I really thought I had created a TN thread for this wine back in 2014 when our case was first delivered. We immediately thought it was the best young Hanzell Chardonnay we had ever enjoyed and we went rapid-fire through 3-4 bottles. I buried what was left for a planned renewal of this love affair ~ 2022 but we are moving and I found my stash so I took a couple more out to enjoy during this glorious winter high-pressure zone here in the PNW.
We had Cabezon and lump crab dip and this was pop and pour into big Burg stems.
Good God, this is still bright and shiny like it was in 2014, hasn’t moved even a little. Explosive lemons and great glossy mouthfeel are so upfront, you look a little to find pineapple notes and maybe some stone fruit tones. It’s epic and elegant, acid is balanced with the fruit so still readily apparent. This is as good as California Chardonnay gets. I will hold six bottles in storage for the 2020s and would love to be around to taste this wine at age 20.
We met the winemaker at the Niners/Jets game last year in SF when sharing some wine the the Chairman. The winemaker was a very nice guy and very nice chardonnay. They have a wine program at the Niners games and we found the Hanzell to be best of class among the 8 to 10 wines they were pouring that day. I did not make a contemporaneous note but I recall nice acidity and very pleasant tropical fruits.
Nice note, thanks. It’s been years since I have had a Hanzell Chard, but I really enjoyed it at the time. I’m so pissed at myself, I found some of the 2012 vintage a few weeks ago at a great price, but I snoozed on it and now it is sold out…oh well, I have enough wine already, but this would have been a nice addition to the cellar!
Hanzell rocks! Best Chardonnay in California, IMHO, and the Pinot is up there too. I tasted the 2014s last week and they’re both excellent, although the Pinot isn’t quite ready yet The Sebella bottlings are steals at their price.
I don’t agree that it is the best, but it is very, very good. I think the sentiment is because it is not a caricature wine. It is not all the way at either end of the spectrum. Ceritas, for example, has a ph that rivals the acids we worked with in chemistry class and kistler belongs in a lumber yard, if you get my drift.
