Hudson-Chatham Winery 2007 Empire (Red Blend)

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief

We'll end our Regional Wine Week reviews this week with a recently released "Super New York" (think Super Tuscan) blend from Hudson-Chatham Winery in Ghent, NY.

Hudson-Chatham Winery 2007 Empire Reserve ($22) is the brainchild of owners Carlo and Dominique DeVito, and is made with grapes from three vineyards in New York's three biggest wine regions blended in equal proportions — Long Island merlot, Finger Lakes cabernet franc and Hudson Valley Baco Noir.

According to Carlo, "The idea of Empire was to create a wine that was uniquely New York, and attempt to blend vinifera and hybrids in a way that no one had attempted before. We wanted the best signature reds grapes from each region to make a classic wine."

I don't think that anyone has done anything like this before, but it's a pretty interesting idea.

To make it happen, Carlo took some of the baco noir he already made, and brought in unoaked Long Island merlot (from Raphael) and unoaked Finger Lakes cabernet franc (from White Springs) and blended the three together.

Then, the wine was divided into three lots -- one into French oak, one into American oak and one into stainless steel -- where the wine aged for 12 months. After blending the three lots together again, they sat for another two months before being bottled unfiltered. The wine was in bottle for six months before release. 70 cases were made.

A bit closed and tight when first opened, an hour or so in my glass really helped awaken this young wine from its slumber, the nose opening with red cherry, black plum, subtle vanilla-spice, hints of herbs and a dusty earthiness that I often associate with Finger Lakes cabernet franc.

Sweet cherry flavors dominate the palate, accented by a bit more oak and spice than the nose might indicate.

Plum and vanilla flavors bring a little depth and roundness and balance the light earthy-green notes. The ripe tannins are medium-low in intensity but a little bit of acidity (from the baco I'll bet) balances the wine very nicely.

The finish isn't particularly long, but ends on a cherry confection note.

It's no small task to capture an entire state's worth of terroir. Has Carlo done it with this wine? I'm not sure I can answer that question, but it's a tasty wine and an even better idea.

Note: Carlo thinks this wine can age well long term. Unfortunately, the synthetic closure will probably fail before we'll find out. From everything I've read, they are only reliable for 3-5 years.

Producer: Hudson-Chatham Winery
AVA: New York
ABV: 12%
Price: $22*
Rating:  (3 out of 5 | Recommended)  
(Ratings Guide)

Comments

[Tom Mansell]

Depends on the closure. Molded or extruded?

[Lenn Thompson]

I think it's a Normacork, but I know that Carlo reads this site, so maybe he can fill us in.

[Evan Dawson]

For me, this is more about concept at this stage than execution. And having said that, the execution is pretty impressive. I liked the nose better than the palate (mainly because, as Lenn indicated, it finishes a bit short) -- but let me stress that I really liked the nose a lot. The merlot is a little subdued in this wine, but I suppose there are supporting roles to play and there are star roles to play. It's tough to know what to expect on the first pass.

I know he's working on an empire white consisting of riesling, seyval and sauvignon blanc. That should be quite interesting as well.

[Jason Feulner]

I like the art-deco label a lot.

[Lenn Thompson]

Jason, it looks even better on the bottle, but the grey is metallic silver, which made it impossible for me to get a decent picture of it.

Evan, I agree on a few points you're making. One, I do think that the merlot gets lost, which is a little surprising to me on some levels and on others not.

It's a great concept, no doubt, and a great first effort as well.

Did I mention how happy I am that there isn't going to be any chardonnay in the Empire White?

[Ian Barry]

Love the label! And the concept! It will be interesting to watch Hudson-Chatham as they develop.

[Rowland]

yea i enjoyed this wine. Blends are entirely too under rated.

its easy enough to open a bottle and recork it with a real cork, the hard part is not drinking any (or just drink some and toss in some glass beads to bring the level back up hehe).

[Carlo DeVito]

When we first started the winery, we were too small to order the quality of corks we wanted, and we were afraid of composite corks and TCA. So the Nomacorc was a good solution at the time. It has solid oxygen exchange ratings, and its qulity for short term use is good. I believe I was told that the corks would last 5-10 years. But I would love to see more conclusive results if anyone has them.

This winter, at Wineries Unlimited, we are hoping to strike a deal with a quality cork manufacturer to put in our best red wines meant for aging, especially Empire, our Merlot, Cab Franc, Malbec, Baco Noir Reserve, and our Baco Noir Old Vines.

Especially the Empire, Merlot, and the two Bacos will be meant for long term aging.