2007 Walter Hansel "Cuvee Alyce" Russian River Valley Chardonnay

94+ points Robert Parker: "The 2007 Chardonnay Cuvee Alyce is sensational. Named after Stephen Hansel’s recently deceased 90-year-old mother, the wine has admirable minerality, plenty of honeysuckle, hints of pear, white peach, and pineapple, a deep, full-bodied mouthfeel with subtle smokiness from oak, very good acidity, and a long, concentrated finish. This is likely to be the longest-lived of the Chardonnays and capable of lasting for up to 7-10 years." (12/08) 93 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar: "Bright gold. Exotically perfumed aromas of tangerine, peach, anise, iodine and smoky lees. Tangy, refreshingly bitter fruit skin flavors are underscored by smoke and herbal qualities. This impressively deep chardonnay finishes with excellent clarity and outstanding chewy persistence." (May/Jun '09) Big, boisterous flavors and aromas of brioche, crème brulee, vanilla bean, custard and milled corn are ever apparent and for most they would be enough. The bonus is that you'll also pick up the things that really make this wine special, like purity of fruit. The passion fruit, peach and guava flavors are really something special. Also the way that the oak is integrated into the wine here is wonderful; it is always completely apparent but it also never really gets in the way of the intensity of the raw materials. Add the long dry finish packed with lychee, dried apple rings and pastry dough and you have one of the best Chards I've tasted in 2010. (Bryan Brick, K&L)