Hogue Cellars Riesling Columbia Valley 2009

This refreshing, off-dry wine has wonderful aromas of ripe apricot and melon, and forward flavors of apricots, peaches and pears that last through a velvety finish.

Greenish straw. Moderately light-bodied. Moderate acidity. Mild fruit. Mild sweetness. Leaves, minerals, bitter oranges. Bold acids enhance piquant fruit with a warm, lingering finish. Needs some time in the glass to blossom fully.

Light and tangy, just a little sweet, with pretty peach and floral flavors lingering on the delicate finish. Drink now.

Washington State has become a star on the wine map, and Hogue's home in the Columbia Valley is one of the best areas in the state. Look for peach, nectarine, and orange fruit notes with white floral aromas.

Riesling, a late ripening variety, thirves in Washington's cool winters and warm, dry summers. At optimum ripeness it develops a trademark apricot, tangerine, citrus and kiwi flavors with vanilla, clove and cinnamon complexities. Its balanced acidity keeps the finish crisp and lingering. It's flavorful enough to pair with blue cheese and complex enough to stand up to a spicy Thai meal.

Apricot, linden and sweetened herbal tea aromas as well as flavors are found in the 2003 Johannisberg Riesling. There are almost 58,000 cases of this excellent value. Medium-bodied and satin-textured, it delivers loads of tangerine-laced white fruit flavors in its appealingly forward character. Drink it over the next 3 years.

Lively and generous, with a tangy apple, apricot and mineral character that dances on and on as the flavors linger. Wallet-friendly Washington white. Drink now through 2005.