Hogue Family
Hogue Family
The Hogue Family has been farming in the Yakima Valley since the 1940′s. Originally hop farmers, the family began growing juice grapes in the early 1970′s and vinifera in the late 1970′s. Today crisp, juicy Washington apples have taken the place of hops and vinifera is the primary focus of all resources. Mike Hogue, his daughter Barbara and her husband Ron Harle run the family farm based in Prosser, WA.
Mike Hogue
Like many of the pioneers in Washington State, Mike Hogue’s winemaking success started as a farming venture. The son of a hop farmer in the Columbia Valley, Mike Hogue was first introduced to the wine industry in 1978 with the opportunity to learn firsthand from Dr. Walter Clore, the father of Washington State wine. At the advice of a friend Mike planted the first vines that would eventually become The Hogue Cellars, the second largest winery in the state with an enviable reputation for quality.
In August 2001, Mike Hogue sold The Hogue Cellars and continues today to be a proud Hogue Cellars wine grape grower. In 2005 his daughter Barb and her husband Ron Harle approached him with the concept of building a new family winery through a partnership between the Hogue family and the Mercer family, a locally renowned farming family from Horse Heaven Hills. Mike had long admired the Mercers and felt that a partnership with a family with a similar dedication to the ground they farm and the community they live in was a good idea. Their shared commitment and combined industry experience would be the cornerstone for a new winery, in which wine grapes were grown on two different estates, in appellations best suited for each variety, and turned to wine in a state-of-the-art facility. This partnership became Mercer Estates.
Ron and Barb Harle
Along with their vision of the future Mercer Estates winery, Ron and Barb Harle bring experience from their years with The Hogue Cellars to the partnership.
Ron serves as managing partner and CFO for the winery ensuring that Mercer Estates stays on track. According to Ron, “Every decision made in the planning and development of Mercer Estates has been based on consistently delivering to our customers a genuine product that is more valuable than the price”.
Barb focuses her time on the creative process including packaging and tasting room layout and design. Her ongoing efforts will be key to familiarizing people with the Mercer brand.
