After spending a week amid the vineyards of Paso Robles, California, sampling numerous Rhone varietal wines, I was happily surprised when I encountered a grenache cuvee during our Napa Valley tasting in St. Helena – the Hudson Grenache Napa Valley Carneros 2021.
Grenache is not a common grape here, where cabernet sauvignon largely dominates the red offerings. Hudson is best known for their fine-tuned chardonnay wines, which have their own unique identity and character, yet this grenache is a one-of-a-kind offering.
It is pure, balanced and shows harmonious texture and character, and its transparency and freshness work so well with its fine-tuned intensity. It’s an excellent example of what grenache can do in warmer climates, handling the heat with aplomb while catching plenty of freshness from the cooler nights and terroir, or through meticulous viticulture.
– Kevin Davy, Tasting Manager
