Editor-in-Chief Gregory Dal Piaz recently raved about six Hudson Valley wines. Here's what he has to say, with the links to prove it!
Hudson-Chatham Baco Noir Old Vines 2010
Lightly scented with notes of black plum, grape and wood spice topped with a touch of muskiness and a touch of dried cilantro. Bright on entry, this is medium bodied with a nice base of supple tannins. The fruit is fairly intense, picking up the black plum notes from the nose, yet a touch simple. More wild plum notes on the palate are joined by well-measured oak and blackberry notes that lead to the light, fresh black-fruited finish. Very well done in a style that gently recalls Northern European red wines. Very gluggable. 85pts
Read more: http://www.snooth.com/wine/hudson-chatham-baco-noir-old-vine-2010/#ixzz1pkVcgUP4
Whitecliff Chardonnay 2010
Nicely gentle on the nose with a subtle complexity married to fine freshness. Notes of apple, apple skin, orange, herb and lime great the nose with support from a very gentle shading of oak. This is very bright in the mouth. It explodes in lightweight vibrancy with big acids that stretch out the apple, herb and slightly earthy flavors on the palate before showering fresh citrus fruits on the moderately long finish. Perhaps not terribly complex, this is succulent, balanced and just terrific. 91pts
Read more: http://www.snooth.com/wine/whitecliff-vineyard-chardonnay-2010/#ixzz1pkW3aMIn
Benmarl Cabernet Franc Ridge Road Estate 2010
A bit spicy on the nose with nice notes of rose stems, pink peppercorn, mineral red fruit and a touch of salt with hints of melon rind. On the palate this shows a fine mineral edge, it’s small scaled but very well balanced and transparent with lovely ripe raspberry fruit. The tannins are quite ripe and the acid fully integrated. On the back end this shows a lean nature, slightly austere though very fresh with cranberry and cherry pit fruit that carries through on the modest finish. 86pts
Read more: http://www.snooth.com/wine/benmarl-cabernet-franc/#ixzz1pkWZe8pN
Brotherhood America's Oldest Winery Dry Riesling 2010
A bit sweet smelling and slightly oily with a nutty, cashew-like quality to the ripe sweet orchard fruits that have a touch of pit/backing spice to them. Drier than the nose would lead one to believe and in fact really fairly dry with rich, fairly fresh fruit in the mouth. This really offers up wonderfully aromatic apricot fruit in a lighter bodied style with nuanced honey and spice notes adding detail. There’s just enough sugar here to balance out the acid, leaving this quite dry feeling and pretty delicious. 87pts
Read more: http://www.snooth.com/articles/dry-riesling/#ixzz1pkY3QpiF
Tousey Pinot Noir 2010
A lovely, pale wine. This smells wonderful. A bit stemmy with a slight pine needle cast to the bright, red-fruited nose that is complex and delicate at the same time. On entry this has a fine leading edge of sweet red fruit, wild strawberry tone and more stemmy accents and a darker base. The texture is quite elegant and bright with the tannins firm yet layered under the ripe fruit. The long finish continues the theme of strawberry, herb and some cherry with maybe a bit of creamy oak rounding things out. Tense and a bit severe even, this is just lovely Pinot and it makes a statement. 90pts
Read more: http://www.snooth.com/wine/tousey-pinot-noir-2010/#ixzz1pkXHPYF5
Millbrook Tocai Fruliano 2010
Clean and crisp with bright, cleansing acidity backing up nice citrus and kiwifruit character on the nose with just a hint of lime blossom. This is a touch lean in the mouth but refreshing and has a wonderful springtime appeal. 86pts
Read more: http://www.snooth.com/wine/millbrook-tocai-friulano-2010/#ixzz1pkYwnJrA
Watch the Vitrual Tasting on Wednesday, March 21, 2010 at 8pm.
http://www.snooth.com/virtual-tasting/video/hudson-valley-virtual-tasting/?track=hvwc