2012 NxNW Riesling Dessert Wine Columbia Valley

2012 NxNW Dessert Riesling

Varietal: Rielsing

AVA :Horse Heaven Hills (Columbia Valley)

Alcohol:9.5%

The Wine: North by Northwest represents wines made from inland grape growing appellations of the Columbia River Basin in Oregon and Washington. The Columbia Valley is renowned for the ability to grow high quality grapes in an area of unique terroir. NxNW wines are fruit driven, flavorful and aromatic, with balanced structure. Meticulous vineyard selection, skillful blending, and uncompromised commitment to varietal expression yield wines with unique character, a combination exemplified by our NxNW series. The NxNW Dessert Riesling comes to you from  the Horse Heaven Hills AVA, a subset of the Columbia Valley AVA in Washington. A rich, layered wine with a generous finish, the 2012 vintage is dominated by luscious residual sugar and balanced by plenty of acidity and an explosion of fruit. Tangerine, papaya, and honey are abundant in this pleasant wine. Enjoy now through 2021.

The Process:The wine was fermented and sur lie aged in stainless steel tanks for 3 months prior to bottling.

THE BENCHES: The Benches (formerly known as Wallula Benches) is located in the Eastern corner of the Horse Heaven Hills AVA in the Wallula Gap. The vineyard sits on southward facing terraced blocks that range in elevation from 320 to 1,350 feet and overlook Wallula Lake which provides cooling breezes to moderate extreme summer temperatures. This area is known for its rich, fertile Shano silt loam soils which were deposited during the Missoula floods, it also benefits from uninterruptible senior water rights to the Columbia River. King Estate has 42 acres of Riesling planted at The Benches under long-term contract, including clones 198, 239, and 90.

Vintage Notes: 2012 brought a return to the classic eastern Washington vintage conditions and a departure from the previous two cooler years experienced in the area. Budbreak was slightly ahead of average and a cool start to the summer slightly delayed vine development. In late July, warm and dry conditions returned and lasted through mid-October, allowing the fruit to ripen ideally. When our winemakers visited The Benches Vineyard in mid-July, they noted that the Riesling crop was showing especially well.