With balmy evening breezes blowing, standard aloha attire and ukulele playing musicians in the background I must be at a luau right? Well not exactly. I’m at a barbecue hosted by the HASR Wine Co. in downtown Honolulu with Judd and Holly Finkelstein of Judd’s Hill winery and the ukulele toting musician is none other than Judd Finkelstein himself.
The story started over 30 years ago when Art and Bunnie Finkelstein left Los Angeles to start Whitehall Lane Winery. During the late 1980s when production exceeded 30,000 cases, Art found himself involved more in management of the winery than winemaking and decided to sell his interest in Whitehall Lane Winery and promptly started Judd’s Hill winery. Judd’s Hill winery devotes itself to handcrafted, small production wines where father and son now make all of the wine.
Along with producing about 3000 cases of wine every year, the Finkelsteins also have been operating MicroCrush for about 15 years. The MicroCrush operation allows small growers and everyday wine lovers to bottle their own wine. You can be as hands-on as picking your own grapes and determining your own blend to letting the Finkelsteins doing it all for you. They handle the paperwork, procure the grapes, oversee the fermentation, aging and bottling for lots as small as 1 barrel (24 cases) or as large as 5 barrels. They may refer you out to larger operations like the Napa Valley Wine Company for lots larger than 5 barrels since those require some mechanical processing and the Finkelsteins prefer hand made products. So if you have at least ½ ton of grapes hanging on the vine, MicroCrush can handle the rest.
Aperitif
The HASR Wine Co courtyard provided the perfect backdrop to an evening of great food, great wine, great music and camaraderie. The evening started with Judd’s Hill Chardonnay and Rose which unfortunately is only available at the winery tasting room. Judd’s Hill mainly concentrates on Cabernet, Petite Sirah and Pinot Noir so you do need to visit the winery for those “other white wines”. Judd said that the blend in their Rose varies from Cabernet to Syrah to Sangiovese and is usually from the saignée or unfermented grape juice that is “bled” out of the fermentation tank before fermentation begins (to concentrate flavor compounds in the wine) from their own wine, sometimes it’s from the winemaking they do at MicroCrush.
“Tiny bubbles, in the wine…”
Judd’s Hill Rose
A delicate nose of strawberry, cherry and a touch of boysenberry. Light bodied with a touch of sweetness and nice acidity. Would pair nicely with spicy Asian cuisine.
“makes me happy, makes me feel fine..”
Judd’s Hill Chardonnay
With a nose of lemon curd in a buttery crust, this medium bodied Chardonnay would pair with herb marinated roasted chicken or pork.
The Bold and Beautiful
Once our dinner of fried chicken, barbecued ribs, hot potato salad, steamed corn, cole slaw and barbecued beans started, a steady stream of Judd’s Hill red wines were sampled.
“Tiny bubbles make me warm all over…”
Judd’s Hill Pinot Noir 2004
Asian spice on the nose with anise, clove and ripe red fruit. Medium body with cola, dried strawberry and good acid. Would pair with braised Asian spiced lamb shanks, short ribs and pork.
“with the feelin’ that I’m gonna love you till the end of time”
Judd’s Hill Petite Syrah 2002
Still very tight with hints of dark red fruit with good concentration and chewy tannins. Definitely needs decanting if you can’t wait 3 to 5 years to let it settle. Can stand up to the boldest of grilled red meats.
“So here’s to the golden moon, and here’s to the silver sea…”
Judd’s Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 and 2002
The 2001 had the classic currant and red fruit overtones with slightly chewy tannins and a long finish, the 2002 had hints of dried sage and thyme on the nose with dried red fruit and softer tannins with a nice balance and medium finish. Decant both about 1 hour before pouring though the 2002 is very drinkable now while the 2001 could use another year or two.
“and mostly here’s a toast to you and me…”
Judd’s Hill Estate Red 2001
Made with the usual Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, it had a nose rich with currants, spice and dark red fruit. The palate was just a little tight suggesting another couple years of aging or decanting 1 to 2 hours before serving. Fruit and tannins were nicely balanced with a long finish.
Some Enchanted Evening
Along with the great wine and food, the evening was rounded with music from Glenn Medeiros and impromptu serenading by Eddie Kamae who was just inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame. The HASR Wine Co regularly schedules wine dinners as well as free wine tasting on Tuesday and Friday evenings. When visiting Napa Valley, I recommend a trip to Judd’s Hill winery off the Silverado Trail – it does require an appointment though the Finkelstein ohana is more than accommodating and you may be treated to an impromptu ukulele performance and hula by Judd and Holly.
HASR Wine Co
31 N. Pauahi Street #1B
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817
(808) 535-9463
Judd’s Hill
2332 Silverado Trail
Napa, California 94558
(866) 438-5833
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