img_7504The Hudson Valley is known for it’s wineries and distilleries, and when I came across “The Hudson Valley’s Flagship Winery”, Millbrook Vineyards and Winery, I just had to check it out! Here you can enjoy a five-star wine experience with an educational tour led by one of their knowledgeable staff and or Tim the tasting room manager. The winery offers tastings of award-winning Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Tocai Friulano and Riesling. Millbrook Winery has been voted “Best Winery” in the Hudson Valley for the last 20 consecutive years, and is a great place to visit any time of year, for a wine tasting experience you will never forget (unless you consume too much).

“In 1982 after some successful plantings of vinifera grapes on his father’s farm in Millbrook, New York, John Dyson purchased the 130 acre Wing Dairy Farm for his first vineyard and winemaking venture . The southwest facing slopes of the former dairy farm with its gravelly soil proved excellent for viticulture and in 1983 the first plantings were made at the site of what is today Millbrook Vineyards & Winery. In 1984 winemaker, John Graziano was brought on board as the winemaker and the initial plantings of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc were quite successful. Pleased with those results, John decided to expand his commitment to making high-quality New York wines. Millbrook Vineyards & Winery’s 35 acres of vines include plantings of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Riesling and an Italian grape varietal called Tocai Friulano.”Millbrookwine.com

I tasted many of the Millbrook Portfolio with Tasting Room Director, Tim Gonzales. My top favorite picks from the Millbrook collection were:

  1. img_74492013 CHARDONNAY PROPRIETOR’S SPECIAL RESERVE- Rich and buttery with a toasted nose followed by some pear and Crème brûlée. Usually I don’t enjoy buttery chardonnay’s unless I am having some cheese or risotto, but this one spiked my interest and I was very pleased.

  2. 2015 TOCAI FRIULANO PROPRIETOR’S SPECIAL RESERVE- This wine is a gem of the Millbrook collection and I highly recommend it to anyone seeking something fresh and sweet. This wine is playful with enticing aromas of gooseberry, pear and lemon, which follow through to the palate along with notes of citrus zest and melon. This wine has an incredible rounded acidity, which is complimented with a supple, lingering finish.

  3. img_74502014 LATE HARVEST RIESLING- This Late Harvest Riesling is elegantly light and sweet, expressing a beautiful bouquet of ripe stone fruits. Very exciting with notes of apricot and orange marmalade on the nose, following through to a medium bodied mouth feel and an intense yet complex finish.

  4. 2014 CABERNET FRANC- One of my favorite reds in the tasting, this Cab Franc expresses aromas of red berry fruits and black raspberries. This wine has rich flavors of plum and red berries with a soft tannins and a lush, ripe finish.

  5. 2014 MERLOT- I am also a fan of the Merlot here at Millbrook, although I loved all the wines in different ways, I think that this region also grows merlot extremely well. This wine has an intense purple color, which gives a preview to jammy aromas of vanilla, dark berry fruits, fig and dried tobacco. Dark fruit notes of black raspberry, black cherry with hints of vanilla bean are complimented with gripping tannins and a long finish, thats perfectly palate pleasing.

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If you want to visit Millbrook Vineyards and Winery (which I highly recommend you do), here are some upcoming events for the fall and winter!

Autumn Wine & Cheese Pairings

Culinary Institute Graduate and Tasting Room Director, Tim Gonzales will be giving a guided tasting featuring the relationship between wine and cheese. The tasting will focus on cheeses from around the world, such as:  Click Here to Make Reservations Now!

26th Annual Harvest Party

Join us as we celebrate out 31st Anniversary with Guest Chef Peter X. Kelly of Restaurant X and X2O Xaviers on the Hudson.  Enjoy an expertly prepared four-course luncheon event, complete with Welcome Reception, dessert, and wine in celebration of the harvest of our 2016 […]

Grand Portfolio Tasting

Each year we open up our entire Millbrook wine portfolio (as well as a few wines from Villa Pillo and Williams Selyem) for a very special wine tasting to kick off the Holiday Season.This wine tasting event is a unique experience for wine lovers and Millbrook […]