Hudson River Valley Wineries

This blog is dedicated to news, events, profiles and reviews of fine food and wine in the Hudson River Valley. We especially feature and spotlight the burgeoning wineries of the Hudson River Region. We accept and will relay information about releases, events, festivals and any toher happening related to food and wine in the Hudson River Valley. Send pertitnent information to hudsonriverwine@yahoo.com

About Me

My Photo
Name:
Location: Catskill, NY, United States

Carlo DeVito has traveled around the US, France, Spain, Chile, Canada, and Italy. He has been a publishing executive for more than 20 years. He shepherded the wine book program of Wine Spectator as well as worked with Kevin Zraly, Oz Clarke, Matt Kramer, Tom Stevenson, Evan Dawson, Greg Moore, Howard Goldberg, and many other wine writers. He has also published Salvatore Calabrese, Jim Meehan, Clay Risen, and Paul Knorr. He has also publisher such writers as Stephen Hawking, E. O Wilson, Philip Caputo, Gilbert King, James McPherson, Michael Lewis, David Margolick, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., John Edgar Wideman, Stanley Crouch, Dan Rather, Dee Brown, and Eleanor Clift. He is also the founder of Hudson-Chatham Winery, co-founder of the Hudson Berkshire Beverage Trail, and former president of the Hudson Valley Wine Country. His the author of more than 20 books including The New Single Malt Whiskey, Big Whiskey, and the forthcoming The Spirit of Rye. https://carlodevito.wordpress.com/

Saturday, February 07, 2015

Whitecliff Vineyards to Release First Hudson River Region Cabernet Sauvignon

 
Yesterday, while running an errand outside of New Paltz, I stopped in at Whitecliff Vineyards in Gardiner, NY. Whitecliff has been making quality wines for sometime now. They've been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Wine Enthusiast, Snooth, and Sommelier Journal to name a few!
 

As I drove in on a winter's day, I passed owner Michael Migliore, who was walking his dog, and outside on the frozen tundra.

Inside I found winemaker Brad Martz and crew working away on racking wines. They were preparing some of their wines for bottling. While I was there I got a barrel sample of two new great wines about to be put out by Whitecliff!

The first wine I tasted was their Whitecliff Estate Cabernet Franc 2014. This won't be out for a while, but I was allowed a first taste. A big cherry fruit bomb! Bright and dark cherry come through loud and clear. Darker color than usual, but still a great beautiful acidity that carries the fruit forward for a good, long time. And nice tannins on the back end that keep this wine honest and powerful. A minerality also comes through. A gorgeous expression of Hudson Valley terroir!

The riddling rack in the winery isn't for show. These babies can pop at any time. So much fun though! Look for their sparkling!

 
Then Brad pulled a sample from a tank for me. This is the Two Cabs 2013. This is a new wine from Whitecliff. This wine is the first Hudson Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon blended with some estate Cab Franc. This was a beautiful wine! Big cherry and red cassis and cranberry. Hints of vanilla and tabacco! A very serious red wine, with lots of aging potential. Had the gorgeous color, a dark garnet color, with big acidity and big tannins to match. This is something you can drink now, but easily lay don for some time.


This is a big step for the Hudson Valley! Cabernet Sauvignon grown in the region! And it couldn't have been in better hands than with Michael and Brad! A congrats to both men and to the team at Whitecliff Vineyards, who continue to be a leader in the Hudson Valley, and a classy quality producer in New York state!

posted by Carlo De Vito | 3:02 PM

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home