Late Harvest wines represent one of the most demanding, and rewarding, styles in winemaking. By allowing grapes to remain on the vine longer than usual, producers unlock heightened concentration, layered aromatics, and luxurious texture. The most exceptional examples balance sweetness with acidity, delivering depth and indulgence without heaviness. This year’s Best Late Harvest selections showcase remarkable craftsmanship across classic and hybrid varieties.

V. Sattui Winery, a historic Napa Valley producer, is celebrated for its broad portfolio and commitment to expressive, varietally driven wines. While the winery is best known for its table wines, its dessert wines consistently demonstrate precision, balance, and restraint.

The 2023 Late Harvest Riesling exemplifies those qualities, delivering concentrated fruit and aromatic intensity while maintaining the vibrant acidity essential to world-class dessert wines. Its exceptional balance earned it not only Best Late Harvest Riesling, but also Best Overall Late Harvest and Best in Show Dessert Wine honors.

V. Sattui’s 2023 Late Harvest Riesling is a luxurious yet poised expression of the varietal, offering layers of ripe fruit, floral aromatics, and a beautifully structured palate. The wine’s harmony between sweetness and acidity sets it apart, making it a benchmark example of late harvest winemaking.

Cellardoor Winery has earned national acclaim for its work with cool-climate and hybrid varieties, crafting wines that emphasize freshness, precision, and regional identity. Frontenac Blanc, a cold-hardy hybrid grape, is particularly well-suited to late harvest styles when handled with care. The 2024 Late Harvest Frontenac Blanc showcases the grape’s aromatic potential and natural acidity, delivering sweetness with clarity and lift.

Cellardoor’s Late Harvest Frontenac Blanc is vibrant and expressive, offering ripe fruit character layered with refreshing acidity. The wine’s balance and finesse highlight the potential of hybrid varieties in dessert wine production, earning it Best Late Harvest Hybrid White honors.

Hula is known for producing Ice Wine that reflects meticulous vineyard timing and precision harvesting, capturing grapes at peak concentration after freezing naturally on the vine. This demanding process results in intensely flavored wines with remarkable purity. The 2021 Ice Wine delivers classic ice wine richness, combining concentrated sweetness with vibrant structure and lingering complexity.

Hula’s 2021 Ice Wine is deeply concentrated and expressive, offering layers of ripe fruit and honeyed notes balanced by refreshing acidity. Its precision and intensity make it a compelling finalist in the Late Harvest category.

From classic Riesling to hybrid varieties and ice wine, this year’s Best Late Harvest selections reflect the artistry and patience required to craft exceptional dessert wines. Congratulations to V. Sattui Winery for earning Best in Show Dessert Wine, to Cellardoor Winery for Best Late Harvest Hybrid White, and to Hula for advancing to the final round with a standout Ice Wine at the 2025 San Francisco International Wine Competition.