Wine Event: 2013 SF Double Gold Winners, Los Angeles

The San Francisco International Wine Competition brought its double gold winners to Los Angeles in mid-September 2013, to Marina del Rey’s Paiche Restaurant.  The tables were set to take tasters from the lighter wines through to the big, heavy hitters, and I will list them that way here.  Look for my favorites from each section in bold type.

If you have ever perused a list of award winners from this major wine competition, you may have thought you were looking at the complete inventory for a wine store - a large wine store.  Hundreds of wineries walk away from San Francisco clutching medals in their grape-stained fingers.  It is interesting, however, to get a look at some of the wines that scored the double gold.

This group of judges must have really liked a smoky edge to their Chardonnay, because all four shown here exhibited that sensation to some degree.  They seem to have had something against a Riesling with great acidity and fully fruit-forward reds seem to be their thing.  Take a look at the 2013 Double Gold Winners from San Francisco.

Bubbles

Zonin Prosecco, Veneto, Italy $15 - This Best Prosecco winner is mineral-driven and fresh, but somewhat overshadowed by three Champagnes that followed.

Collet NV Extra Brut, Champagne, France $55 - Bread on the nose and earthy apples on the palate.

Piper Heidsieck NV Brut, Champagne, France $50 - A funky nose and toasty palate made this one the best of the bunch.

Collet NV Rosé, Champagne, France $60 - Toast and herbal aromas, earth and apple flavors. A close second.

White Wines

Castra Rubra Winery 2012 Organic White Blend, Dominant White, Bulgaria $14 - Winner of the Best White Blend award, this Eastern European entry smells of flowers and peaches with mineral-laden apples on the palate.  Very nice, in what turned out to be a weak category.  At the price, unbeatable.

Handley Cellars 2012 Riesling, Anderson Valley $22 - Aromas of rich, full fruit unfortunately lead to a flabby mouthfeel.

Kono 2012 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand $11 - Pungent grassiness on the nose and a lime streak a mile wide.

Matua 2012 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand $14 - This one took the Best Sauvignon Blanc award with a grassy nose and mineral-draped citrus flavors.

Archangel 2011 Riesling, Central Otego, New Zealand $22 - Lots of petrol and great acidity.  The best of this bunch.

Turning Leaf NV Riesling, California $8 - Big, sweet pears and peaches, but no acidity to back it up.

Chardonnays

Santa Carolina 2010 Chardonnay, Reserva de Familia, Casablanca Valley, Chile $20 - This standout smells like a campfire and tastes like butter and cream.  Very nice acidity.  The best of the four Chardonnays on the table.

Puma Road 2011 Chardonnay, Pedregal Vineyard, Paicines, San Benito County, California $20 - Another wonderfully smoky nose with nice acidity and minerals.

Three Coins 2011 Chardonnay, Knight's Valley, California $26 - Smoky fruit bouquet, but disappointed by a listless palate.  Nice show of minerals, though.

D & L Carinalli Vineyards 2011 Estate Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, California $20 - Named the Best Chardonnay, this one shows less smoke with nice acidity and slightly buttery fruit.

Assorted Red Wines

Hyde Vineyard 2010 Pinot Noir, Napa Valley $32 - A whiff of roses and raspberries leads to a pleasant, fruity palate and nice acidity in this Carneros product.

Thirty- Seven 2010 Malbec, Sonoma Coast $46 - This very dark wine smells of pepper on black cherries and plums.  The palate is plummy, jammy and spicy.  I love this one.

Villa Yambol 2011 Merlot, Thracian Valley, Bulgaria $8 - Dark with loads of smoky minerals, it deservedly won the Best Merlot award.  Eight bucks!  This one and the earlier white blend have me thinking of Bulgaria as wine country.

Cabernet Sauvignons

Domaine Peshtera 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, Thracian Valley, Bulgaria $8 - A nose of rich, jammy blackberry, a palate of huge blackberry and plum, great acidity - Why wasn't I more impressed with it?  It lacks complexity, but at the price, it's a decent buy.

Don & Sons B-Side 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley $25 - Fruit-forward black cherry and blackberry, but again, less complex than I would like.

Hess 2010 Allomi Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley $30 - Smoke runs through the blackberry and raspberry flavors, with nice tannins and acidity.  Best of the Cabs showed here.

J Lohr Vineyards 2010 Hilltop Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles $35 - Ripe cherry, great acidity and structure.  A very close second.

Robert John Vineyards 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley $75 - Intriguing mint and herbs on the nose, the fruit is dark and the acidity is vibrant.

Rocca Family Vineyards 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, Grigsby Vineyard, Yountville, Napa Valley $80 - Fruity with good tannic structure and nice acidity.  It won the prize for Best Cabernet Sauvignon.

More Assorted Red Wines

Antucura 2008 Calcura Red Bordeaux Blend, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina $20 - This wine won for Best Bordeaux Blend Under $25.  That's not faint praise, either, as it shows a great tart edge and acidity.  Think of Uco Valley as Medoza's Sonoma Coast.

J Lohr Vineyards 2009 Premium Bordeaux Blend, Cuvée POM, Paso Robles $50 - This mineral-drenched wine took the award for Best Red In Show.  Great choice.

Stone Dwellers 2009 Shiraz, Strathbogie Ranges, Australia $20 - Minerals all over, this Shiraz has a smoky, chalky sense on the palate.  A fave.

Anaba 2010 Red Rhône Blend, Turbine Red, Sonoma County $24 - Extremely smooth, but a little dull.

Brazin 2010 Old Vine Zinfandel, Lodi, California $17 - Beautiful cherry fruit and great tannins.

McManis Family Vineyards 2011 Petite Sirah, California $11 - An unfortunately medicinal alcohol whiff, even after it had been open for hours.  Spicy, dark fruit flavors help it along.


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WIN A TICKET TO ZAP ZINFANDEL FESTIVAL GRAND TASTING

January 2012 will bring the 21st annual ZAP Zinfandel Festival to San Francisco.  It's a great event staged each year by Zinfandel Advocates and Producers, a non-profit organization devoted to the love of, and passion for, the wines of the Zinfandel grape.  The organizers came together in the belief that "Zinfandel deserved recognition as a highly respected varietal that could compete with the finest wines around the world," according to the ZAP website.

The four elements of the 2012 ZAP Zinfandel Festival are outlined here, and Now And Zin has tickets to the Grand Tasting on January 28, 2012 that you can win!  More on that at the end of the article. 

If you'd like to become a card-carrying Zinfandel Advocate, hit this link and join.  An Annual Advocate Membership is $44 and includes up to two people.

There are four events comprising the three-day ZAP Zinfandel Festival for 2012:

Epicuria is a walk-around exploration of food and Zin pairings.  50 wineries and their Zins will be paired with 50 of San Francisco's top epicurean creators working in the ZinKitchen.  You may want to skip lunch on this day, because you'll want to try them all.  Thursday January 26th from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. at The Concourse, 635 8th Street at Brannan, San Francisco.  Tickets are $95 for ZAP members, $125 for non-members.

Flights: Forums of Flavor is an in-depth seminar-style tasting featuring themed flights of Zinfandels presented by the winemakers.  Plenty of insights into the true nature of Zinfandel are in store.  It's a one-of-a-kind tasting opportunity which fans of the variety should not miss.  Friday January 27th from 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the Westin St. Francis Hotel, Union Square, 335 Powell Street, San Francisco.  Tickets are $60 for ZAP members, $75 for non-members.

Winemakers' Dinner is a Las Vegas-style benefit.  Wines for the dinner are chosen by the winemakers, and you can take part in the auctions.  It's a glamorous event, so you are advised to dress to the nines.  Proceeds will benefit ZAP programming, education and Heritage Projects.  Friday January 27th from 5:00 - 10:00 p.m. at the Westin St. Francis Hotel, Union Square, 335 Powell Street, San Francisco.  Tickets are $225 and include an annual Advocate membership for two.

Grand Tasting: From A To Zin allows you to explore all things Zin, including hundreds of barrel samples and new releases.  Taste away and meet the winemakers while you find out how many of them have red hair.  Keep score on ZAP's ZinTracks map.  Saturday January 28th from 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. at The Concourse, 635 8th Street at Brannan, San Francisco.  Tickets are $49 for ZAP members, $59 for non-members and $69 at the door.

The 2012 ZAP Zinfandel Festival promises to further ZAP's mission - to celebrate the appreciation for American Zinfandel and its role as America's "Heritage Wine."

You can win a ticket to the Grand Tasting: From A To Zin from Now And Zin.  

We have been graciously provided with four tickets to the Saturday tasting, which will be given away by random drawing on January 16, 2012.  Enter the contest between now and January 15, 2012 by visiting the Now And Zin Wine Blog and adding your email address in the box labeled "SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL."  You will then be eligible to win, and you'll receive email notifications of new posts on the Now And Zin Wine Blog.  All entries must be made by January 15, 2012 at 11:59 p.m.  Four email addresses will be selected at random, and you will be notified if you are a winner on Monday, January 16th.  Only one entry per email address, please.  Duplicate entries will be thrown out.

Please enter only if you plan to attend the event in San Francisco, as the tickets can be claimed at the event only by you and are non-transferable.  Good luck!

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