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Lake County's People's Choice Wine Competition
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Judged a "Best of Red Hills" White
Judges have made the first cut and consumers will vote for their favorites on October 3rd
Lake County grapes have been making Napa Valley wines for decades and now the winegrowers of Lake County have stepped into the spotlight to deliver a solo performance with the first annual Lake County People's Choice Wine Awards. In one of the country's most unique wine competition formats,168 wines that listed Lake County on the label were tasted by a team of judges who awarded medals and voted to determine the finalists. Wines with the top three scores in each category qualified for the People's Choice portion of the competition and will be tasted and ranked by consumers at Six Sigma Winery on October 3rd. Tickets for the event are available September 7th for $25. When it's time to vote for their favorites, consumers will know how the wines fared with the professional judges. The competition was organized by the Lake County Winery Association in an effort to help winegrowers identify which grape varieties are delivering world-class results and those that are showing potential.
Judged a "Best of Red Hills" red.
A tasty short list
Among those wines that will go on to further consideration by consumers, the Best of Show and Best of Red Hills (a Lake County sub appellation) wines point to Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Petite Syrah, a variety that is relatively unknown compared to Cabernet Sauvignon which makes up the majority of vines planted in the county, as being the top varieties to watch. Lake County's higher elevations mean grapes are subject to more ultra violet light which produces unique and delicious expressions in varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon. Lake County winegrowers who continue to fine tune their viticultural practices to 'dial in' the varietal typicity of Bordeaux reds can expect to take home top honors in future competitions.
If you can't make it to the People's Choice taste off in October, try comparing wines from the short list with a group of family and friends. Buy any two or three wines from each category and have your tasters vote for their favorites (cups and pennies let people vote anonymously but watch for ballet stuffing). You'll have a win-win scenario as all of the wines are tasty and you can confidently serve the favorites at your next gathering.
Judged one of three "Best of Show" Reds, $12
Best of Red Hills White
Fortress Vineyards 2008 100% Sauvignon Musque $15
Made by Wildhurst winemaker Mark Burch who also makes wines for many labels including Robledo and Red Lava.
Gregory Graham Rolling Knolls 2008 100% Sauvignon Blanc $16 Graham has been making wine in Lake County for 14 years and primarily grows red varieties on his Red Hills estate.
Best of Red Hills Red
Gregory Graham Crimson Hill 2006 Syrah $20
Fortress 2007 Petite Syrah $30
Best of Show Whites
Fortress Vineyards 2008 100% Sauvignon Musque $15
Shooting Star 2008 100% Sauvignon Blanc $11
Gregory Graham Bartolucci Viognier 2008 $20
Best of Show Reds
Gregory Graham Crimson Hill 2006 Syrah $20
Corte Riva 2005 Petite Syrah $50
Shooting Star 2007 Barbera $12
For more info: Lake County Winery Association
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