2005 Walter Hansel "Estate" Russian River Chardonnay

From the winery's website:

"Walter Hansel Winery is located in Sonoma County at the southern tip of the Russian River Valley near the Sebastopol hills. It is bordered to the north by the Santa Rosa Creek and to the west by a tributary of the Russian River known as the Laguna de Santa Rosa. This location is ideal for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay as the nights and mornings are cooled by coastal fog yet the mid-days warm up to perfect grape ripening temperatures.

Walter Hansel was a lifelong wine enthusiast who had the vision to plant 250 vines in 1978. Stephen Hansel, Walter’s son, planted additional acres in the late 1980’s and began marketing wine in 1998. New vineyards and a new winemaking facility were added at the family’s estate in 1999."

We met Stephen in February when we called for an appointment at the winery during a trip to Sonoma. Down a dirt road, we found a small winery building, and out walked Stephen in business attire suitable for an office environment. You don't find guys like Stephen Hansel in the wine business very often. He owns several of the largest car dealerships in Sonoma, and wine is just his hobby.

He is a perfectionist, attending to every aspect of growing grape vines, harvesting, and producing wine. Even with all the high scores and press lately, his prices have remained incredibly low. Plus, he doesn't plan on raising his prices, or increasing production. All his wines come from grapes grown on his property.

The Wine Advocate - Robert Parker - 91 Points
The 2005 Chardonnay Estate’s tight, mineral-dominated perfume exhibits citrus-like notes intermixed with wet stone, subtle brioche, orange rind, and hazelnut aromas.

We drank this wine with a dinner of BBQ chicken, cole slaw, Caren's famous BBQ beans, and sliced melon. The wine was incredibly good.

Can't wait to compare it to White Burgundies from France. Hint - stay tuned for next week.