Walter Hansel Vineyards

Walter Hansel was a lifelong wine enthusiast who had the vision to plant the original 250 vines in 1978. Today, Stephen, Walter's son, pursues that vision of producing world class Burgundy-style Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Hansel Family Vineyards currently consists of 75 acres of grapes from ten different French and domestic clones ranging in age from 23 to 3 years. At Walter Hansel Winery, the emphasis is on low yields (a miniscule range from 1.5 to 2.7 tons/acre) for greater complexity. Since all their grapes are grown on their own property, they can exercise strict control in the vineyards, which are planted with 5 Pinot and 5 Chardonnay clones. Each clone was chosen for its specific acid and flavor variations.

All of Steve's fruit is hand-harvested, and it is re-examined again at the winery. Hansel makes an average of 9 total passes through each vineyard including one pass just to pull the second crop. (And while many wineries produce wine from the second crop, Stephen believes the primary crop can be more concentrated if he drops the second crop instead of using it.) Each pass is time consuming and expensive but Stephen feels the vine rewards him with more concentrated flavors.

Walter Hansel Wines can be bought online at a bunch of different retailers.

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