As a wine grower, the 2009 vintage was everything I could hope for from budbreak and harvest. The year unfolded as and when it should; all we had to do was keep up. A large storm passed through mid-October, but we managed to escape unscathed. As growers, our primary job is to read the vineyard and adjust our management approach based on current and forecasted conditions. The 2009 vintage seemed to say “It’s all under control” and required minimal intervention. The resulting fruit quality was superb with ideal flavors and aromas. Looking back it almost seems like it was easy.
The 2009 Hudson Syrah is my favorite vintage yet! Beautiful weather at the end of ripening season concentrated the flavors without raisining the grapes. The syrah was hand harvested early in the morning on October 7th at Lucille’s block and on October 10th in Block 3. Both blocks each had their own wonderful balance and could have been bottled as stand- alone wines if they weren’t so delicious together. The wild yeasts took their time starting this year, allowing for a 6-day cold soak in one-ton open-top fermentors, followed by a rapid start to ferment peaking at 92 degrees F. Ferments finished slowly with a 28-31 day total time in tank. Malolactic fermentation occurred in 100% new Billon burgundy barrels. The 2009 Syrah was aged on the primary fermentation sediments for 16 months with one additional racking before being bottled unfiltered and unfined in May 2011.
Sultry, dark and dense, the 2009 Hudson Syrah exemplifies just how powerful a well-made Syrah can be. Dried herbs and rose petal are allayed on the nose to provide an intriguing and sensual aromatic mix of New World and Old World winemaking styles. The perfectly ripe fruit is married with savory notes of smoked meat, iron, violets, and a caressing layered finish. A dynamic wine, the 2009 Hudson Syrah shows the extraordinary potential for this varietal to take hold in the consumers mind as a rival to big Cabernet.