Professional reviews
Robert Parker (96)
Scents of crushed stone frame ripe, honeyed notes of tangerine and vanilla cream on the nose of the 2022 Chardonnay Little Bit, which comes from a parcel shared with John Kongsgaard. It's medium to full-bodied, reasonably expansive on the mid-palate, then tightens up on the lime-like finish.
"I never wanted to be grape grower," said Lee Hudson. "I wanted to be a wine grower."
He purchased his original Carneros property in 1981, but it was more than 20 years before he started his own wine program. "I've always been slow at developing," he said, as we stood alongside his restored pickup truck. "The most I've ever planted at one time is 18 acres."
In 1984, he sold his first Chardonnay crop to John Kongsgaard at Newton. In 1986, he planted Merlot (with cuttings from Three Palms Vineyard) and Cabernet Franc (with cuttings from To Kalon Vineyard). "I love the variety," said Hudson, "because it's the most aromatic of the Bordeaux varieties, and my first love was Pinot Noir. Franc is the father of Cabernet Sauvignon—and don't you forget it."
Even back in those days, the vines were trained using vertical shoot positioning (VSP). "It's important for air flow in Carneros, where the typical weather is very good for mildew and botrytis," Hudson said.
Over the years, Hudson has sold grapes to some of the biggest names in Napa Valley, a roster that includes the likes of Kongsgaard, David Ramey, John Williams and Helen Turley. Although he doesn't grow Pinot Noir any longer, he originally grew some for Tony Soter at Etude. "They weren't picky, they were particular," Hudson says. "We've learned more from our winemakers than anyone else," he adds.
While Hudson now has some Cabernet Sauvignon planted on warmer sites, the other red variety he is particularly high on—and known for—is Syrah. "When I was in Burgundy with Jacques Seysses, we went down and visited Gerard Chave," said Hudson. "And I said, 'Here's another aromatic variety I love.'"
Hudson's enlightened management style and steady growth over the years mean that his workforce has recently passed 50 full-time employees. He seems genuine about wanting to make it a community and has a relationship with each and every one of them. "I've never had a foreman," Hudson said. While longtime winemaker Clayton Kirchhoff recently departed, on this trip I was able to meet with new Winemaker and Director of Operations Andrew Holve, who came over from Newton earlier in 2024.
Normally, the highlights under the Hudson label are the single-block Chardonnays. These are produced in quantities of approximately 200 cases each and allocated exclusively to the mailing list. All are barrel-fermented in approximately 80% new French oak using indigenous yeasts, undergo malolactic fermentation and are bottled unfined and unfiltered. Despite the resulting richness, they show remarkable balance and finesse.
The 2021 reds here also showed very well, with terrific concentration evident in the Syrah, Laughing Lands Merlot and the Old Master (mainly Cabernet Franc). Although I wasn't able to taste the 2022s produced under the Hudson label on this visit, Arietta's impressive 2022 red wines include large proportions of Hudson fruit. I expect the Hudson reds also to excel in 2022.
James Suckling (93)
The nose is minerally and powerful, with aromas of lemon pith, struck match and toffee apples. The palate is full-bodied with finely integrated acidity, offering notes of lime curd, oyster shells and orange blossoms. Generous, with some underlying freshness.
