August 2010

Avery Lane Cabernet Sauvignon Washington Columbia Valley 2007

legacy/avery_lane_cab_sav_2007.jpg

Avery is another Precept winery. Precept has a good handful of Washington wineries, including Pavin & Riley, Washington Hills, Bloom, Avery Lane, Barrelstone, Big Sky, Grizz, Sweet Pea, Sol Duc, Sockeye, Pine & Post and Shimmer. These are all budget wines, and, honestly, some aren't really even budget wines; they're just bad. Avery Lane as a label adorns wines sourced from Washington state's Columbia Valley appellation. I've previously tried the 2005 Avery Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, and wasn't impressed.

Hogue Cellars, Prosser Washington

legacy/hogue_cellars.jpg

The Hogue Cellars winery was founded in 1982 by two brothers, Mike and Gary Hogue. Hogue Cellars is run from Prosser, Washington, in the heart of Eastern Washington's wine country, and is the third largest winery in the state. Today, Hogue Cellars is owner by Canadian conglomerate Vincor International. Vincor is a division of the world's largest wine company, Constellation Brands, who also owns Inniskillin, Robert Mondavi, Hardys, Clos du Bois, Blackstone, Estancia, Ravenswood, Jackson-Triggs, Kim Crawford, and Nobilo wineries. Hogue's winemaker is Jordan Ferrier, who has held the position for several years. Hogue is one of the largest wineries in the state producing over 450,000 cases annually.