Hudson-Chatham Winery – Troy Review
Address: 203 River St Troy,New York 12180.
Phone Number: 518-392-9463
Tasting Hours: Tues-Sun 10:30-5:00
Region: New York
Reviewer: Elizabeth Smith
Review Date: 7/22/2017
Reviewer: Elizabeth Smith
Rating: 5
The Review
A lifetime ago, when I was a community college professor who knew nothing about wine, I was contemplating a move to New York. I interviewed for a job at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York. I stayed overnight there and thought it was such a great little city. I jumped at the opportunity to return for a day to visit Hudson-Chatham Winerys new tasting room in Troys historic downtown area near the Hudson River, the third location for the winery, including the home estate in Ghent and another tasting room in Tannersville, which I reviewed previously.
Once I approached the space and entered, I realized this was not just a tasting room. I hate the phrase tasting room because it seems so sterile and impersonal. On the contrary, this space is welcoming, warm, and comfortable. The décor, coziness, and the tables out front reminded me of a European café with a country feel, a place to gather with friends and family, and that is exactly what you will find here.
In addition to wine tasting and wines by the glass and bottle, Hudson-Chatham Troy focuses on a variety of locally made craft beverages and food options, including coffee, beers, ciders, spirits, breakfast breads and pastries, cheese, focaccia, and pizza. With so many offerings, the label “tasting room” simply does not apply. Hudson-Chatham Troy is a purveyor of all things local.
However, it is always the wine that brings me back to Hudson-Chatham. During my inaugural visit to this beautiful space, I tasted a plethora of wines paired with local cheeses. My friends and I sat at a large, family-style table to taste with owner Carlo DeVito. The experience exceeded my expectations. DeVito captivated and entertained us with Hudson-Chathams wines, his stories, and his sense of humor.
We tasted rosé, whites, and reds: the NV Riesling, NV Rosé, 2015 Block 1 Seyval Blanc, 2015 Pinot Noir, 2015 Léon Millot, 2015 Old Vines Baco Noir, 2014 Empire (red blend), and 2014 Merlot. On this day, the Léon Millot spoke to me, initially with its rich, purple-red color in the glass. The grapes for this wine come from winemaker Stephen Casscles own vineyard in Athens (Greene County), New York. A low-alcohol beauty (ABV 12%), every step of the making of this wine is done by hand, from hand-picking and sorting the grapes, to Casscles minimalist approach of aging the wine in neutral, French oak barrels, leaving the wine unfiltered and unfined in the bottle. Lovely aromas and flavors of black fruits, like blackberry, blackcurrant, and plum, permeate the senses. A succulent mouthfeel and delightful acidity left me longing for a delicious meal to share the stage with this stunning wine.
We concluded our experience with a not-yet-released Marmalade Fino, a wine made from chardonnay and oranges, then aged in a bourbon barrel in the style of a fino, a dry, sherry-like fortified wine, which turned out to be one of the highlights of the tasting. Hudson-Chatham is not afraid to make wines outside of what most of us would consider typical. It is this creativity and risk taking that brings me back to Hudson-Chatham again and again to satisfy my craving for unconventional winemaking at its finest.