Hudson Ranch
Laughing Lands
2018 Chardonnay
Napa Valley
Auction 24 | Lot No. 194
Vintage: 2018
Hudson Ranch
Laughing Lands
Chardonnay
Napa Valley
5 cases produced
Highlights
- Laughing Lands, as are all our wines, is fully hands free
- Equal blends of two of our most prestigious vineyards, Little Bit and Ladybug Vineyard
- Hand-picked at night at full, but not excessive, maturity
- Lightly pressed, native yeast fermented, full malolactic, sur lie, two-year elevage
Description
"Laughing Lands" is made from two distinctive vineyards at Hudson Ranch. Little Bit and Ladybug are planted to heritage selections of shot Wente Chardonnay, prized for their low yields, high concentration, early maturity, minerality and liveliness. As the name suggests it is a joyous amalgam of the thoughtful and the imaginary. Elegant, long, round and full of backbone, the wine displays a sunny disposition. It is lip-smacking delicious and worthy of a warm embrace.
Wine Facts
- Wine is unfiltered
- Wine is 100% estate grown and bottled
Clayton Kirchhoff
Winemaker, Hudson
Working with Hudson wines since 2013, Clayton's winemaking journey is one of both passion and dedication. Raised on his family's vineyard in the AVA of Clarksburg, California, Clayton was tasked with driving tractors and working harvests alongside his siblings before school, which laid a strong foundation for his love of the land. After earning a BA in Business Economics at UC Santa Barbara, Clayton spent a semester abroad in Italy. It was here that he was pulled back to his roots. Soon after he moved to Napa and committed to pursuing a career in wine. Clayton has worked with some of the best winemakers in the world at esteemed houses such as Pingus in Spain, and Realm, Failla, and White Rock Vineyards in Napa Valley. His goal with each vintage is to express a sense of place, relying on precision and intuition in his winemaking. He has been a winemaker at Hudson since 2018, diligently tending to each vineyard site, and guiding the Hudson fruit into wines of balance and complexity.
Country born: United States
Education: Mentors: Ehren Jordan, Mike Hirby, Luc Morlet, Peter Sisseck, Christopher Vandendriessche, John Kongsgaard, Lee Hudson
Foreign Internships: Dominio de Pingus in Ribera del Duero, Spain; and Corban’s in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Education: Napa Valley College and UCDavis extension classwork
Years in the wine industry: 15-20 years
Honors / Awards:
SF Chronicle Winemaker to Watch 2016
Winemaking Philosophy:
I think the best winemaking is invisible. Diligence in the cellar and impeccably grown fruit allow this to be possible. There are techniques and additives that can be applied to wine to build things that were not there to begin with, but if you work really hard at the craft of cellar work, endeavor to have clean ferments, and don’t pick grapes out of balance, you can make very pure wines. Wines that then show one growing season from one place can be magical things.
Winery Distribution
Hudson Ranch is distributed in the following markets. Please contact the winery directly for the most up-to-date distribution information and to explore commercial opportunities.
Hudson Ranch Contact: Kathy Oates
Domestic:
- Arizona ( Maverick )
- Colorado ( Maverick )
- Florida ( Maverick )
- Massachusetts ( Classics/Martignetti )
- Michigan ( Woodberry )
- Minnesota ( Rootstock )
- Missouri ( A Bommarito )
- New Jersey ( MS Walker )
- New York ( MS Walker )
- North Carolina ( Advintage )
- Ohio ( Private Reserve )
- Oklahoma ( Thirst )
- Pennsylvania ( Newman Wine )
- South Carolina ( Advintage )
- Texas ( Serendipity )
- Virginia ( Roanoke )
- Washington ( Downtown Spirits )
International:
- Austria ( Kracher )
- Belgium ( Marc Buelinckx )
- Canada - Alberta ( Artisan Wines )
- Canada - Ontario ( Cru Wine Merchants )
- Czech Republic ( Californian Wines )
- Denmark ( Fine Wine APS )
- Finland ( Thirsty Bear )
- Germany ( Freund )
- Hong Kong ( Ponti Trading LTD )
- India ( Fratelli Wine )
- Japan ( Nakagawa )
- Luxembourg ( Vimowa )
- Netherlands ( Dielen )
- Norway ( Vinarius )
- Philippines ( Estate Wine )
- Singapore ( Fermented )
- South Korea ( Wine 2 U )
- Switzerland ( Martel )
- Thailand ( Wine Merchant )
- United Kingdom ( Wine Treasury Limited )
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