Just a guess, but Ernie Weir likely added the qualifying word to his Hagafen Lake County White Riesling because the character is so immaculate.
Yes, the label causes a few raised eyebrows. Riesling is a white varietal, after all. Yet so many winemakers once hewed to the syrupy liebfraumilch style of America’s oeniphilic youth that the svelte poise of his wine deserved a note of exception.
The 2013 Hagafen Riesling from Lake County grapes offers comely aromas of ripening peach, heather under a morning sun, fresh apricot and fruit trees under blossom. These tranquil notes rest over just a hint of bristling ginger.
But this hint of spice wanes on the palate. Instead, a perfectly synoptic expression of apricot and peach — all just plucked from the tree and freshly sliced — catches your attention. The fruits are clean and lively, set free from cloying sugars.
Weir used a cold fermentation process in stainless steel to capture the bright fruit aspect and brought fermentation to a halt at 2 percent residual sugar, taming the alcoholic rage associated with some wines.
He also showed great respect for the Reislings of yore, before the damage wrought by simple, inexpensive novice bottles, such as Blue Nun.
The varietal is cherished for the aromatic beauty. And in the 2013 Hagafen those lithe floral notes follow on the palate, drifting along in the wake of that first blush of fruit. On the finish, a sensation of ripe apple completes the experience — and sipping this wine is a wonderful experience.
Clearly Weir has a kinship with the grape.
“I’ve been making Riesling for the last 30 or 40 years,” he affirmed. “We try to hit that style every year if we can.”
Although he also produces Riesling from Napa, Weir appreciated grapes from Lake County’s Devoto Vineyards. When that farm changed hands, he located a new source in the county, but still recalls the older vintages fondly.
“We made lovely wines from his vineyard for many years,” Weir said. “Everyone enjoys the wine.”
White Riesling ends up as a fitting description for the 2013 Hagafen.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
