LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – More than 100 Lake County wines captured top awards – including three Best of Class honors and three Double Gold awards – at this year’s San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the Lake County Winery Association (LCWA) announced this week.
Vigilance Winery & Vineyards won Best of Class with its 2010 Red Hills Lake County Petite Sirah.
Additionally, Best of Class was awarded to Sol Rouge for its 2009 Lake County Cabernet Franc and to Writer’s Block (Steele Wines) for its 2010 Lake County Syrah.
Shed Horn Cellars received Double Gold for its 2009 Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon, Lavender Blue won Double Gold for its 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon and Chacewater Wine was honored with Double Gold for its 2010 Red Hills Lake County Malbec.
The annual San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition is touted as the “largest competition of American wines in the world.”
The 2013 results were posted following five days of tasting and evaluating more than 5,500 entries, according to the event’s Web site.
“Lake County wines and wineries truly stood out among the more than 5,500 entries at the SF Chronicle’s annual event,” said Monica Rosenthal, executive director of the Lake County Winery Association. “Our association members’ vintners can proudly say they are among the best when honored with multiple Best of Class, Double Gold, and Gold medals by the San Francisco competition’s professional judges.”
Lake county’s lead varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc, showed well in this years sf chronicle wine competition.
However, numerous Lake County varietals garnered gold, silver and bronze medals including Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Petite Sirah, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Verdot, Zinfandel and Tempranillo.
The Lake County wineries and varietals awarded gold medals were Cross Springs (2009 Cabernet Sauvignon), Dalliance (2010 Red Wine), Gregory Graham Wines (2009 Riesling), Guenoc (2012 Sauvignon Blanc, 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, and 2011 Petite Sirah), Shannon Ridge (2009 Petite Sirah), Shed Horn Cellars (2009 Napa Valley Petite Verdot and 2010 Zinfandel), Stymie (2009 Syrah), Shooting Star (2010 Barbera and 2010 Merlot), Steele Wines (2010 Cabernet Franc) and Vigilance (2011 Sauvignon Blanc).
Guenoc, Shed Horn Cellars, Gregory Graham and Cache Creek Vineyards all received silver medals for their 2011 Lake County chardonnay. Several Lake County wineries garnered gold and silver for their Lake County petite sirah in addition to the Best of Class awarded to Vigilance Winery & Vineyards.
Red Lava Vineyards and Six Sigma Ranch & Winery each took silver medals for their Lake County Tempranillo wines, 2010 and 2009 vintages.
Many Lake County wineries were multiple winners, the competition results show. These included Cache Creek Vineyards (two silvers), Chacewater Wine (two silver, two bronze and a double gold), Cross Springs (two silver and a gold), Gregory Graham (two gold, three silver and three bronze), Guenoc (three gold, four silver and two bronze), and Rosa d’Oro (two silver and a bronze).
Shannon Ridge took six silver and four bronze medals in addition to its gold medal. Additional Lake County multi-medal winners were Shed Horn Cellars (three silver and two golf in addition to its double gold), Six Sigma (two silver), Sol Rouge (two silver and its Best of Class), Writers Block (two silver, three bronze in addition to its Best of Class), Shooting Star (two silver, two bronze, and its two gold), Steele Wines (six silver, five bronze, and its gold), Vigilance (two bronze, a silver, and its gold and Best of Class), and Wildhurst Vineyards (two silver and three bronze).
“We congratulate our Lake County Winery Association members who had such a fine showing at the competition,” said Rosenthal.
She pointed out that many wineries that use Lake County grapes to produce their wines outside of Lake County were also winners at the competition.
Bell Winery’s 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, a gold medal winner, was produced from Lake County grapes, as was the gold medal winning 2008 Enkidu Lake County Petite Sirah.
Approximately 20 silver and bronze awards were given to varietals by out-of-county wineries using Lake County winegrapes.
Winning entries in each category of the San Francisco Chronicle competition can be found on the Web site, www.winejudging.com .
In addition, tickets for the public tasting portion of the event may be purchased online. The public’s opportunity to taste entries from the competition is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 16, from 2 p.m. To 5 p.m., at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. Tickets are $70 per person in advance and $85 per person at the door.
For more information about the Lake County Winery Association, visit the association’s Web site, www.lakecountywineries.org or contact Monica Rosenthal at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .