Walter Hansel Pinot Noir Cahill Lane Vineyard 2008

RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY | CALIFORNIA | $45
Medium bodied with boysenberry and blueberry fruit, and complex notes of organic soil, allspice, gingerbread and orange zest, plus chalk and stone minerals and a hint of rhubarb. Velvety texture and superbly balanced, with both depth and breadth. Pleasant on the palate, very accessible, yet extraordinarily multidimensional. This chap retains all his boyish charm — playful, inquisitive, innocent — though the rigors of live and career imbue that certain wisdom awarded to those in mid-life. A very good, near excellent wine. (Reviewed 4/13/13)