Millbrook Winery Tocai Friulano Hudson River Region 2023

Millbrook Vineyards & Winery, located about 45 minutes northeast of our shop, is cool for a couple reasons: For one, it was founded by John Dyson, a graduate of Cornell University’s agricultural economics program who served as both New York State Commissioner of Agriculture and Commissioner of Commerce and developed the state’s very important Farm Winery Act (which allows small wineries to sell their products directly to customers) in 1976. For another, it was established in 1981, when there were just a handful of wineries in all of New York State, and is the first vineyard in the Hudson River Region dedicated exclusively to the production of Vitis vinifera grapes (the species used for most wine production). Built on the site of a former dairy farm, the estate’s 30 acres of gravelly southwest facing slopes turned out to be excellent for the cultivation of pinot noir, chardonnay, cabernet franc and tocai friulano, a white variety grown almost exclusively in Italy that’s in this unique bottling. Fermented and aged in stainless steal, it wafts enticing, floral-laced aromas of kiwi, gooseberry and nectarine that lead to a pleasantly plump and lively palate of melon and peach.