Although it hardly seems possible, Hogue Cellars began life in a child’s playhouse. In 1974 Mike Hogue began using 6 of his father’s 1,700 acres to plant Riesling grapes, which he sold to other wineries. Seven years later, Mike and a friend started making wine in Mike’s Daughter’s playhouse. In 1982 the Hogue brothers, Mike & Gary, made their first appearance as Hogue Cellars at the Prosser Wine & Food Fair, an event that still goes on today. The following year, the Hogue Cellars winery and tasting room took over a vacant building in Prosser, where the tasting room still remains.
Today, Hogue Cellars is the third largest winery in the state, producing 650,000 cases per year and nearly 8% of Washington’s wine market volume. Hogue is now owned by Canadian conglomerate Vincor International, a division of the world’s largest wine company, Constellation Brands, which also owns the likes of Inniskillin, Robert Mondavi, Hardys, Clos du Bois, Blackstone, Estancia, Ravenswood, Jackson-Triggs, Kim Crawford, and Nobilo wineries.
But don’t let Hogue Cellars corporate ownership fool you. The winery continues to bring high quality Washington wines to the marketplace – showcasing the state’s exceptional fruit quality and depth of grape diversity. Hogue wines are not super jammy, overripe, or lethally alcoholic. Rather, the winery produces vintages that are on the conservative side, preferring to err on the side of under-manipulation and respect for the fruit, rather than over-manipulate and destroy the character. Hogue Cellars is a cornerstone of Washington State wine scene…
… And this is certainly echoed in their consumer friendly three tiers or price points: Hogue, Genesis, and the Hogue Reserve, which features upper-end wines. Hogue is the winery’s entry-level wine tier, priced at approximately $10.00 per bottle. These wines are soft on the palate with fruit forward flavors, laid back tannins, and a decidedly food-friendly character. Genesis wines make up the winery’s mid-range offerings, which are priced at approximately $15.00 – $20.00 per bottle. Here you find increased flavor intensity, more structured tannins, and added depth & complexity. The grapes from the Genesis series are sourced from upper-end vineyards with a history of producing excellent vintages. Finally, Hogue Reserve provides consumers with striking high-end wines that are remarkably free of expected “high-end” prices (expect to pay in the $22.00 – $30.00 range). The reserve wines deliver both intensity and character complexity; they also enjoy more concentrated fruit and additional spice from extended oak aging.
I recently sampled the Hogue 2013 Riesling, which is a lightly off-dry and beautifully balanced wine. And the 7% Gewürztraminer blended into the mix does a marvelous job of elevating the aromatics and adding significantly to the characteristic “petrol” nose. Wonderfully distinct flavors here – lemon, Key lime and grapefruit – and all seamlessly integrated. As noted above, this wine retails for $10.00 per bottle (PA State Stores currently have it on sale for $8.99) and received 90 points and a “Best Buy” designation from the Wine Enthusiast. However, the Jersey Shore restaurant where I first sampled it, listed it as $10.00 per glass and $38.00 per bottle, which demonstrates just how blatantly many restaurants commit what amounts to “mark-up extortion.” Just one word of caution: Make every effort to find the 2013; the 2014 is also good, but lacks the aromatic punch flavorful complexity of its elder sibling.
If you want to step up a notch, the Hogue 2013 Genesis Riesling is also an excellent choice. It finishes dry with great length & balance and a wonderfully refreshing minerality. Retailing at the $16.00 mark, it received a whopping 91 points and an “Editors’ Choice” designation from the Wine Enthusiast.
Among the red wines, I would definitely recommend the Hogue Cellars 2013 Genesis Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a full-bodied, elegant wine with plenty of dark fruit and hints of toasty oak. The 14% alcohol is extremely well integrated and beautifully balanced with the ripe fruit and remarkable acidity. As the cooler weather sets in, this wine will make a wonderful companion to grilled beef. Retails around the $18.00 mark.
Also high on my list is the Hogue Cellars 2012 Genesis Meritage. In order to be considered a true red “Meritage” a wine must be a blend of two or more of the “noble” red Bordeaux grape varietals. The 2013 Genesis is an artful combination of 38% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Malbec, and 5% Petit Verdot. This is a supple, full-bodied wine, velvety and appealing on the palate, with appealing flavors of rich dark fruit, spicy oak, soothing hints of vanilla. Priced at approximately $15.00 – $18.00.
Cheers!
TAD
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