Adawn Wood remembers a day almost three decades ago when a Lake County wine caught her attention.
The few vineyards at the time generally sold their grapes to the expanding Napa and Sonoma markets — the counties leading the way as the percentage of wine drinkers in the U.S. began to encroach upon beer drinking territory.
“I always said ”one of these days Lake County wine will get some recognition,”” she said.
The moment may have arrived. At the 2015 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, Lake County labels brought home four Best of Class designations, six Double Golds, 14 Golds, 57 Silvers and a total of 111 awards.
Wood is co-owner of Shed Horn Cellars, along with husband and winemaker Michael Wood. The little Middletown operation hit 1.000 at the event, sending five bottles to the event and walking away with five medals, including a Double Gold for their 2012 Cabernet.
Shannon Ridge label — which include Vigilance, Dalliance and Playtime in addition to Shannon Ridge — earned 16 awards from the judges. Their 2013 Single Vineyard Chardonnay was one of the Best of Class winners. Neighboring Gregory Graham picked up 10 medals, two of them Double Gold.
Steele Wines topped the list, with 17 awards from 17 entries. Each of their labels — Steele, Shooting Star, Writer”s Block and Stymie — brought back some precious metal from the competition.
“Lake County is really starting to stand out,” observed Terry Dereniuk, executive director of the Lake County Winery Association.
The transition from a few notable wines to triple digits started slowly. Fetzer was the first winery to stamp the phrase “Lake County” on their labels in the 1970s. In 1981, Guenoc Valley in the southern part of the county received recognition as a distinct AVA, or American Viticultural Area. There are now seven sub-appellations within county lines.
Over the past 20 years veteran winemakers from neighboring regions familiar with Lake County grapes began opening vineyards in the area. Names like Jed Steele, Mark Burch, Eric Stine and others brought with them the respect of wine aficionados around the country.
“The problem Lake County had for a long time was that grapes went into blends, so you didn”t see Lake County on the label,” acknowledged Laurie Daniel, longtime wine writer with the San Jose Mercury News and Bay Area News Group. “The key is getting people in who raise the profile of the wines. Lake County has changed a lot and has the potential to change more.”
To many local winemakers, results from the San Francisco Chronicle competition serves as confirmation of a longstanding trend.
“It speaks to the fact that the amount of fruit grown in Lake County has increased and at the same time the quality has gone up,” said Stine, winemaker for Langtry Estate and Guenoc. “We kinda own Sauvignon Blanc.”
Indeed, Stine took Best of Class for the Guenoc 2013, followed up by a Double Gold for Shannon Ridge”s 2013 High Elevation and Gold for the 2013 Reserve from Wildhurst. Four area wineries earned Silver for their Sauvignon Blancs.
“There have been a lot of great Sauvignon Blancs,” Daniel pointed out.
Stine served as one of an extensive panel of judges, drawn from industry journalists, restaurateurs, winemakers and other experts nationwide. They gathered over four days, sampling from almost 6,500 entrees. Stine, of course, was not allowed on panels where Langtry/Guenoc wines were involved.
“My biggest thing (in judging) is that none of the medal wines can be at all flawed,” he said. “They have to be solid wines.”
The process is rigorous. Up to five judges form a panel to taste wines in particular categories. They eyeball, swirl, sniff and spit 100 different wines each day, scoring as they go. Double Gold awards indicate that a wine received a top mark from four judges. Best of Class results from a second round.
In the Best of Class round, each Double Gold wine is poured again for the panel. The group then selects the most notable.
“Best of Class is such a big deal,” Stine said.
The results resonate almost immediately in local tasting rooms. To Stine, a medal from one of the most prestigious competitions means more than a score offered by one expert. At Steele, tasting room manager Pam Williams agrees.
“We have people come in based on what they read,” she noted. “A lot of times, Double Gold — people want to get that wine.”
Fans of Lake County labels have a lot to follow up on after the San Francisco event, the largest such competition in the U.S. Not only did 111 wines from locally-based operations win awards, another 25 from wineries outside the area, but listing Lake County on their label, took home honors.
“It”s a testament to the growing maturity of our winemakers,” Dereniuk said.
