Lake County >> R Vineyards, one of Lake County”s newest wine brands, received Best of Class and Gold for its 2013 Lake County Viognier at the recent Vineyard & Winery Management”s 24th Annual Grand Harvest Awards wine competition held in Sonoma County, in November just before Thanksgiving.
Shannon Ridge winery, near Lower Lake, also claimed honors, with a Double Gold and Best of Class for their 2012 High Valley Barbera. Shannon Ridge picked up three Silver medals and a Bronze, as well.
From a pool of nearly 1100 wine entries, The Grand Harvest Awards included 82 Best of Class, 39 Double Gold, 161 Gold, and 450 Silver medals.
“I am delighted with the Gold and Best of Class award for our 2013 Viognier,” Dave Rosenthal, R Vineyards winemaker, said. “Personally, I love the wine and the Viognier varietal. To have its quality and distinct terroir characteristics acknowledged by an esteemed panel of judges is great.”
Established in 1990, Grand Harvest Awards seeks to uncover the distinctions of terroir by grouping wines for evaluation by appellation and variety. Wines are judged in the context of their viticultural regions in order to recognize the complexities and nuances of regional wines, and also to observe the influence of regional soil and climate characteristics on the taste and quality of individual wines.
“Judges included winemakers, wine buyers, distributors, media personnel and other wine industry professionals who not only recognized the best wine submissions but possessed the level of knowledge and expertise needed to assess the wine”s terroir,” said Vineyard & Winery Management Director of Wine Competitions, Debra Del Fiorentino.
R Vineyards is located in South Lake County in Middletown. The grapes are sustainably farmed and grown in the soils of the Mayacamas Mountains on the north slope of Mount St. Helena.
Owners David and Monica Rosenthal established R Vineyards in the fall of 2013 taking the next steps in a 30 year wine industry career that between the two of them includes winegrape growing, wine tasting, marketing and winemaking. Shannon Ridge is owned by Clay and Margarita Shannon.
R Vineyards Viognier is available to sample, savor and purchase this weekend at the Lake County Wine Studio and Twin Pine Casino Gift Shop during the annual Holiday Open House Wine Weekend. Many award winning Lake County wines are featured on the tour of 25 wineries and wine shops around Lake County on December 5-7 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
