Walter Hansal Russian River Chardonnay

Walter Hansel was a lifelong wine enthusiast who had the vision to plant his estate's original 250 vines in 1978. Today, Stephen, Walter's son, has taken up where his father left off, pursuing his vision of producing world-class Burgundian-styled Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, all from the Russian River Valley. The Estate Chardonnay is a blend of all of the blocks in the Hansel Estate Vineyard. It shows the diversity of expositions and closes that the site offers. The winery uses only natural yeast during fermentation. Fining and filtration are minimal. The Chardonnays are whole cluster fermented and gently pressed to extract the juice. The cooperage varies from year-to-year, cuvée-to-cuvée, but none of the wine is aged on entirely new oak. One- and two-year-old barrels are always employed.