Winemaker Notes
The Chardonnay is whole-cluster pressed into French oak for fermentation. The malolactic fermentation can last into the following spring. Cuvee Alyce is a barrel selection of the most concentrated barrels from all of the Hansel Estate Vineyard sites.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2022 Chardonnay Cuvee Alyce is a blend of Hyde, Hudson and 95 clones. It is also the richest and deepest of these Chardonnays from Hansel. Burnt sugar, lemon confit, marzipan, tangerine oil and vanillin are nicely pushed forward. This is an especially understated vintage of Alyce.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Named after his Stephen Hansel’s mom, the 2022 Chardonnay Cuvee Alyce is the top of the range for the Chardonnays and comes from the highest elevation site on the ranch. Made from the clones Hyde Wente, Huxon Wente, and Dijon 95, in the glass it displays a ripe golden yellow hue and is more focused, with ripe notes of flint, baked golden apples, lemon curd, toasted cedar, and wet stones. Full-bodied, it offers a creamy, luxuriously rounded texture, with a clean finish and a touch of hazelnut through the palate.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.