Focus on Hamacher Wines

"The Fruit, the Barrels and the Patience", by Jean Yates, April 2005

A high point of this busy month has been the release of five exceptional wines from Hamacher Wines. A beautifully integrated Pinot noir, a fine White Burgundy styled Chardonnay, two great "value" wines, and an very limited and just delicious Dry Rosé are all available now, and Avalon highly recommends each and every one of them.

Eric Hamacher is unusual in his winemaking practices - he ages his wines several years longer than most wineries before release. His Pinot noirs are made traditionally, using wild yeast and bacteria, aging for a year-and-a-half in barrel before racking by gas pressure, and blending and bottling by gravity. Then the wines are carefully aged for two or more years until Eric feels that they are ready for release. He feels that "Often the classic vintages need some time to flesh-out and wrap their complex flavor profile in the velvet which is great Pinot Noir". Thus, the Hamacher Pinot noir 01 $35/$31.50 is just being released in April of 2005.

Eric is ruthless in declassifying as much as 60% of a vintage if the wine is not good enough. He says: "Why go to the trouble? Taste what's in the bottle... you'll understand. Elegant, rich and balanced Pinot Noir is why we set the bar so high. Pinot is at its best when its naturally tendency towards complexity is not muted by the hand of the winemaker, when its structure is aided by sound decisions not overwhelmed by them and when its suppleness and succulence are revered not ignored. All our winemaking practices flow from these thoughts."

The 2001 Pinot noir is a blend of wine made from eight different vineyards. Eric says: "Each (vineyard) is farmed to the particular needs of that site. Subsequently, there is a tremendous difference among the wines from each vineyard and even amongst the blocks of a given site! It is with this diversity that we set about pulling together "the best" of each vintage. Within these barrels is a snapshot of what the growing season in Oregon was like. Within each blended bottle is that picture as interpreted by the Hamacher style of elegance over power, of complexity and suppleness."

Eric strives for a "true" Pinot noir through careful selection of vineyard sites and creates silky texture and fine grained tannins through the use of longer aged barrels than the norm.

"While most Oregon Pinot vineyards are less than 10 years old, the contributors to the 2001 Hamacher Pinot have an average vine age of over 20 years. The barrel staves are aged over twice the norm of most French cooperages prior to constructing the barrel. This means the harsh, woody astringency that most coopers try to cover by burning the inside of the barrels have already been leached out of the wood by three season's rains. This allows for gentle carmelization of the woods non-fermentable sugars rather than charring. Believe it or not "smoke" is not a natural fruit aroma!", says Eric.

Avalon's Wine Club manager Marcus Looze tasted the 01 Pinot noir and comments: "I want to reward a winemaker who allows his wines to mature before release. This wine is just wonderful. Let's send it to the Pinot Club!" And so we are. It will be a summer 2005 selection of the Avalon Reserve Pinot noir Club.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate reviewed the wine (90 Points), with the following comments: "One of the exceptionally rare outstanding Oregon reds from its vintage, the 2001 Pinot Noir displays cedar-tinged black cherry aromas. This medium-bodied, ample wine sports a lovely satiny texture, loads of spice-laden blackberries, dark cherries, and hints of blueberries. It is harmonious, lush, and has a long, fruit-packed finish. While it may age well, my inclination is to suggest drinking it over the next 3 years (through 2007) as experience has taught me to fear notes of cedar in young Pinots." - Pierre Rovani

Eric has this to say about his 01 Pinot noir: "The '01 Hamacher Pinot will no doubt appeal to Pinot purists. Earthier and darker than the 2000, blend of dark fruit, gamey and spice aromas scream Pinot! Texturally the satin-like feel of it coats your mouth, lingering while you contemplate the complexity of its flavors. The palate if more fruit and spice driven than the nose might lead you to expect. This is an example of texture growing in the bottle. The classic vintages need some time to flesh-out and wrap the complex flavor profile in the velvet which is great Pinot Noir... on a scale of one to ten this is... yummy!"

With the nature of the 2001 vintage being one of elegance, this wine has been singled out for praise for it's exceptionally rich mid-palate and amazing length. "How do you get so much richness in your wines every vintage", Eric was asked by one critic recently. "It's the fruit, the barrels and the patience" he replied.

It's remarkable that Eric allows the one Chardonnay he makes each year to age for over two years in bottle before release, but there it is -- and the results are fantastic.

The Hamacher Chardonnay "Cuvee Forest Diverses" 01 $25/$22.50 is named for the wine barrel in which it is aged. "Forets Diverses" is the name given to the most prized wine barrel made by Eric's French cooper. These barrels have two characteristics that set them apart from other barrels. First, the wood for the barrels is carefully selected from several different French forests (in effect, a "blend" of oak flavors are created by the barrel itself). Second, the selected wood is aged for three years before the barrel is constructed, giving harsh tannins time to disappear.

Most coopers try to cover the harsh astringency of young wood by burning the inside of the barrels, creating the "toast" flavor found in some wines. Since three years of rain have leached out the tannins from the aged wood used in making Eric's barrels, he can avoid overly "toasty" barrels. The "Forets Diverses" barrels add a silky texture and increased richness on the palate in the Hamacher Chardonnay and allow the varietal's flavors to dominate.

The Chardonnay "Cuvee Forest Diverses" 01 was made from three different clones of Chardonnay from three separate vineyards. These new "Dijon" clones have revolutionized Chardonnay in Oregon.

Thirty years or so ago, when the "modern age" of viticulture set off in Oregon, the selection or clone of Chardonnay that was planted most was one grown in California's hot Central Valley. It was unfortunate to say the least. About a dozen years ago this mistake was repaired with the planting of new selections from the University of Dijon in Burgundy. These new clones of Chardonnay are now almost ten years old in some Oregon vineyards, and the vines are beginning to produce some remarkable fruit. These "Dijon clones" are producing wines of intensity, balance and truly amazing palate richness. Drinkable young, beautiful with food or without and showing the promise of aging with grace, these wines are exciting.

Eric describes the wine this way: " The elegance of the '01 vintage comes through in the complexity of this wine. With naturally bright acidity balanced by the satiny richness of the barrel regime, admirers of full bodied, fruit driven wines appreciate the extra time that goes into the production of our wines. Pear, citrus and anise spice dominate the aromatics while mineral laden cream brullee and apples move the palate along. It's supple, broad, long and satisfying."

Parker's Wine Advocate reviewed the wine a year ago (89 points) and said: "Wonderful aromas of buttered pears and apples are found in the nose of the medium-bodied 2001 Chardonnay Cuvee des Forets Diverses. This satin-textured effort is broad, bright, and pure. Notes of sweet pears are intermingled with popcorn and candied lemons in its detailed personality. This harmonious wine would have earned an outstanding 90 point score were it not for a faint trace of bitterness that was detected in its long finish. Drink it over the next 4 years."

We can't find a trace of the bitterness described in the tasting notes above. It must have disappeared with additional bottle age.

On to the great value wines from Eric- his "H" Series Pinot noir and Chardonnay. These wines are quite limited, and like the O'Reilly's Pinot noir 04, they come and go quickly.

The Hamacher "H" Pinot noir (02) does not actually have a vintage date on the bottle, but is made entirely from 2002 fruit. This is where the up to 60% of Eric's production goes, the wine that does not quite fit into the flavor profile for his Hamacher Pinot noir. It is excellent quality. Flavors are of rich, cherry blossom, cedar and gamey, earthy hints. In a word, "complex". Bright fruit and spicy mouth with a broad full mouth feel. A nice wine for a special dinner or at this price every dinner!

The Hamacher "H" Chardonnay (02/03) is also highly recommended. The nose has an enticing mixture of tart pippin apples, nutmeg and beeswax. The mouth feel is luscious, broad and long. This is an amazing value. Get it while you can! It's a blend of wine from the 02 and 03 vintages.

Last but certainly not least is the wine that Eric and Luisa drink most often at their home in the summer. The Hamacher Rosé of Pinot noir is a refreshing, dry wine with delectable hints of fresh strawberries, tart cherry, and pie spices. It's about as good as it gets on a hot summer day.

Note- many of the best winemakers in Oregon make dry Rosé for personal consumption in the summer. Many don't sell it, but just enjoy "their little secret wine". We're trying to collect some of these "House Wines" of the winemakers to sell at Avalon. This is one of the best.

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