Sunday, April 4, 2021 • San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition • Advertising Feature W7 Introducing Roberts + Rogers SF Chronicle Winning Wines
ARRINGTON VINEYARDS Arrington Vineyards of Nashville, Tennessee adds netting to their vines. The winery won a dozen medals at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition this year. Competition winners highlight lesser known U.S. wine regions By Carey Sweet How to order wines medals and eight Gold med als. Arrington Vineyards of When you’re evaluating Gruet Vineyards: Nashville, Tennessee nearly 5,700 wines from www.gruetwinery.com marched away with one more than 1,000 U.S. and Cellardoor Winery: Best of Class designation, Mexico wineries, it might three Double Gold, three be easy to think that most www.mainewine.com Gold and five Silver medals. of the winning labels come Arrington Vineyards: And Leelanau Wine Cellars In 1999, longtime friends Roger Louer and from climate and soil www.arrington of Omena, Michigan tri Robert Young commenced efforts to establish blessed California. Wash vineyards.com umphed with one Best of ington State and Oregon, Class, one Double Gold a first-class wine brand, Roberts + Rogers. too. And certainly those Leelanau Wine Cellars: and two gold medals. wellknown, top producing www.lwc.wine “This is by far the most Our grapes are sourced from Howell regions get their share of awards we’ve won in a Mountain, Louer Vineyards in St Helena, and accolades. kling wines in the country single year from this com But there are many other came from Gruet Vineyards petition,” said Gruet wine world class vineyards in the Napa and U.S. states producing stellar of Albuquerque, New Mex maker Laurent Gruet, not wines, and as shown in this ico, according to the four ing that the winery has Sonoma Valleys. With the skill of our year’s San Francisco Chron dozen San Francisco Chron entered the competition for icle Wine Competition, icle Wine Competition the past seven years. “We winemaker Barry Gnekow, Roberts + Rogers they’re piling up the judges. The other winner were so absolutely ecstatic have been, and continues to be, a producer, of awards, too. was the 2015 Blanc de Noir when the results came For 2021, wineries from Monticello from Trump back, that the team sabered award winning, outstanding wines. 31 states sent in their best Winery in Virginia. some bottles of sparkling to bottles. Cellardoor Winery of celebrate.” Drum roll, please. After Lincolnville, Maine paraded And if people are all the scores were counted, home with two Best of Class www.robertsandrogers.com one of the two top spar honors, two Double Gold Continued on page W8 W8 Advertising Feature • San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition • Sunday, April 4, 2021 Wineries throughout the U.S. enter annual competition
From page W7 By 1952, he was creating fine Maine property. “While touring Champagne in his hometown, Bordeaux, one of our barrel coo s urprised by the number of and in 1983, he traveled to New pers snapped a photo of my wife awards an Albuquerque winery Mexico on a whim. and assistant winemaker CC and I snatched up, Gruet said he is not. By chance, he met a group of in front of the large imposing “New Mexico is often over European winemakers who had gates of a Chateau. Knowing we looked as a wine growing region, successfully planted vineyards in would need an elaborate appoint so it feels really great to shine a Engle, near the town of Truth or ment to see inside, we mused light on what we can produce out Consequences, 170 miles south about the possibility of crafting a here,” he said. “I hope it encour of Albuquerque. One year later, more obtainable premier Bor ages other underdog growing he planted his first experimental deaux blend — one that guests regions to feel the same and start Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vine could enjoy without the locked submitting more of their wines to yards there. iron gates.” competitions. All boats rise on a The American company still It’s one of his personal favorites tide.” follows the French tradition of to drink, he added. The Sparkling Sweepstake producing premium sparklings “I love the wine because it winner, the Gruet 2012 Blanc de only after the grape growing gives you the feel of classic Left Blancs ($46), is made in the conditions have been perfect. Bank Bordeaux elegance,” he French Champagne style and “Any of our vintage sparklers said. “But it has an unmistakable aged for a minimum of three years are considered my baby,” Gruet boldness and New World flair.” en tirage to allow the flavor of said. “Mainly because we only Arrington Vineyards boasts ARRINGTON VINEYARDS digested yeast to develop in the produce a vintage sparkler if that San Francisco Chronicle Wine wine (The French call this highly growing season was exceptional. Arrington Vineyards of Nashville, Tennessee grows hybrid grapes Competition awards dating back prized flavor “gout de We go into every new season with and also sources grapes from the West Coast. to 2014 when the Nashville winery Champagne”). the hopes of crafting a vintage took Double Gold medals for its The style is a tribute to the sparkler, but sometimes Mother its 2016 Iron Gate Cabernet Sau Bordeaux wine that Bettina Doul Cabernet Reserve and Red Fox winery’s founder, Gilbert Gruet, Nature has other plans for us.” vignon Red Blend ($30). ton, the owner of Cellardoor, gave Red. This year, its 2019 Firefly who was born in the Champagne Cellardoor Winery took home “Our inspiration for Iron Gate to us over a decade ago,” said Rosé ($19.99) went home wearing region of Bethon, France in 1931. one of its Best of Class honors for stems from a famous 100point Aaron Peet, winemaker for the a Best of Class medal, celebrated SF CHRONICLE BEST OF CLASS AND DOUBLE GOLD WINES
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GRUET VINEYARDS Above: Gruet Vineyards of Albuquerque, New Mexico won the Sparkling Sweepstake category for its 2012 Blanc de Blancs. Below: Cellardoor Winery of Lincolnville, Maine employees sort grapes during the crush season. f or its dry but fruity blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chambourcin grapes. “The name comes from the endless amount of fireflies lighting up the nights at the vineyards,” Arrington winemaker Chase Vienneau said. Taking home a dozen medals was a first for the winery, he noted, which has participated with the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition for the past 12 years. “There is great wine being made in Tennessee, imagine that!” Vienneau said. “Being able to send wine to the West Coast competitions with the grapes being Tennessee grown is a big deal to us and having it win medals is even better.” The winery, which is coowned by country music artist Kix Brooks, grows hybrid grapes and also sources grapes off the West Coast from Washington CELLARDOOR WINERY State to California’s Central Coast. some call the state the is blended with natural For its Best of Class “Napa of the Midwest” — citrus flavors and spices; the award, Leelanau Wine was founded in 1974 by the winery also produces signa Cellars swooped in at an Jacobson family, and now tures like apple wine, black Come check out all our award impressive price point — distributes 200,000 cases berry Moscato, blackberry just $7 for its red sangria. annually. wine and blueberry winning wines and more at dancingcrow.com The Michigan winery — The semisweet sangria Moscato.