2007 Pinot Noir Hansel Family Vineyards Russian River Valley

"The fruit was so perfect in 2007 that you wanted to eat it right off of the vine," Stephen Hansel told me, adding that there was a little bit of shriveling of the grapes "that added to the concentration but wasn't enough to give any overripe character." The 2006 and 2007 pinots I tasted here are fresher than those of past vintages; previously I found a strong animal or leathery character in some of these wines. This has become a very reliable address in the last few years and prices have not caught up to quality yet. Hansel is now committed full-time to his winery as he has retired from his family's long-established auto dealership, which seems to have sold every car in Sonoma wine country, based on the dealer tags and license plate holders I've seen there over the last couple of decades.