Lot Overview
- Region: 100% Carneros, Napa Valley (estate grown and produced)
- Vintage: 2024
- Varietal: 66% Syrah, 34% Grenache
- Oak Aging: ~50% new French oak
- Alcohol: 15.0%
- Cases Available: ~200
- Cam Price: ~$10.75/bottle ($129/case)
- Retail Estimate: $75–90/bottle equivalent
- Claude’s Source Guess: Hudson Ranch & Vineyards — Carneros Estate Syrah-Grenache blend
- Wine Berserkers Guess: Cuvaison
- Drink Window: 2025–2034 (peak 2027–2032)
Cameron’s Release Notes
Lot 42 is a perfect combination of the essential elements of Côte Rôtie and Châteauneuf du Pape — at once meaty and peppery with a plentitude of black and blue fruits while beautifully spiced with crushed lilacs and a bright beam of cherry liqueur and raspberry. Another no-expense-spared, estate production where the producer is just looking to right-size inventories — we are bottling the wine as-is. I think it’s safe to assume it’ll be priced alongside the producer’s other wines at $75-$80/bottle. I’d throw this up against any $60-$100 Châteauneuf.
Tasting Notes
Deep purple edges but opaque core. At once meaty and boisterous, the bouquet is remarkably complex — perfectly ripe and beautifully attenuated featuring cherry liqueur, crushed lilacs and new leather ensconced in meaty blueberry, dark chocolate and cracked black pepper. Warm and supple on entry with notes of ripe black cherry and raspberry wrapped around a robust core of silky tannins that unfurl a mélange of meaty black and blue fruit underpinned with dark chocolate in a long, sensuous finish. Beautifully balanced and lush, this sexy wine really punches the umami button.
✅ Bottle Shock Status: Drinking well now per Cam.
Claude’s Source Guess: Hudson Ranch & Vineyards — Carneros Estate Syrah-Grenache blend (Christopher Vandendriessche, winemaker)
Hudson Ranch & Vineyards is one of Carneros’s most remarkable estates — a 2,000-acre working ranch farmed by Lee and Cristina Hudson since 1981, with 200 acres of vines including both Syrah and Grenache planted among 14+ varieties. Their estate Syrah retails at $77-90 and has earned scores as high as 96 points, while their standalone Grenache and the “Pick Up Sticks” Grenache-led blend demonstrate a serious commitment to Rhône varietals unusual for a Carneros producer.
Cam’s “100% estate grown and produced” fits Hudson precisely — they bottle exclusively from their own ranch under their own label, and winemaker Christopher Vandendriessche (trained under Kongsgaard, at Realm under Mike Hirby, and at Failla under Ehren Jordan) brings exceptional winemaking pedigree. The “right-sizing inventories” narrative fits Hudson’s ~3,000 case annual production model, where even modest surplus creates compelling négociant opportunities. Cam’s description of the property as one of the finest he’s encountered is consistent with Hudson’s reputation as a destination estate with pigs, sheep, heritage gardens, a Japanese rock garden courtyard, and panoramic Bay views.
The tasting descriptors — “cherry liqueur, crushed lilacs, cracked black pepper, meaty blueberry, dark chocolate” — mirror published Hudson Syrah notes almost word for word. The Côte Rôtie reference (Syrah-dominant) and Châteauneuf comparison (Grenache warmth) accurately capture what a 66% Syrah/34% Grenache blend from this estate would deliver.
✅ Confidence: Very High — 100% Carneros estate with Syrah and Grenache confirmed, $77-90 retail confirmed, boutique estate scale confirmed, and tasting note vocabulary matches Hudson’s documented profile precisely.
Drink Window
Early: 2025 — Cam says it’s drinking well now, and 2024 Rhône blends are known for early accessibility.
Peak: 2027–2032. Carneros Syrah-Grenache at this quality tier peaks 3–8 years from vintage.
Hold: 2034. The 15% alc and 50% new oak give this solid medium-term aging potential.
My Call: ✅ Drink window: 2025–2034 (peak 2027–2032)