiences, we have discovered what flavors and qualities we like, yet we
are usually at the mercy of a good wine shop owner or somelier, or at least a wine list with good descriptions. So it was a wonderful surprise to receive a bottle of Merryvale 'Profile' Red Wine as a birthday gift from the experienced folks at winecommando.

Merryvale Vineyards is located in the lovely town of St. Helena, in Napa Valley. 'Profile' is one of their Prestige wines, "a proprietary red Bordeaux blend." This bottle, from 2000, is a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Letting it rest for about half an hour resulted in a nice rich wine with a smooth finish. It tasted of dark berries, a little smokey, and just enough body to remind you of the complexity of the blend. This wine would pair well with heartier meats,like beef or pork, or perhaps rich poultry, like turkey or duck. It was a delicious foray into blended wines. This was also an introduction to a new (to us) California winery, and certainly one to seek out on our next trip to Napa. Merryvale was the first winery built in Napa Valley after the end of Prohibition. This family-owned winery is dedicated to the art of winemaking, and their wines have received much acclaim, both here and abroad. And from a couple of NY novices, the 2000 'Profile' wins our praise."

cost - a birthday gift from the folks at winecommando

(guest) winecommando rating (1-10) - 8.5

2005 Steele Carneros Pinot Noir, Sonoma, California

Another standout wine from Carneros. I must be beginning a Carneros kick to replace my focus on Syrah. I could do much worse. This wine is the result of efforts by Jed Steele. Jed is not only a terrific wine maker, he is a pretty cool person. This I know first hand. In my previous life I had the opportunity to cross paths and share wine with Jed on numerous occasions. Back then his wines were solid. This one is no exception, though I have had wines from Steele that have varied. The Pinot Noirs, though, seem to always be of top quality.

Jed started making wine in 1991. If I remember correctly, he was a transplant from Boston to California... but don't quote me on that. Anyway, he came to California and developed not only a passion for wine, but a passion for making wine. He started in 1991 using fruit purchased from grape growers and made his wine in a shared winery in which he rented space. He was a natural. By 1996 11 out of 18 wines that Jed made were rated outstanding, and it was in 1996 that he purchased a winery and began expanding his efforts.

This wine had really pronounced strawberry in the nose, very concentrated. There were also hints of cassis and a slight smokiness. The palate carried the strawberry fruit, balanced with a little chocolate. There was oak in the palate, but really subtle, and the finish was longish but not unpleasant. All in all a very solid Pinot Noir that paired perfectly with the salmon that I had for dinner.

It is appropriate that I had this wine now as at about this time every year Jed would throw a pre-Oscars party where people would dress up, drink his wines, eat great food and try to predict who would win what awards. It is now pre-Oscars time and I just had a Jed Steele wine. I do not have any Oscar predictions, though. For that, you must check my other blog...

Just kidding. I could care less about the Oscars.

cost - $22.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 8.5

2005 Copain Wines "L'hiver" Syrah, Mendocino County, California

We had very high expectations for this wine. It has received great ratings and there was a lot of enthusiasm for it at my local wine shop. When people are enthusiastic about a wine that is enough to get me to try it, but this one is also from an incredibly well respected winemaker, Wells Guthrie, who pursued his passion for wine all the way to Chapoutier in the Northern Rhone from San Francisco. There, he focused on learning the intricacies of the Rhone varietals and worked the winery and the vineyards at Chapoutier. He also began investigating biodynamics, something being talked about more and more amongst grape growers and winemakers.

Wells moved back to California and did a stint with Helen Turley of Turley Wines, whom I have a lot of respect for and whose wines have blown my mine. He departed Turley and started his own winery. He is dedicated to organic farming and seeks out partnerships with grape growers who share this dedication. He also subscribes to a winemaking style that could best be classified as "old world." I admire that a lot as it implies a light touch while making the wine and a minimum of winemaking technology. Factory production this is not. This is about craft and it is about being quite intimate with the wine through the entire making and maturation process.

This wine is like a Crozes-Hermitage from California. It is quite reminiscent of this Rhone wine with a style that pushes the fruit forward, in this case dark cherries, but balances it with an olive like quality. Almost "green olivy." Sounds off putting, but it works great and the wine is pretty wonderful. It is very balanced, velvety and smooth with a longish finish and tannins that are well in check. Excellent with food, especially duck or venison. Maybe pair it with bison tenderloin. Yum.

Anyway, this was a cool syrah to try and completely different in style than the Ridge and the De Lisio that I raved about last week. All three represent the versatility and range of the Syrah grape, which truly is amazing... and really fun to contrast.

cost - $17.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 8.5

2000 Kent Rasmussen WInery Pinot Noir, Carneros, California

Kent Rasmussen started his winery in 1979 when he planted six acres of Pinot Noir vines. At that time Carneros was not thought of as optimal vineyard area and had relatively few thriving vineyards. Vineyards had once been planted throughout the area, dating back to the time that it was originally homesteaded in the 1830's, but the industry never caught on with any success. By the end of WWII, most of the vineyards had been pulled or were overgrown and forgotten.

It is an incredibly challenging area to grow grapes of any kind, but especially daunting to attempt to grow Pinot Noir there. Obviously, this did not stop Mr. Rasmussen and he persevered adding additional vineyard land in the process. By the time Carneros had caught on as a good area to grow Pinot Noir, Kent Rasmussen was already comfortably situated as the vanguard and the largest Pinot Noir vineyard owner.

He made his first wines from his plantings in 1986. Twenty years later his wines are respected and renowned throughout the world and Carneros is considered to be one of the best areas to grow Pinot Noir in California. Now that's vision.

We enjoyed this bottle. In the glass the wine offers great ruby color tinged with that reddish brown around the edges that is indicative of Pinot Noir. The nose was remarkably full, with hints of blackberry and Earl Grey tea. Cat picked up a little black licorice. The full nose gave way to a lighter palate with slightly brighter fruit, a little earthiness, and a lingering and slightly sharp finish. Cat noticed a slight metallic taste to the finish but I did not get that, but it did initially react with the back corners of my tongue. After the bottle had opened up for about 30 minutes we found it to be quite nice, very elegant, and much softer with almost a perfume like quality to the nose. Good wine.

cost - $24.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 8

2002 Cline Los Carneros Syrah, Sonoma, California

There is no reality where it was fair to ask another syrah to follow our experience with the Ridge syrah from a couple of days ago. In fact, after the Ridge we should have just quit trying wine and deleted the blog. And yet, here we are.

This is a solid syrah, a nice value and very drinkable. It didn't really stand out in any way, though, and just tasted really neutral. Again, not fair given our minds being blown by two syrahs so recently. The nose of this wine is light, with just a little fruit and a baked cookies kind of scent. A lot of Californian syrahs have that baked cookies smell to me. Some people totally get that, some don't. Cat thinks she smelled that too, but she's not sure and mostly just humors me.

The flavors on the palate were ripe dark cherries, a little allspice or clove... I can't tell the difference, and that same baked cookie quality. It was medium bodied with little tannin and a longish finish. The finish did not seem balanced and was a bit cloying, like many other Californian syrahs.

Cline positions the Los Carneros syrah as one of their best, and the fruit is from a small 18 acre vineyard along a hillside in the center of Sonoma's cool climate area. That is ideal for producing rich, concentrated fruit and sets my expectations for what this wine would be like. it didn't really live up to a small vineyard production "best" syrah, but just to reiterate... it was a nice wine and enjoyable. Just not that memorable.

cost - $21.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 6

2003 Ridge Lytton West Syrah, Dry Creek Valley, California

After having such a terrific experience with the De Lisio shiraz we were excited to keep the momentum going with non-French syrah. I found this one by Ridge and didn't hesitate picking it up. Though Ridge has produced a syrah since the mid-1990's, those were only for sale at the winery and this is the first vintage to be released outside of the winery. That's pretty cool. I have tried several of the zinfandels from Ridge over the years, and they consistently rock. We aren't drinking much zinfandel these days, but when we do the Ridge Geyserville, Pagani Ranch and Lytton Springs zins will be top of my list. But I digress.

We'd not tried the Ridge syrah, but figured that they would bring the same quality, intensity and attention to detail to this wine that they do to their zinfandels. We were correct in that assumption. This wine was absolutely fantastic and it stunned us. But first, a little history...

The Ridge vineyards date back to the 1880's, which in the American wine industry is a very, very long time ago. In 1885 Osea Perrone (viva Italia!) purchased about 200 acres of land along the Monte Bello ridge (monte bello is Italian for beautiful mountain). I'm seeing a connection between Italians and great syrah here... but that's just me. Osea terraced the land and planted the first vines himself. He built a small winery and set about making his first wines under the name of the Monte Bello Winery. Fast forward to today and the land has changed hands a couple of times, various parcels have been acquired or sold off and have had a variety of different vines planted across it. This original vineyard has also become a key vineyard property in what is now Ridge Wines. In terms of their techniques, Ridge has always been somewhat of a rebel and has made wines with approaches very different than their other Californian neighbors. Oddly, this has a lot to do with Prohibition, which cleaved Californian winemaking from its historical roots. Post Prohibition, many winemakers experimented by collaborating with the agricultural universities and worked to technologically change winemaking. Ridge did not subscribe to this approach, and during the sixties began focusing on a winemaking process that is natural and eschewed technology. This approach is really pretty simple and starts with creating the best fruit, fermenting in small lots with naturally occurring yeasts and nurturing the wines along throughout the winemaking process. It is an approach that is passionate, intense and laborious. Their wines consistently show the benefits of these efforts.

The Lytton West Syrah is no exception. It is intensely dark with a full, enticing nose. There is lots of fruit (strawberry... like strawberry preserves) in the nose, but all of it is balanced by an earthy quality. Both of us said "Wow!" out loud as we were smelling it and before we had even tasted it. Cat was wide eyed. We drink good wine, but this is really, really good wine and we both knew it. On the palate this syrah is rich and complex, though still medium bodied. A perfect and flexible food wine, I could see this with beef or pork tenderloin, Moroccan cuisine, or even a spirited salmon prep. The wine just kicks ass. The palate, while full, has a fantastic finish. Not cloying or over the top like many Californian syrahs, it finishes quietly with just lingering hints of the fruit and a little bit of spice. Interestingly, this wine is also made with 9% viognier - a white Rhone varietal. This may be what keeps this syrah from being over the top. For a wine that is such a powerhouse it finishes with subtleness and elegance. Delicious? Yes. Well-rounded? Yes. Memorable? Definitely. Both Cat and I loved this wine and highly recommend it. We also love the label design and find it to be classic, like it was designed by Pentagram.

cost - $36.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 10 (solidly!)

2002 Walter Hansel Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley

This was a wine that cleaved Cat and I. I really liked it. Cat, not so much. It definitely had some interesting qualities, and after pouring our glasses it really wasn't that great. I decanted it and let it sit for awhile. When I came back to it I was pretty happy. The flavors were full with lots of jammy berry type flavors (I hate the way that sounds, but that is what I tasted). The nose is definitely earthy, and almost a little bit smoky. The flavors lasted a long time on the tongue and were very elegant. Ultimately, this turned out to be a really nice wine... it just needed some time to reveal itself.

Here's the deal with this winery. It is a true "family vineyard and winery." Walter Hansel planted the original vines for the vineyard in the Russian River Valley back in 1978. This was a labor of love for Walter. Today, his son Stephen runs the winery and is the wine maker. This is a good thing as he has been very well steeped in how to make incredible pinot noir. I read somewhere that he studied with a great recognized wine maker, but I cannot remember who it was. Whoever it was, it was a good investment. This vineyard is focused on low yield, quality fruit. Everything is hand picked, and there is tremendous focus on the craft of making wine. This is no quantity operation, and it really shows in the quality of the wine. I read that the first wine that Stephen Hansel made was done in his garage. I love stories like that. Apple Computers started in a garage. Some really great music came out of garages. The garage may be my favorite room in a house.

I thoroughly enjoyed this bottle of wine and was sad that Cat didn't groove on it. The more for me, I guess. Look for the single vineyard pinot noirs from this winery, I am sure they are excellent. I'll be reviewing a couple in the coming weeks.

cost - $33.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 9

2001 Sadler-Wells Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast

Sometimes I feel like I am becoming Paul Giamatti's character in the movie Sideways. There IS something about pinot noir and it makes me insane. I love Burgundy, I love the Willamette Valley, and I love Sonoma and the Russian River Valley. All of these areas can produce really excellent wines that are so totally different from each other... but distinctly pinot noir. Good times.

Anyway, scored this wine on sale and had never had it before. I had never heard of it before, either, so I was excited to try it. Both Cat and I thought the nose was really interesting. I picked up some subtle sulfur, in a good way, and you can read into that whatever the hell you want. Cat got kind of a soapy scent. The wine was restrained with little fruit. It was dry, and finished quickly but I thought it had a pretty cool cinnamon quality to the finish. You know how cinnamon makes the back and sides of your tongue react? This wine did the same thing. It is a great wine with food and we had it with one of my impromptu curry's this evening, and it held up quite well. I served the curry with beef knowingly breaking all Hindu tradition. We are not Hindu. The beef was from a farm owned by friends of the family and was organic and grass-fed. More on that later in a different post.

cost - $22.00 on sale from $29.99

served with - mixed vegetable chick pea curry with beef

winecommando rating (1-10) - 8.5