A Trio of Eroica Rieslings
Eroica Riesling
Eroica is an elegant off-dry Washington Riesling that has blazed a trail for high-end American Riesling. Eroica delivers a unique combination of mandarin orange aromas characteristic of Washington state Rieslings, melded with the mineral, spiced apple and slate notes with lively, crisp acidity associated with German Riesling. The wine’s zesty acidity, combined with a touch of sweetness, makes it a tremendously versatile and food friendly wine. Try Eroica with Asian cuisine, Indian curries, crab, scallops and sushi or even a fresh salad!
Eroica Riesling Ice Wine
Eastern Washington's climate with its potential temperature extremes is a perfect candidate to produce great ice wine in suitable years. Ice wine is rare because it requires a hard freeze below 14 degrees F. with healthy fruit still hanging on the vine. We harvested the Eroica ice wine grapes during freeze conditions in 2006 and 2008 at our Horse Heaven Vineyard. The grapes are picked and pressed immediately while frozen, releasing only sweet, concentrated juice-and leaving the water, in the form of ice, behind. The juice undergoes a long, slow, cold fermentation for several months. The wine is an exotic, luscious, ultra ripe wine that has superb, fresh acidity harmonizing concentrated aromas and flavors of apricot and honey.
Single Berry Select
Single Berry Select is made in the traditional German Trockenbeerenauslese style and is one of the few TBAs in North America. Literally, the word means a wine made from a selection (Auslese) of individually picked grapes (Beeren) which have been left on the vine until so ripe as to be practically dry (trocken) or raisened. Select grapes at our Horse Heaven Vineyard were left hanging on the vine two months after regular harvest, allowing Botrytis to set in. Botrytis is a naturally occurring condition in the grapes required for making this exceptional wine. Berries are painstakingly individually picked and hand sorted. They are carefully pressed and the rich juice is fermented for more than eight months to develop full character. The result is an ultra rich, concentrated yet elegant wine with intense aromas of orange blossom, honey, apricot and sweet spice. Decadent flavors of ripe pineapple and honey lead to a long, luscious finish. This wine is made in very limited quantities, typically less than 75 cases a year. It is available for one year after release, then returned to our Private Cellar for re-release ten years post-vintage.