Wine Tasting: Hogue Late Harvest Riesling

 

Name: Hogue Late Harvest Riesling

Variety: Riesling

Country: USA

Region: Columbia Valley, Washington

Vintage: 2020

Price: $10 (on sale)

Critic Review: "A bright, refreshing Riesling from Columbia Valley with lots of happy flavor intensity. Pale-intensity lemon in color, this wine has a Mosel-Riesling-reminiscent nose and aromas of green apple, chalk, petrol, blossom and quince. On the palate the off-dry, medium-plus-bodied Riesling reveals medium-intensity flavors suggested on the nose supported by medium-plus acidity. The wine is creamy in texture and is balanced. Unlike some Rieslings that are one-trick ponies, this late-harvest Riesling from Hogue offers some midpalate complexity and depth of flavor." - 2016 - https://winecasual.com/hogue-late-harvest-riesling-2016-lots-of-happy-flavor-intensity/

Wine Folly: Typical characteristics of Riesling include notes of lime, green apple, beeswax, jasmine, and petroleum (page 158). The wine may be dry or sweet, but the one that I sampled was sweet. The text recommends that it be served between 45-55 degrees Fahrenheit. It is also characterized as low in tannins, body, and alcohol yet high in acidity. The book also includes a section devoted specifically to wines of Washington, USA including Riesling (page 298). It adds that notes of this specific style are Meyer lemon, green melon, gala apple, honeycomb, and lime.

My Review: This is my favorite wine that I have tried thus far! I chilled my in the refrigerator for about a week (because I forgot about it; oops), but I set it out a few minutes before cooling to aim for the recommended temperature. I detected aromas of honeysuckle, apple, and apricot. Upon tasting, I was taken aback by the sweetness of the wine! I picked up on a big apricot taste followed by apple and, maybe, pear. At first, I thought that the Riesling may have had some carbonation but quickly realized that it was the strong acidity of lemon that had deceived me. The last main impression that I got from this particular wine was that it does not coat the tongue and goes down like water. I did not drink it with food, but I would like to in the future. Overall, I really enjoyed this wine, and I would definitely buy it again!