Husch La Blanc 2013
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In 1979, Hugo Oswald Jr. bought the 6,000 case Husch Winery from the Husch family. The Oswald family had been growing pears in the Santa Clara Valley, but when the area was expanding they sold the land and headed for the southern tip of Mendocino County in the Ukiah valley. The Oswald family combined the vineyards on their La Ribera Ranch in Talmage with their newly expanding vineyards in the Anderson Valley. This union produced a total growing area of about 200 acres. Today Husch Vineyards is still owned and operated by the Oswald family. Currently three members of the family are involved in the winery: Miles, Ken, and Will. Winemaking is under the direction of Fritz Meier, graduate enologist from Geisenheim University in Germany. Al White, now in charge of all viticulture operations, has been with Husch since 1973.
Through the years Husch has modernized and expanded, but it has never lost its initial rustic charm or reputation for great wines.
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
A large and diverse appellation within California’s North Coast AVA, Mendocino is home to several smaller sub-regions—most notably the Anderson Valley. This scenic region, with rolling hills covered in redwood forests as well as vineyards, is one of the world’s top producers of certified organically-grown grapes. Due to wide geographical and climatic variation, a vast array of wine styles can be found here.