2019 Hudson Vineyards Chardonnay Carneros Napa Valley 750 ml

For years, Lee Hudson’s ranch in Carneros has been the go-to site for an ABSURD list of white wine deities: Aubert makes a $175 Hudson-labeled bottle. One of our favorite Hudson Chards—from a Sonoma County icon we can’t name—is well above $100. And where does John Kongsgaard source fruit for his $136 Napa Valley bottling? You guessed it. 

About a decade ago, Hudson made the leap from grower to grower-vintner, and started claiming some of their best Wente Clone Chardonnay—beautiful bunches heavy with tiny, concentrated “shot” berries—for themselves.

If you’re uninitiated and you want to know why Hudson is a bona fide favorite, claim a bottle of today’s 2019 Hudson Vineyards Chardonnay. 

Grown on four parcels of Hudson Napa Valley, this is a Chardonnay that stands right alongside the blockbusters grown on this sacred piece of fog-kissed Carneros real estate—but coming straight from the source, it comes at about half the price. For California Chardonnay, you just can’t do any better. 

Grown in the stellar 2019 season that saw a nice, even, warm summer and a mild finish the Hudson is pale straw in color, and bursting with aromas of yellow peach, freshly cut pineapple, and pie crust supported notes of marzipan, lemon oil, and baking spice. Rich and luxurious on the palate, it retains enough natural acidity to keep the wine fresh and invigorating, until it finishes with a long, orange-sherbet-tinged finish. 

The winery name looms large on the label, of course, but don’t let it overshadow the man at the helm: Clayton Kirchhoff. Hudson chose him to lead the winery after seeing the smashing success he was having at his family’s winery in Clarksburg. The result? Hudson wines have never been better. 

You know the Hudson as a source of some of the greatest grapes in California. If you don’t know it yet as a label that delivers pure California luxury for half the price of its competition, then claim this bottle. It’s as good as it gets.