Food
& Beverage World's California Wines of the Year 2013
By FBWorld Team
For
our final post of 2013, we highlight best wines we
tasted this year as we announce the winners of our annual California
Wines of the Year Competition.
Our
tasting panel started out rounded up their favorites wines among
those submitted for our review during the past twelve months.
Next, we invited wineries to submit their favorite bottles into
the competition as well. Our panel then went about tasting to
narrow that down. In the end, they selecting between 5 and 7
finalists for each category.
The
bottles selected for the final round were tasted by invited
guests, consisting of members of the public who drink wine regularly,
but are certainly not experts. We asked them to vote for only
their favorite wine in each category.
Winners
of each category are listed below with the percentage votes
they received. We also noted the other wines that received votes.
(Finalists that did not garner votes have been omitted.)
Thanks
to all the wineries who participated making our 3rd annul competition
a great success.
Cheers
to all the winners for 2013!
Red
Wines
Click
on labels to enlarge |
Best
Cabernet Winner
Hunt
Cellars 2009 Cab-Ovation (Paso Robles) - 50% of the vote
Runners-up
Sol
Rouge 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) - 33%
Alpha
Omega Winery 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) - 17%
|
 |
Best Other Bordeaux Winner
(varietal or blend over 75% Bordeaux grapes)
Alpha
Omega Winery 2010 ERA Blend (Napa Valley) - 67% of the
vote
Runners-up
McIntyre
Vineyards 2012 Merlot (Monterey County) - 17%
Sullivan 2010 Coeur De Vigne (Napa Valley) - 8%
Picazo 2008 Merlot (Livermore Valley) - 8% |
 |
Best
Pinot Noir Winner
La Rochelle 2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (Sonoma County)
- 50% of the vote
Runners-up
Ampelos Cellars 2009 "Lambda" Pinot Noir (Santa
Barbara County) - 33%
Bluxome Street Winery 2011 Russian River Valley Pinot
Noir (Sonoma County) - 17% |
 |
Best
Rhone Winner
(varietal or blend over 75% Rhone grapes)
Vie Winery 2010 Las Madres Vineyard Syrah (Sonoma County)
- 33% of the vote
Runners-up
Ampelos Cellars 2009 "Gamma" Syrah (Santa Barbara
County) - 25%
Vie Melange Maison II (California) - 25%
Fenestra 2009 Grenache (Livermore Valley) - 17% |
 |
Best
Zinfaldel Winner
Hunt Cellars 2008 Zin-Ovation - 66% of the votes
Runners-up
Howell Mountain Vineyards 2010 Old Vine Zinfandel (Napa
Valley) - 17%
Wilson Winery 2011 "Cypress Ridge" Zinfandel (Sonoma
County) - 17% |
 |
Best
"Other" Red Winner
Steven Kent "Sorride" Red Blend (Livermore Valley)
- 75% of the votes
Runners-up
Collier Falls 2009 Primitivo (Sonoma County) - 17%
Rutherford Grove 2009 Estate Sangiovese (Napa Valley) -
8% |
Whites/Rosé
Wines
|
Best
Rhone Winner -
(varietal
or blend over 75% Bordeaux grapes)
Hunt Cellars 2010 "Twilight Time" Viognier (Paso
Robles) - 33%
Runners-up
Sol
Rouge 2011 Gypsy Blanc (Lake County) - 25%
Sol Rouge 2011 Viognier (Lake County) - 17%
Vie Winery 2011 Roussanne (Lake County) - 17%
Cass 2011 "Rockin' One" Blend (Paso Robles)
- 8%
|
 |
Best
Chardonnay Winner
McIntyre Vineyards 2012 Block K1 Chardonnay (Monterey
County) - 42% of the vote
Runners-up
Steven
Kent "Merrillie" Chardonnay (Livermore Valley)
- 33%
McIntyre Vineyards 2012 Estate Chardonnay (Monterey County)
- 17%
Wrath Winery 2011 "3 Clone" Chardonnay (Monterey
County) - 8% |
 |
Best
"Other" White/Rosé Winner
Vie Winery 2012 "Belle-Amie" Rosé (Santa
Barbara County) - 67% of the votes
Runners-up
Gustafson Vineyards 2012 Riesling (Sonoma County) - 25%
Fritz Winery 2012 Rosé (Sonoma County) - 8% |
Dessert/Port
Wines
|
Best
Port Winner
Hunt
Cellars "Good Vibrations" 7 Year Tawny Port
(Paso Robles) - 83% of the vote
Runners-up
Sculpterra
Winery J. Jagger Primitivo (Paso Robles) - 17%
|
 |
Best Dessert Wine Winner
Yorkville Cellars 2011 Late Harvest Semillon-Sauvignon
Blanc (Mendocino County) - 33% of the vote
Runners-up
Winery
SF "Sweet Seduction" Late Harvest Viognier (California)
- 25%
Yorkville Cellars 2012 Sweet Malbec (Mendocino County)
- 25%
Thorn Hill 2008 "Fire" Petite Sirah (Napa Valley)
- 17% |
By
Jason Barlow
| 96
— 100 |
Spectacular |
| 92
— 95 |
Outstanding |
89
— 91 |
Great |
| 85
— 88 |
Good |
81
— 84 |
Solid |
|
