Five H 2006 White Riesling
This wine is a classic white riesling from the Columbia Valley in Washington. The Five H White Riesling grapes are from Maury Balcom’s vineyard and were processed within twelve hours of harvest in Prosser, Wash. by Bernard Griffin Winery. From there, the juice was transported to Eugene Wine Cellars in Eugene, Ore.
This is a red wine blend that was produced at Wahluke Wine Company (WWC) in Mattawa, Wash. From the 2006 vintage, Five H Heritage grapes are from the Mildbrandt Vineyards, near the Columbia River. Five H Heritage blends 85 percent merlot with 15 percent primitivo, resulting in a wine that has a full fruit mid pallet. The finish has character, but is not too rough.
Why “Five H White Riesling” and not “Five H Riesling”?
In the early days of the Oregon wine industry, there were concerns about honest labeling. During that period, riesling had many names, like Johannesburg riesling, Wach riesling and Rhine riesling. At the time, the Oregon wine industry and OLCC determined that the term white riesling was required.In the early 1990s, however, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) determined riesling and white riesling were synonymous. Given the Hinman family’s tradition and their personal history with the varietal, they decided on white riesling for Five H.
What is Sussreserve?
Süssreserve is unfermented grape juice back-blended into a fully-fermented dry wine – such is the case with Five H White Riesling. The process adds sweetness, balances the natural wine acids and enhances the fruit character of the finished wine. It is also a stylistic touch, which Doyle learned while studying winemaking at Germany’s famed Geishenheim Wine Institute many years ago.
The winemaker makes a determination to add Süssreserve after the wine is finished fermenting. This allows the winemaker control over the finished wine. White riesling is inherently acidic and tart when fermented to dryness. Süssreserve can balance the character to perfection and enhance the white riesling flavor.
The more common approach to developing sweetness in white riesling involves stopping the fermentation before the wine is totally dry. This leaves sweetness in the wine, but, in the opinion of the Hinman family, does not intensify the original flavor profiles for this noble grape like Süssreserve. It may be more difficult to produce finished white riesling wine in the Süssreserve style, but it is worth the extra effort.
