Hogue Late Harvest Riesling 2022, Columbia Valley, Washington

The Hogue Cellars, founded in 1982 by Mike and Gary Hogue, is located in Eastern Washington’s Columbia Valley, the premier grape-growing region of the state. The climate and soils of the Columbia Valley produce grapes with intense fruit flavors and high natural acidity. Eastern Washington’s low annual rainfall and cool nights during the growing season make it the perfect area for producing consistently great late harvest wines. Hogue has developed a style with Late Harvest White Riesling that includes a moderate level of sweetness, richness, viscosity and crisp balancing acidity with just a hint of complexity from the noble rot, Botrytis cinerea. The grapes for the Late Harvest White Riesling were harvested predominately from the Yakima Valley. Most of the vineyards are on slopes where low vigor and well-drained soils produce smaller berries with concentrated flavors and clusters that are less prone to botrytis. In order to preserve its intense fruit qualities, the juice was fermented entirely in stainless steel at 52 degrees F to 57 degrees F.