1995 Baco Noir

Steve Casscles has been growing grapes and makes wine in the Hudson Valley for many years. Why he doesn't start his own bonded winery is beyond me. Steve has been the winemaker for Hudson Chatham for a couple of years and he has one of the largest Baco Noir vineyards in the Hudson Valley.

I recently stopped at Steves house to pick up his entries for the non-commercial wine competition. He took me out to the back where he has a small vineyard of Baco. You could see how old and strong the roots of these vines were. He was prunning at the time and was happy for the break. For those not familiar, Baco Noir is a hybrid grape. For more info on the Baco Grape click here

In appreciation for picking up the wine, he gave me a gift of a 1995 Baco Noir that was produced by the grapes grown at his parents house in Middlehope.

I must admit, I really like the Baco grape, but was a bit skeptical, however knowing what I know about Steve, I know he wouldn't have given me something that he wasn't proud of.

I made a flank steak last night and we thought the Baco would pair well with it. Well...I was amazed! This wine was very well balanced. On the nose was a smokey cherry. The wine was very cherry, but had some sour cherry up front. It was smooth on the tongue and through the entire taste. It went fantastic with my Flank Steak.

Steve, you should really think about opening a winery. Your products are very good!