Also north of the Carneros Highway, but further west, the terrain here is more rolling than that of Hyde, the soil lighter and more friable. This year’s bottling is the first to come entirely from B-block, planted in 2001 to a Wente selection from the Hyde Vineyard, so the vines were seven years old this vintage and just coming into their maturity. Hudson Vineyard wines tend to a more muscular, masculine character—broad-shouldered, if you will.

Highlighted Reviews: 2005 Vintage

94    Robert M. Parker Jr.’s The Wine Advocate, December 2007
Offering copious amounts of orange marmalade, smoky hazelnuts, and tropical fruits, the full-bodied, rich 2005 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard is on a faster evolutionary track than the Hyde Vineyard. Drink the Hudson cuvée over the next 2-3 years.

91    California Grapevine, Vol. 32, No. 6, Dec 2006-Jan 2007, p. 110
Medium-light to medium golden yellow; attractive, forward, intense, toasty, slightly tropical, baked apple aroma with hints of orange zest and butterscotch; full body; forward, rich, lemony, nutty, spicy baked apple flavors with good depth and showing some complexity; well balanced and structured; lingering aftertaste. Enjoyable to drink now though deserves several more years of bottle aging. Very highly recommended.

Highlighted Reviews: 2004 Vintage

91    Robert M. Parker Jr.'s The Wine Advocate 12-22-06
The 2004 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard seems to be on a faster evolutionary track than the other wines. Light gold in color with notes of marmalade, smoky hazelnuts, and tropical fruit, and a lusty, rich, full-bodied palate that offers delicious drinking now, it should age well for several more years.

94    Steven Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 076
Bright yellow with a green hint. Powerful, deeply concentrated and smoky on the nose, with strong, iodine-accented pear, yellow apple and nectarine aromas. Incredibly concentrated pear and pit fruit flavors are complicated by a wild cured meat accent and strong mineral tones. The iodine note comes up strong on the finish, along with notes of lees, licorice and sweet butter. This has depth and persistence to burn, with a seemingly endless finish. For a wine of this quality, it's an absolute steal. Ramey advises holding it for at least ten years, noting that the 2001 is just starting to come into maturity.

91    California Grapevine, Vol. 32, No. 6, Dec 2006-Jan 2007, p. 110
Medium-light golden yellow; attractive, intense, spicy, apple and pear aroma with notes of toasted hazelnut and vanilla; full body; rich, intense, spiced apple and lemon flavors; well balanced and structured; slightly tart on the finish; lingering aftertaste. Oak seemed a bit more prominent in this wine compared to their Hyde Vineyard bottling. Needs several more years of bottle aging. Very highly recommended.

Highlighted Reviews: 2003 Vintage

90 (one puff)     Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine, June 2006
The usual Ramey richness and layering are quite evident here, but the central fruit seems just a tad less forceful than in the other bottlings reviewed above. The nose is focused on ripe and green apples, and both oak and slightly toast notes show up as enriching adjuncts to the wine's central character. Firm at the end, the wine can open a bit with age, but it offers less promise than its mates.

92    Robert M. Parker Jr.'s The Wine Advocate 12-26-05, Issue 162
This is always the most evolved cuvee. It exhibits notes of tropical fruits lemons, oranges, and tangerines, medium to full body, and a lusty, heady, extroverted style that is unmistakably California in orientation.

94   Steven Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 2006
Pale yellow-green color. Wonderfully complex nose offers lime, peach, iodine, minerals, vanilla cream, truffle, smoke, hazelnut and earth. Sweet and lush yet light on its feet; this is actually the lowest in residual sugar of these vineyard-designated chardonnays, though all of them are under one gram per liter. Intriguing notes of biscuit and caramel. Saline and soil-inflected wine, with a long, chewy finish.

View all reviews of this wine

Photos from the vineyard
Lee Hudson Vineyard Owner		Rolling hills in Hudson Vineyard