Hudson, Chardonnay, Carneros Estate, Napa Valley, California, 2023

(Consulting Winemaker - John Kongsgaard)

Overview of the Wine
Hudson Ranch lies in Napa Valley’s Carneros District, one of the finest winegrowing regions in the world. The cooling breezes off the Bay of San Francisco allow the grapes a longer hang time in which to develop flavor and intensity, without sacrificing acidity and true balance.

For forty years Hudson has foraged heritage selections of chardonnay from historic vineyards throughout California. These carefully chosen selections have been propagated on our ranch in an effort to honor diversity. We prize these grapes for their intense mineralogy and distinctive flavor. We feel our wines represent the most honest representation of our site, intent and endeavor.

Grape / Blend
Chardonnay

Origin
Napa/Sonoma, California

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
The fruit was picked by hand at night, whole cluster pressed, and barrel fermented utilizing native yeast in 70% new Francois Freres & Damy French-forest oak barrels. The wine is stirred regularly while being aged sur lie, and bottled unfiltered and unfined after an 22 month élevage.

The 2023 Chardonnay showcases a combination of 3 distinct blocks from the Hudson Estate planted to 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.

Hudson produces grapes of distinction from 200 acres of estate vineyards situated in the heart of the rolling hills of Napa Valley’s Carneros District. Forty years of meticulous winegrowing and winemaking experience goes into each bottle of Hudson wine. Our deep understanding of the intricate combinations of soil, climate, rootstock, clone, and scion, combined with our management of each vineyard block, allows us to produce premium wines with an intense varietal expression found only at Hudson.

97 Points - The Wine Palate
The 2023 Hudson Vineyard Chardonnay prances out with showy notes of white peaches, beeswax, juicy pears, and allspice, plus hints of wet pebbles and coriander seed. The medium to full-bodied palate is satiny and savory, delivering lots of orchard fruit layers and a long mineral-laced finish.

93 Points - James Suckling
Generous ripe fruit like pears and golden apples resting on a relaxed, rich texture. This wine is gentle, almost sweet tasting, with Bartlett pears, vanilla bean, creme brulee and white chocolate on the palate. Drink now.

Product size: 750ml