Many people who have bought these wines have quite rightly wondered when they should drink them– a question that is especially pointed since the wines are expensive and there are not many instances of them around.

I have some rough estimations of how the wines might drink and when, based on my knowledge of the wines and my experience with other wines that seem similar or analogous to them. Do not hesitate to write if you have more questions.

this wine fermented for nearly three years. By the time that it was bottled, it was advanced in its aging– constantly exposed to oxygen, resting for 3 years on its lees. It is protected by a rather high degree of tannin (a characteristic of the vineyard, plus 50% new oak) and a quite high degree of acid. It will change little and only very gradually in bottle. You may drink it now or hold it for very many years. Twenty is not inconceivable.

[Notes on a recent tasting of this wine may be found here.]

this wine also spent 3 years in barrel before bottling. All of its immature fruit had been transmuted into deeper, much more darker flavors and aromas before it was bottled. The wine is quite high in acid with rich, strong tannins. It will not change much or soon and should keep for a decade or so without danger of falling apart.

this wine spent four years in barrel without ever being topped or sulfured. It was then exposed to a ripasso over 2005 syrah skins. Some aspects of the wine are pretty much inalterable; but other aspects, due to the ripasso, will change and mature. The wine is soft and perfectly approachable right now (the single most approachable wine released). It presents itself perfectly now but will no doubt age well for a couple of years at least. After that, it is difficult to predict how the fresh fruit and floral components from the ripasso will age.

this is a very soft and forward version of Hudson syrah. It is so far from typical of my wines from this vineyard that it received a name of its own. The wine is dark and expressive, with soft, rich tannins, and moderate minerality and acidity. With age, the tannins will become more interesting for a few years, and the fruit will change to more mature flavors. I think that it is very good now, and will improve for about five years. After that, it is not clear what will replace its present charms.

this very tannic wine is beautiful and rich, with fine defining acids and clear, precise fruit flavors. It is maturing rapidly in this sense: the tannins soften and become more and more rich, but the deep fruit persists. The 2002 wine from this vineyard really hit its stride in the summer of 2005; this suggests that the 2003 will begin to be charming, and not just striking, in the summer of 2006. It will mature without declining for at least a decade.

this wine is very strong, with intense, super-ripe fruit flavors. Its tannins are strong but very soft. The wine is approachable now, but will probably become more complex and more inviting after about a year in bottle– around march 2007. The wine strikes me as somewhat simple (if charming) and not likely to improve past seven years.

This represents the acme of my Hudson syrahs. It combines the fierceness and minerality of the 2002 Scheria with more ripe fruit, more chocolate, and the rich smoothness of excellent olive oil. It is quite fine right now, but its fierceness might be off-putting. The wine should be perfectly approachable in about 2 years, without losing any charm. It should then keep for at least a decade. If you open it now, decant it at least 24 hours in advance.

I enjoy drinking the wine now and prefer to do so from a bottle that has been opened, sampled, and re-corked for 2 or 3 days.

this wine first became beautiful in december 2005. It seems rich and somewhat tannic in a way that should allow it to mature for another 5 years or so.

this wine seems somewhat less tannic and intense than the 2004, and less affected by lees contact. The wine is exquisitely perfumed and relatively delicate. It is very beautiful right now and should peak within the year and continue to develop well for another five years or so. I decant this wine briefly before serving.

this wine is intense and fierce. It has such a strong minerality that it seems salty–somewhat like prosciutto. It has some delicate floral and fruit aromas but they seem almost imprisoned within the minerality. I decant this wine up to 24 hours before serving and make sure that the wine is not too cold. It is superb now, but I think that it is very very young. If possible. allow it to age another year or so. The wine should continue to develop well for about a decade.

this wine is charming, even seductive. It is sweet and soft, with a small degree of complexity. Its acidity is light; instead the wine depends on the soft, round body conferred by full malolactic fermentation and the autolysis of the lees. It will remain charming until the beginning of 2007, and should remain interesting for another few years after this. But its peak will likely be in its youth.

[written sometime in 2006]