Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Syrah comes from a volcanic soil patch at Hudson Vineyard. Frost, cold and rain during bloom significantly lowered the yields this vintage. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Syrah Hudson Vineyard has a nose of violets, black pepper and smoked bacon with black cherries and crushed blackberries at the core plus wafts of chargrill and peppered salami. Full-bodied, rich, decadent and with a lovely soft, rounded texture, it meets all your meat, spice and black fruit expectations and then some! 190 cases made (normally around 300).
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.