CLEARLAKE OAKS – Two of the Shannon Ridge wines took gold medals at the 24th annual San Diego International Wine Competition earlier this month.

The winery was awarded gold medals for the 2003 Lake County Petite Sirah and the 2006 Lake County Sauvignon Blanc.

Additionally, the 2003 Petite Sirah took sweepstakes, which means that the judges entered the wine into the sweepstakes round of voting for best of show, an honor that only 28 wines out of the 2,100 wines entered in the competition received.

The competition was judged by some of the top industry professionals, and they chose some stellar wines.

The 2003 Petite Sirah is a bold wine with dark berry and smoke aromas tinged with spice. It is very food friendly with chewy tannins, subtle oak, lovely cassis flavors and a long fruity finish. It is made from 100-percent Petite Sirah and aged for 14 months in French and American Oak. It can be paired with spicy barbeque, Thai curry, and other robust flavors.

The 2006 Sauvignon Blanc meets the nose with attractive floral and mineral notes. It is a nice summer sipping wine with plenty of citrus rounded out by apricot and banana flavors. It is also made from 100% of its varietal.

“We’re very proud to receive these awards. It is always great to have our attention to quality recognized and to see the Lake County wines getting some traction in the market place,” said Shannon Ridge proprietor Clay Shannon.

Directed by wine writer Robert Whitley, the competition benefits the charitable activities of San Diego’s Sisters of Social Service and the San Diego Social Service Auxiliary.

In 1995, Clay and Margarita Shannon purchased a mountain property in the High Valley appellation in Lake County, 35 miles north of Napa. They began planting vineyards along the steep volcanic ridges and now have 350 acres of prime vineyards on the ranch. Shannon Ridge released its first wines, made by winemaker Robert Pepi, in 2004.

The winery currently makes Cabernet Sauvignon (High Valley), Syrah (High Valley), Zinfandel (Lake County), Petite Sirah (Lake County), Barbera (High Valley), Sauvignon Blanc (Lake County) and Viognier (Lake County).

Built in 2004, the Shannon Ridge tasting room is located in an old one-room school house on Highway 20 in Clearlake Oaks, adding to the family-owned business authenticity for which the winery prides itself.

For further information, please visit www.shannonridge.com or call 707-998-9656.

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