Revisiting Hudson-Chatham's 2007 Empire

Here is another wine we opened recently.  This 2007 Empire was released in the fall of 2009. This wine, produced by Hudson-Chatham Winery represents the three major wine regions in New York - Finger Lakes with the Cabernet Franc, Long Island with the Merlot and Hudson Valley with Baco Noir

When I initially tasted this the Baco was overpowering. You can see my previous post here.  No the wine has matured so to speak.  At first the nose took on the Long Island Merlot - earthy.  The taste was Cabernet Franc - cherry with spice mid palate and ended with the smokey Baco.

As we sat on the deck and drank the wine, the flavors began to change.  As it opened, the spice was more prevalent on the nose. The earthiness begins to fade.  The Cabernet Franc really begins to dominate this wine.  The Merlot and Baco flavors become very distant.

We paired this wine with a marinaded flank steak.  Not a bad choice.