Top Notch Napa Chardonnay, you’d believe it was a Grand-Cru Montrachet

Winemaker Clayton Kirchhoff did it again! Another stunning, very Burgundian-like Hudson Chardonnay was produced! If this vineyard were to be in Burgundy, it would definitely have Premier-Cru status! Lee Hudson is probably one of the best, if not the best wine grower in the valley. Many great wineries (Kongsgaard, Aubert, Kistler, etc.) have been sourcing from this vineyard for decades!

Hudson 2020 Chardonnay “Estate” Carneros
Napa Valley
GGWC 79.99
FREE SHIPPING on 12 or more
Use code HUDSON during checkout 

The 2020 Hudson is deep, and concentrated. The wine’s bold aromas jump out of the glass. On the palate you’ll encounter lush viscosity and tantalizing richness. The wine is loaded with bold flavors of lemon confit, marzipan, fresh cut flowers , chamomile and almonds.  This Chardonnay is very statuesque and over delivers from start to finish. This 2019 Hudson Estate Chardonnay is especially fine, offering lush and  pure fruit flavors that are remarkable. The wine is full-bodied, the palate is multilayered, with tons of mineral sparks accenting the opulent fruit, and the long, decadent and long lingering crisp finish.

James Suckling 95 Points: “Aromas of white peaches, spiced apples, dried honeysuckle, lemon pith, cedar and cloves. It’s full-bodied with fresh acidity and a vibrant, tight and textured palate. Long and focused. Richer style and density. Drink now or hold“

Winery Notes: “The 2020 Chardonnay showcases a combination of 5 distinct blocks from the Hudson Estate planted to the Heritage Shot Wente clone. We hand select barrels from each site to create a Chardonnay that fully expresses the elegant and balanced style of Hudson Vineyards. The wine is rich with bright acidity and mouth watering notes of stone fruit, citrus, and brioche. .”

The grapes were harvested well before the fires  started, so there is absolutely no issue!!

Also check out these other Hudson Wines (OK to mix & match for FREE SHIPPING)
HUDSON 2018 PHOENIX BORDEAUX BLEND, ESTATE NAPA VALLEY 
HUDSON 2019 WHITE STUDY # 2 ESTATE NAPA VALLEY

 

A Day at the Hudson Winery

A few weeks ago I visited Hudson Ranch . I drove up from San Francisco to the Carneros region of the Napa Valley for a tête-à-tête with Lee Hudson and his crew. 

The property is just four miles north of the San Pablo tidal estuary’s tangle of saltwater sloughs, Hudson Ranch stretches languidly across 2,000 acres of the Carneros region of the Napa Valley. From its aquaphilic southern hem to its northeastern reaches—which stray perilously into the Carneros fault zone—this land defies categorization. Across its expanse, it represents at least ten distinct geological zones; it’s no wonder such a diverse array of flora and fauna call Hudson Ranch home.  The site of their 2000-acre ranch was originally known as Talcoa Vineyards, an Indian name meaning ‘laughing land.’ It was on these lands in the 1880’s that the first successful, American scientific experiments were performed to overcome phylloxera, the pest that devastated the vineyards of Europe. Over time the land became neglected.

Lee stumbled onto this piece property in the early 1980’s. In 1964 an absentee group of investors purchased the property hoping to develop it, but it wasn’t until 1979 when they applied to the city to subdivide the property. This outraged neighbors who objected and so the property went on the market.

“Everything was falling apart,” said Lee. “But I like work.  It keeps me happy, it’s what gives me pleasure.”

And work he did, as Lee planted his first vineyard, built roads and put in all the infrastructures on a property that hadn’t seen anything of significance grown in a long time.  Even the creek barely flowed and the fish had disappeared.

Lee has 200 of the 2000 acres under vine, and told me that he prefers to leave the rest up to the wild.  Aside from 200 acres of wine varietals, Lee and his crew have a variety of fruit and vegetables they grow too – table grapes, asparagus, tomatoes, olives (for their amazing olive oil), artichokes, pumpkins, etc. They also raise bees in their hives for their honey. In addition to fruit and veggies you’ll encounter a working farm full of chickens, pigs, sheep and lamb.

About 90% of the grapes Lee grows for other wineries such as Kongsgaard, Kistler, Aubert, Arietta, etc.