An Unforgettable Napa Experience - Hudson Ranch Winery On our recent trip to Napa, my friend and I visited Hudson Ranch Winery in the Carneros Valley for the first time, and it ended up being one of the highlights of our trip. The property is absolutely stunning--a vast, private ranch and winery known for its award-winning wines. Beyond the vineyards, they also grow unique fruits, vegetables, flowers, and even raise livestock, including goats. The attention to sustainable farming and the beauty of the property make it feel like so much more than just a winery. From the moment you arrive, the experience feels exclusive. The entrance is gated, and they open it for you upon arrival. As you drive up the winding road, you're surrounded by vineyards stretching across both sides before reaching the main estate, where there's plenty of parking. We visited on a Thursday, and it was wonderfully peaceful--it was just the two of us. We booked the wine tasting ($100 per person) along with the optional guided ranch hike ($20). The hike is a three-mile loop through the property. While it was beautiful, I wouldn't recommend starting it at 1:30 p.m. in the summer like we did! It was very hot, with several steep uphill and downhill sections and limited shade. Thankfully, Hudson provided complimentary water bottles and even hats for guests who needed them. There are also benches throughout the trail for resting, and white rock markers make it easy to stay on the correct path. After the hike, we were welcomed into a beautifully designed tasting salon that felt like a reward after all those steps. Each place setting was personalized with our names and a welcome card, which added such a thoughtful touch. We enjoyed a curated tasting of four wines--two reds, one white, and one rosé--paired with artisan cheeses, popcorn made right on the ranch, and continuously refilled ice-cold water.My fave wines were the Lady Bug and Grenache. Relaxing in the air-conditioned tasting room after the hike was exactly what we needed. Following the tasting, we explored the succulent garden along with the ranch's fruit and vegetable gardens. It was fascinating to learn about the many unique varieties they grow. The gardens were bursting with colorful flowers, including several varieties of sunflowers. One of my favorite discoveries was learning that Hudson grows a giant pumpkin each year to compete in the Monterey Bay pumpkin competition--a fun and unexpected tradition. Every detail of the experience was thoughtfully planned, from the personalized tasting to the beautifully maintained grounds. The setting is elegant without feeling pretentious, and the staff made us feel genuinely welcome throughout our visit. Yes, it's on the pricier side, but in our opinion, it was worth every penny. Between the incredible wines, breathtaking property, personalized hospitality, and memorable hike, Hudson Ranch Winery offers an experience that's far more than a typical wine tasting. If you're looking for a unique and elevated Napa experience, I highly recommend adding Hudson Ranch Winery to your itinerary. Just one tip: if you're planning to do the hike, book an earlier morning time slot during the warmer months! read more

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Our visit to Hudson Ranch was the absolute highlight of our trip! A huge thank you to Jesus, who was an amazing host he was so much fun to spend time with and shared so much fascinating information about the property's history and operations. The grounds here are simply stunning. We loved exploring everything from the intricate succulent gardens to seeing the sheep grazing near the beautiful lake. It feels like a true, thriving ecosystem rather than just a tasting room. Beyond the scenery, the products are top-tier. Their olive oil was really good, so fresh and flavorful. So happy to go home with a bottle of TiTi's Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a bottle of their 2023 Syrah. If you want a high-end experience that feels authentic and grounded, this is the place to go! read more

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Such a great experience. We were caught a bit off guard by how stylish the facility is. We were expecting something folksier but it was cool and modern. Mark took great care of us. He was knowledgeable and friendly with no "hard sell." We turned down a tour of the gardens due to my wife's allergies but it looked amazing. The wines, as expected were divine. Hudson sells Chardonnay to Kistler and other heavy hitters so we expected that to be world class but we walked out with cab franc and Syrah as well. One thing, the signage from the road is almost nonexistent. Trust your GPS. There's a phone at the gate. Call and they'll drop the chain so you can drive in. read more

Hudson Napa Valley - Tasting. Amazing! - Wine Tours Near Me - Napa, California

We have come to the valley for over 15 years. This is one of the more memorable tasting experiences. We did the hike first.... Which was worth all of the effort. It feels like you are in the sound of music. I enjoyed frolicking with their beautiful great Pyrenees Dolly and their herd of goats and sheep. Then after the hike, the tasting is the icing on the cake. Their wines are lovely and their olive oil is top notch. Try their cab franc/merlot blend. In a sea of caberbet Sav, this winery stands out and is unique. Special props to their sustainable and "organic" practices. These are wines not to be missed. read more

One of the more unique and memorable tastings I've done. The staff are incredibly friendly and welcoming. Our host Xavier was friendly, informative, not condescending and just everything you could possibly need from a host. The garden looked stunning and the fun little pop quiz added to the experience. All of the wines are divine. The merlot, Grenache rose and Syrah stood out the most. If you're someone who doesn't like Chardonnay, try theirs and you may have to change your mind. Cannot recommend this place enough read more

Hudson Napa Valley - Wine Tours Near Me - Napa, California

It was magical! I highly recommend visiting Hudson-- not just because of the amazing wines and beautiful property, but because of the people and their love of their craft. I took my parents and young kids to Hudson last week and everyone had an amazing time for different reasons. We brought lunch and they set up a beautiful picnic table with shade, wine and a spectacular view. My parents loved it! Then my kids got to see and pet their lovely cows which was a BIG highlight. Lastly-- we got a tour of the gardens which was my highlight! I picked the best apple I've ever had off one of the trees. Our lovely guide encouraged my kids to pick and eat the tomatoes, raspberries, blackberries and apples. They've never eaten their way through a garden and it was just so much fun! I cannot recommend this place enough! read more

Hudson Napa Valley - Blackberries in the garden - Wine Tours Near Me - Napa, California

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Lovely tour and tasting. It's private appointment only and on the high end of pricing but the experience really justifies it. The wine is amazing and the tour is really personal. The ranch owner even came by and greeted us! If you're looking for something more special and off the beaten path, I'd recommend this spot. read more

Beautiful property, was lucky enough to meet the owners. I love how authentic and the family feel of this property. Outside of wine, they also grow produce which is a plus. I can't wait to come back and visit again. A must see if you are in the Napa area. read more

Our guide, Elisabeth, was super friendly and provided the ultimate tour and tasting! The wine was delicious, and the snacks were delicious! This far exceeded all other tastings at other wineries. The tour of the garden was incredible. Highly recommend! read more

Hudson Napa Valley - a man in a garden - Wine Tours Near Me - Napa, California

Let me start off by saying this winery's tasting room is still fairly new, so I believe it's very under appreciated for how amazing the wines and staff are! Before they opened their TR back in September they did all a lot of their production off site at White Rock Vineyards (before it was badly burned in the fire) now they are adjusting by having all their production on site now. It's also nice to see a winery that grows all their own grapes, not to many places offer Estate Wines around here. It's literally one second away from Domaine Carneros so there's no excuse not to go! Reservations are required because it's a pretty private experience. Our host Skip was very knowledgeable about the wines and it was nice to talk with him about how different Hudson Vineyards is from other places. The tasting also includes a plate of roasted nuts with sage and rosemary, I pinned the recipe on Pinterest since I need more ideas for house party snacks! This snack blend went great with the wines as well. As for the wines, whoa! That's me being shook from the breathtaking wines this vineyard produces. Each wine was more on the lighter-bodied side (even the red wines!!) This is thanks to the breeze that the coast provides all year 'round. This was the first winery I've been able to try a light Cab Franc and I'm sure it'll be the only one! Don't be discouraged when I say the wine is more on the lighter side, the flavors will still hit you like a brick by smell and taste. The owner Lee Hudson was walking around the winery during our tasting, we also got to say hi to his two beautiful Greyhounds who were both very friendly and actually let us pet them. I only have good things to say about this place, and I highly recommend everyone to squeeze this place in our your winery to-do list, remember to make reservations in advance! read more

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Hidden Jem behind the Carneros area. Pleasant visit. Met with owners very nice place..Elizabeth was very accommodating. read more

Hudson Napa Valley - Grows their own pumpkins and more too! - Wine Tours Near Me - Napa, California

WOW! I cannot rave enough about this property and their wines. I feel like I was taken to a magical land. We arrived around 10AM and were given a tour of their amazing garden by Elisabeth. I have truly never seen anything like it and appreciate everything Lee and Christina have done. Their place is so curated and well taken care of that I instantly felt happy and at peace in their garden, and I didn't even have a sip of wine yet. We were then taken to do our tasting and actually sampled the fresh vegetables that we picked from the garden. Add sea salt and olive oil to them and could you ask for anything more? Their wine tasted so clean and our party of six purchased memberships and multiple bottles for our ride in our limo. If you are going to pick one place to visit THIS IS IT! read more

"Walk don't run", well I say "RUN DON'T WALK" if planning to go to Hudson Vineyard & see all that has been birthed by Lee Hudson & his wife Christina Hudson. I believe what is quoted by people says a lot so here are some quotes made by Lee which can help you form a vision of the Hudson's. * "I used to think I liked simple things, My life has proven that I must love complicated things" * "We grow sustainably and we are environmentally conscious," * "My God, this is agricultural Yosemite." (when he first saw Sterling and Mondavi vistas when taken there by Maynard Amerina of UC Davis over 40 years ago) * "The benefit of aging is to no longer be seeking perfection, it's to do things to the highest level of intent. Hopefully, your intentions are good." * "It is also about having a year-round work force,the ag year is cyclical but we're trying to even it out." Ten of his employees have been with him for more than 20 years; two for more than 30. He knows everyone on the ranch by name. * "Working with the land. We look at everything we do with the filter of three very important things to us: 1. Is it environmentally sound and sustainable? 2. Is it the best thing we can do for our employees? 3. Does it protect our consumers? That's a major drive for us. Are we doing the best we can do as tenants of the land? That's the light of which we see everything." *"There are other transformative, metamorphic products -- soybeans to miso, rice to sake, milk to cheese -- that take a raw material and convert it to something completely different. But for me, growing grapes became my focus." * "We technically make estate wines (because the grapes are grown and the wines are now made onsite), but we are much more of a ranch, We've been farming here since the early 1980s and we've made our own wines since 2004, but grapes and other crops have been grown here for well over a century." * He chose the 2,000 acre ranch in eastern Carneros and scooped it up for $600 an acre in '81. We are blessed that he took this forgotten piece of dirt over and has made it what it is today. Are you getting a feel for Lee & Christina yet? *ever been to a vineyard and seen gently rolling hills and meticulously planned vineyard acreage? Sure.What about heritage seeds from the greenhouse being used and having the employees use seeds from their own plants? Or maybe see surrounding the 200 acre vineyard, owl boxes& raptor perches staggered across the vineyards or manmade wetlands to attract water birds. All conducive for wildlife habitation. Can't say enough about Lee & Christina and what they demand of themselves for transparancy & the caretakers they are. * commandments they follow for farming such as ABF, non GMO and free range. * in addition to vino,they have Tuscan olives for oil (bought a bottle, so good), raise heritage breed pigs, lamb and chickens, and amazing fruit and vegetables and the large pumpkins grown (in excess of 1,500 # each/ see photo) Vino-as you can tell from my review this is a multi visit location as you cannot digest it all in one visit. Is it the vino, the Hudson's, the land, their people or their practices or all of the above. * Wine Enth. Gave their 2017 Grenach rose 94 points & 93 points for the 2014 Pick Up Sticks red from Carneros. * 2016 Ladybug chardonnay, do you like creme brulee or custard anyone? * Jayme, incredible who is the ambassador of the place has so many talents. One of the best. We talked for hours and you will as well when you go. * surprise visit by Mr Lee Hudson himself was my treat and one that I will remember. Farming, oil, French paintings, Burgundy region, environment, you name it he has touched it. * Sell about 90 percent of their grapes to 30 different vintners, such as Kistler, Cakebread, Failla and Kongsgaard,&others. These grapes come from the 14 selections of mostly "shot" Wente clones grown on the Hudson Ranch. Lee has been regarded by his peers as one of the best custom growers out there. * production winemaker Christopher Vandendriessche & Consulting Winemaker John Kongsgaard are amazing as they move forward with their blending and processes to make an incredible lineup of estate vntages. BTW Hudson Vineyards spreads 600 tons of compost annually, produced on their farm, throughout Hudson Ranch. * Grenache Rosé (200 cases made), "White Study" (blend of Ribolla Gialla, Arneis, Friulano, Albarino --150 cases made) and the syrah (200 cases made). But if you want to lay down some bottles go for the 2015 Old Master, a blend of Merlot and Cab Franc. * but maybe the 2016 Syrah which is right up there with the brands you already know. two types of tastings available & reservations a must. What about the site? Beautiful private and semi private tasting rooms. Private has great fireplace and interior design is phenomenal throughout. Christina's touch and knowledge of food shows with some nice samplings of herbs and nuts that match the wine perfectly. will be there again VERY SOON!!! Vino Geno read more

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Superb, sums up my experience at Hudson Ranch. The tasting room and patio are beautiful and serene, with an incredible view. The presentation of the wine was lovely, and the personalized menu was a nice touch. The wines were all exceptional, I only wish I could have taken more home. I enjoyed touring the vineyard and I loved the story about how each block gets its unique name. Many thanks to Elisabeth for a wonderful afternoon! read more

This place was absolutely magical! Elisabeth was so informative, professional and kind. The garden and views were stunning. The wine and food they had set up for us was superb. Ten out of ten, would highly recommend! read more