Hudson Chardonnay 2017
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Hudson Chardonnay is sourced from unique sites on our Napa ranch, planted to heritage selections prized for their innate minerality, small berries and brilliant acidity.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Hudson Carneros Chardonnay was one of my favorite wines I tasted in this calendar year. TASTING NOTES: This is a complete wine. Enjoy its aromas and flavors of dried fruit, peach fuzz, and brisk stone fruit with a grilled chicken salad topped intermixed with peaches and apples. (Tasted: April 29, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
All shot Wente clone selection, this 2017 Chardonnay was aged for 19 months in barrel. It leaps from the glass with totally flamboyant notes of apricot tart, pineapple upside down cake and guava plus suggestions of honeycomb, allspice and candied ginger. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is electrically charged with tropical fruit and peachy layers with a laser focused line of crisp acidity, finishing very long and very spicy. 1250 cases made.
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Hudson Vineyards is owned and operated by Lee and Cristina Hudson. Lee & Cristina maintain an intimate relationship with the land, and eco system. The Estate’s year-round 35-person team collectively manages the farm’s biodiversity, supporting its polyculture from planted trees to native grasses and cover crops, including bird boxes to beneficial insects. The farm has a fully functioning and burgeoning CSA program as well.
As the proprietor of Hudson Vineyards, Lee Hudson has transformed his land into one of today’s most highly esteemed vineyards. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Lee received his B.S. in Horticulture at the University of Arizona, before working with the esteemed Jacques Seysses of Domaine Dujac in Morey St. Denis, Burgundy. It was here that he first learned that great grapes from hallowed vineyard sites produce truly world class, fine wines. Upon returning to the United States, Lee studied viticulture and enology at University of California at Davis, where many of his classmates are now his clients. Many esteemed producers don the name of Hudson vineyard designate on their labels (including Arietta, Bedrock Wine Co., Cakebread Cellars, Darioush, Duckhorn, Kistler, Kongsgaard and Ramey Wine Cellars), in addition to producing three estate white varieties and seven red, all vinified with holistically farmed fruit.
Cristina Salas-Porras Hudson developed her discerning eye through a distinguished, twenty-five year career in the interrelated disciplines of food and wine, hospitality, and design. After working alongside Alice Waters of Chez Panisse for ten years, Cristina consulted for Hermes, Slow Food International, Steve Jobs, and Rockfield Japan. Her talents and experience are now integral to her work with her husband, Lee, at Hudson Ranch and Vineyards, as well as overseeing their Napa Valley-based business, Hudson Greens & Goods. A native Texan from El Paso, Cristina received her BA in East Asian Studies from Middlebury College in Vermont, and a graduate degree in Japanese from Keio University in Japan. She helped to open the renowned Park Hyatt Hotel in Tokyo, and the art-driven Bardessono Hotel in Yountville, California, as well as co-founding O Olive Oil Company. Along with Lee and their children, Cristina is happiest gathering friends and family around her dining table.
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.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.