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SACRAMENTO – Lake County wines once again performed well at the 2009 California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition, with 37 wines garnering medals, including one Double Gold, five Gold, 18 Silver and 13 Bronze awards.
First held in 1855, the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition is by far the oldest wine competition limited to vitis vinifera grapes in America and is firmly established as the most prestigious of American Wine Competitions. Many industry leaders recognize it as the most meaningful of the major competitions restricted to California wines.
At this year’s Wine Competition, more than 2,600 wine entries were received from more than 600 participating wineries. Sixty-eight professional wine judges awarded a total of 1,895 medals, including 43 Double Gold, 220 Gold, 1,028 Silver, and 604 Bronze awards.
It is the only competition that requires all wines to be entered based on the American viticultural area (AVA, also known as an appellation) where the grapes are grown, not where the winery is located.
To further focus on the event’s unique attributes and on the importance of the wine grapes, duplicate awards are presented to each single vineyard grape grower or the winery estate vineyard manager. This applies to all award-winning wines from single vineyards or estate vineyards.
This is the first wine competition in the world ever to honor the grape growers and vineyard managers this way.
Wines produced from primarily Lake County winegrapes were well-represented in medals and in varietals.
This year’s winners included zinfandel, sauvignon blanc, petite sirah, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, sangiovese, primitivo, chardonnay, syrah, muscat, pinot noir, pinot gris and pinot grigio, as well as blends that include other varietals.
DOUBLE GOLD
Wildhurst Vineyards was awarded Best Zinfandel of California Double Gold for its 2007 Lake County Zinfandel, with a score of 98. Begun in 1966 when fifth-generation pear grower Myron Holdenried planted a former pear orchard with 30 acres of zinfandel grapes, Wildhurst Vineyards has consistently won top awards and high ratings. Other Wildhurst wines earned awards: Gold for the 2006 Lake County Merlot Reserve, Silver for the Lake County 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve, Bronze for the Lake County 2008 Muscat, and Bronze for the Lake County 2006 Petite Sirah Reserve.
Winemaker Mark Burch’s commitment to produce hand-crafted fruit-focused wines that showcase the quality of the Lake County winegrape growing region is evident in his signature wine – sauvignon blanc – and in the winery’s other award-winning varietals including cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, chardonnay, and zinfandel. A friendly tasting room is located in the restored Odd Fellows Hall in
downtown Kelseyville.
GOLD
Hawk and Horse Vineyards was awarded Best of Class North Coast Appellations Gold for its Lake County 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Latigo, Dessert Wine with a score of 94 and the Lake County 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon garnered Silver. Located on Highway 29 at the Diamond B Ranch in Lower Lake, Hawk and Horse Vineyards is open for tasting and tours by appointment.
Passionately dedicated to quality from the ground up – from the selection of vines and vineyard sites to the most carefully detailed farming practices – owners Tracey and Mitch Hawkins pay special attention to every aspect of the wine growing process. With soil and climate perfectly suited to growing Bordeaux varietals of world-class distinction, Hawk and Horse Vineyards specialize in cabernet sauvignon.
The wines are attentively hand-crafted from fruit grown on their certified organic vineyard located in the Red Hills AVA. Family-owned and operated, they take great pride in their farming practices and are certified Demeter Biodynamic and CCOF organic.
Shannon Ridge Vineyards & Winery, which operates a tasting room on Highway 20 in Clearlake Oaks, was awarded Gold with a score of 94 for both the Lake County 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and the Lake County 2007 Zinfandel. The Lake County 2007 Wrangler Red and the 2008 Lake County Sauvignon Blanc Ranch Collection were each awarded Silver. The Lake County 2008 Chardonnay Ranch Collection, Lake County 2007 Petite Sirah, and Lake County 2007 Syrah were all awarded Bronze.
After meeting at a Napa Valley winery where they both worked, Clay and Margarita Shannon would eventually use their common vision to take the reins with their own winery. Shannon Ridge uses fruit from the High Valley AVA in Clearlake Oaks, where the Shannons have pioneered more than 300 acres of mountain vineyards. Sited in blankets of brick-red earth – at altitudes up to 2,400 feet – the vineyards are nestled between the waters of Clear Lake to the south and snow-capped mountains to the north. The lean and rocky volcanic soil has kept its promise to grow vines that produce small berries with concentrated flavors, which compose the luscious, fruit-driven wines that lift Shannon Ridge’s reputation to the same elevations as the grapes that distinguish it.
While the Robledo Family Winery is located in Sonoma, they own vineyards in Lake, Sonoma, and Napa counties. The winery’s Lake County 2007 The Seven Brothers Sauvignon Blanc was awarded Gold and a score of 94. Lake County Wine Studio in Upper Lake offers tastings of Robledo Family Winery wines.
SILVER
Barsetti Vineyards – Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Bell Hill Vineyards – Lake County Merlot 2005 and Lake County Merlot2004
Benziger Family Winery – Lake County Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Brassfield Estate – High Valley Zinfandel 2005, High Valley Pinot Noir 2006, and High Valley Serenity
Proprietary White Wine 2007
Guenoc – Lake County Petite Sirah 2006
Hallcrest Vineyards – Lake County Zinfandel Limited Production 2005
Hawk and Horse Vineyards – Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
Matchbook – Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Robledo Family Winery – Red Hills Cabernet Sauvignon El Rey 2005
Rosa d’Oro Vineyards – Lake County Sangiovese 2007 and Lake County Primitivo 2007
Shannon Ridge Vineyards & Winery – Lake County Wrangler Red 2007 and Lake County Sauvignon Blanc Ranch Collection 2008
Shed Horn Cellars – Lake County Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Wildhurst Vineyards – Lake County Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2008
BRONZE
Bell Wine Cellars – Lake County Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Brassfield Estate – High Valley Pinot Grigio 2007 and High Valley Eruption, Proprietary Red Wine 2005
Guenoc – Lake County Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Rosa d’Oro Vineyards – Lake County Rosato Limited Release 2007
Red Lava Vineyard – Red Hills Syrah 2005
Shannon Ridge Vineyards & Winery – Lake County Chardonnay Ranch Collection 2008, Lake County Petite Sirah 2007, and Lake County Syrah 2007
Shed Horn Cellars – Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
Wildhurst Vineyards – Lake County Chardonnay Reserve 2007, Lake County Muscat 2008 and Lake County Petite Sirah Reserve 2006
These award-winning wines are available to taste and purchase at the California State Fair, Aug. 21 through Sept. 7 in Sacramento.
Lake County is part of the North Coast AVA, which also encompasses Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties. Within Lake County, five other AVAs exist – Clear Lake AVA, Benmore Valley AVA, Guenoc AVA, and the recently approved Red Hills AVA and High Valley AVA.
For visitor information, contact the Lake County Visitor Information Center at 800-525-3743 or
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The dinner meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Main Street Cafe, 14084 Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake.
To RSVP call the chamber at 707-994-3600.
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This purchase will also be the largest registered by the Climate Action Reserve, a national offsets registry working to ensure environmental benefits, integrity and transparency of emission reductions. The sizeable investment will help fight climate change by yielding 600,000 metric tons of verifiable greenhouse gas emission reductions.
The ClimateSmart program is purchasing the emission reductions from The Conservation Fund’s Big River and Salmon Creek Forest carbon project.
By sustainably managing the growth of more than 16,000 acres of redwood and Douglas fir forests on the Mendocino Coast, The Conservation Fund will allow them to grow larger and capture more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
“PG&E’s ClimateSmart program is proud to collaborate with The Conservation Fund on our customers’ largest investment to date in fighting global warming,” said Wendy Pulling, director of environmental policy for PG&E. “Such purchases not only help balance out our enrolled customers’ greenhouse gas emissions, they also help protect California’s natural resources.”
The Big River and Salmon Creek Forest carbon project will also provide meaningful employment in the area as workers implement sustainable forest practices and restore watersheds. In addition, these activities will protect habitat for species such as northern spotted owl and coho salmon.
“The sustainable management of the Big River and Salmon Creek forests made possible by the ClimateSmart program will help ensure that the redwood and Douglas fir forests surrounding Big River and Salmon Creek will be permanently protected from fragmentation, development and conversion to non-forest uses,” said Chris Kelly, California program director of The Conservation Fund.
This is the second contract between PG&E’s ClimateSmart program and The Conservation Fund. In February 2008, the ClimateSmart program purchased 200,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emission reductions from The Conservation Fund’s Garcia River Forest project, located on California's North Coast. The forest is further protected by a conservation easement on the forest held by The Nature Conservancy. This project was among the first forest carbon projects to be registered with the Climate Action Reserve.
Earlier this month the ClimateSmart program permanently “retired” the first 40,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emission reductions from the Garcia River Forest project through the Climate Action Reserve. The ClimateSmart program retires greenhouse gas emission reductions once they have been independently verified through the Climate Action Reserve’s rigorous processes. This retirement ensures that these reductions will not be used for any purpose other than for making enrolled customers carbon neutral.
“Retiring 40,000 metric tons of GHG emissions is a significant milestone, and it is notable that the retired emissions are from a project that is well respected for its quality and many benefits to the environment,” said Gary Gero, president of the Climate Action Reserve. “This retirement will ensure that no other entity can claim these emission reductions in the future.”
The ClimateSmart program is a voluntary, tax-deductible program that allows enrolled PG&E customers to balance out the greenhouse gas emissions produced by the energy they use. To participate, customers pay a separate amount on their monthly energy bill, based on their actual energy use. The average residential participant pays less than five dollars per month. The ClimateSmart program invests all payments in new, independently verified projects that reduce or absorb greenhouse gas emissions.
PG&E enrolled as the first participant in the ClimateSmart program by committing approximately $1.5 million of shareholder funds over the first three years of the program to make the energy use in the company’s facilities completely carbon neutral. To date, more than 30,000 customers, including homes, businesses and cities, have enrolled in PG&E’s ClimateSmart program.
For more information about PG&E’s ClimateSmart program, visit www.joinclimatesmart.com .
The Conservation Fund forges partnerships to conserve America’s legacy of land and water resources. Through land acquisition, community and economic development and training and education, the Fund and its partners demonstrate balanced conservation solutions that emphasize the integration of economic and environmental goals. Since 1985, the Fund has helped protect more than 6 million acres throughout America while consistently earning top rankings for efficiency by review groups such as Charity Navigator and the American Institute of Philanthropy. For more information, visit www.conservationfund.org .
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“The 24 founding members of the California Invasive Species Advisory Committee (CISAC) have a challenging task ahead of them,” said Secretary A.G. Kawamura of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, chairman of the council. “They will lay the groundwork that will enable this council to enhance our collective ability to protect California’s environment, food systems, human health and economy from invasive and destructive pests, plants and diseases.”
The group includes Lake County's own Victoria Brandon of Lower Lake, as Lake County News reported last week.
The ISCC, formed earlier this year, is chaired by Secretary Kawamura and vice-chaired by Mike Chrisman, Secretary for the California Natural Resources Agency. Also serving on the council are Secretary Linda Adams of California’s Environmental Protection Agency; Secretary Dale Bonner from the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency; Secretary Kim Belshe from the California Health and Human Services Agency; and Matt Bettenhausen, Acting Secretary of the California Emergency Management Agency.
The CISAC is tasked with making recommendations to the CISAC, including drafting an invasive species rapid response plan. The committee will take input from local government, tribal governments and federal agencies, as well as environmental organizations, academic and science institutions, affected industry sectors and impacted landowners.
Members of the California Invasive Species Council Advisory Committee include the following:
Linda Arcularius, supervisor, Inyo Board of Supervisors;
Ted Batkin, president, California Citrus Research Board;
Victoria Brandon, member, Sierra Club;
Mike Chapel, wildlife biologist, U.S. Forest Service;
Gabriela Chavarria, national science director, Natural Resources Defense Council;
Christiana Conser, project manager, Cal-HIP & PlantRight Sustainable Conservation;
Ricardo De Leon, microbiology unit manager – quagga, Metropolitan Water District;
Joseph M. DiTomaso, weed specialist, University of California Davis Cooperative Extension;
Robert Dolezal, executive director, California Association of Nurseries and Garden Centers;
Dennis Faria, aquaculture, Imperial Catfish;
Andrea Fox, governmental affairs division, California Farm Bureau Federation;
Larry Godfrey, vice chair, Department of Entomology, U.C. Davis;
Robert Hoffman, assistant regional administrator for habitat, National Marine Fisheries Service, Southwest Region;
Doug Johnson, executive director, California Invasive Plant Council;
Mary Maddux-Gonzales, Sonoma County Public Health officer;
Karen McDowell, environmental planner, San Francisco Estuary Partnership;
Leigh Melander, founder, Imaginal Institute;
David Pattison, member, California Association of Pest Control Advisors;
John Randall, associate science director, Nature Conservancy;
Kristina Schierenbeck, research leader, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service;
Zea Sonnabend, policy specialist, California Certified Organic Farmers;
Rick Tomlinson, technical committee, California Strawberry Commission;
Greg Van Wassenhove, county agricultural commissioner, Santa Clara County;
Keith Douglass Warner, lecturer, Santa Clara University.
For more information on the Invasive Species Council of California, please visit www.iscc.ca.gov .
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