Livermore Cabernet has bested the lot of ‘em – over 3k entries – to take Best Red bragging rights at the just completed 2012 San Francisco Chronicle Competition. Kudos to winemaker Mark Clarin for this outstanding achievement, and one of which every Livermore Cabernet lover can be proud. The 2008 McGrail Livermore Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve ($36.00) outscored its way to the top through a thick field of Cabernets, including submissions by a dozen other Livermore wineries, and strong competition from big Napa names, like Black Stallion, Sequoia Grove, B.R. Cohn and Judds Hill.
Among other Livermore wineries bringing home the bacon for Cabernet were Fenestra, who scored Gold for their 07 Cabernet from Thatcher Bay in the $20 to $24.99 category, where Page Mill, Red Feather and Wente scored Silvers.
Bent Creek won Best of Class for their 09 Cabernet in the $25 to $29 category, and Cuda Ridge scored Best of Class for their 09 Merlot in the $20 to $24.99 category.
Wente scored Gold for their 07 Merlot in the over $40 category, and scored Best of Class for Syrah in the over $40 for their 09 Livermore Valley under the nth degree label. Thomas Coyne, too, brought home Best of Class for their “Quest” Rhone blend, at $24, a steal compared to some of the others in that class. Mitchell Katz scored Gold for his 2009 Abboud Vineyard Shiraz.
Fenestra raked in Double Gold for 2007 Thatcher Bay Merlot, Gold for the 2007 Estate Syrah and Gold for 2010 Lodi Verdelho, too. This is one of the deepest, broadest and most well-crafted portfolios in the Livermore Valley. Congrats to Brent Amos and Meredith Miles – they are sweet, wonderful and talented young winemakers.
Darcie Kent scored Double Gold for her 2010 De Mayo Chardonnay in the $30 to $35 category, while McGrail took home Silver for their Livermore Valley Chard. In the $20 to $25 Chardonnay category, it was pretty much heigh ho Silver for Livermore, with medals for Charles R, Stony Ridge and Wood Family, and Bronzes for Darcie Kent, Crooked Vine, Retzlaff and Ruby Hill. In the $25 to $30 slot, Nottingham bagged Silver.
Concannon did not disappoint in the realm of Petite Sirah, bringing home Gold for the 2008 Livermore Valley Captain Joe’s Reserve in the $20.00 and over category. They scored Silver for their $60 2007 Heritage Petite, as d
id Bent Creek, Fenestra, Crooked Vine and Mitchell Katz, for both Falling Star and Clarks Corner. Livermore showed up multiple times in the Bronze category for Petite, with medals for Charles R, Concannon, Darcie Kent and Las Positas.
Page Mill took home a Gold for the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc from Ghielmetti, and Darcie Kent got Gold for her Sauv Blanc from Rava Black Jack in Monterey. Murietta’s Well scored Bronze for their Semillon-Chardonnay blend. For Pinot Grigio, Eagle Ridge and Fenestra both scored Bronze.
Csaba Szakal of En Garde again struck Gold for his 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon from Diamond Mountain ($60 and up). 
Newcomers 3 Steves and Longevity scored Bronze for their Livermore Valley Cabs (08 and 09 respectively) in the $25 to $29 category. 3 Steves also scored Bronze for their Livermore Chardonnay, and a Silver for their Cienega Zin. Way to go on their first try!
Cuda Ridge and Nottingham scored Silver for their 09 Livermore Valley Cabs in the $30 to $35 category, and the 08 Steven Kent Livermore Valley Cabernet scored Silver in the $40 to $49 category. In the over $60 category, Wente brought home Silver for their 09 Livermore Valley Cab, and so did Concannon, for their 2007 Heritage series Cab.
Growers Bill and Sandy Thomson of Harris Tesla vineyard scored Silver for their 2007 Harris Tesla Cab. Rigg Estate scored Bronze for their 2006 Cab, which is priced at $65, as did En Garde’s 07 Cab Reserve, Diamond Mountain, at $88.
Wente scored Silver for 09 Cabernet Franc, while Crooked Vine took Silver for their Del Arroyo Franc. For Petit Verdot, Thomas Coyne got Gold, while Fenestra and Murietta’s Well took home Silver for their Livermore versions, both 2009. Crooked Vine and Cuda Ridge both took home Bronzes for their 2009s.
In Bordeaux Blends, Murietta’s Well scored Silver for “The Spur” in the $20 to $24.99 category, while Crooked Vine scored Gold for their 09 “Moxie” blend in the $30 to $39 class, with Retzlaff tagging a Bronze onto their 2005 Cab/Merlot blend. The 09 “Conjugation” from Fenestra, scored Silver in the $40 to $49 category.
In other Reds and blends, Concannon scored Silver for Crimson & Clover, Tamas Estates appropriately got a Double Gold for their Double Decker, Bent Creek scored Silver for their 2009 Red on Red, Fenestra picked up Silver for their Graciano and Ruby Hill got a Bronze for the 09 Grapeful Red. Fenestra’s 2008 Mourvedre scored Bronze. Mitchell Katz scored Gold for his 2009 Livermore Valley Abboud Acres Shiraz, $24.00.
In the Zin category, Charles R came away with Gold in the $25 to $30 category, while Rhonda Wood scored Gold for the Wood Family “Muy Bueno” Zin, as well as a Bronze for their Hansen Zin. Chris Graves of Ruby Hill scored a Gold for the 2009 Estate Reserve Peacock Patch Zin: the package is gorgeous, with a fancy gold peacock silk screened across the glass.
Darcie Kent took Silver for the 2008 De Mayo Zin in the $30 to $34.99 slot. In the $20 to $24.99 category, Fenestra scored Silver, and Bent Creek, Mitchell Katz and Page Mill all scored Bronze.
Tamas Estates scored Gold for their 09 Sangiovese Riserva, while Mitchell Katz took Silver for the 09 Crackerbox. Both Fenestra and Longevity scored Silver for their Tempranillo. A very respectable showing all around.
Nottingham Notches Two More 90-Point Scores
And if you need more proof that Livermore is truly on the edge of greatness, check out this news. Wine Enthusiast has once again awarded winemaker Collin Cranor’s efforts with two 90-point scores, this time for the 2009 Micro-Lot Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, and the other for the 2009 Vineyard Designate Cabernet Sauvignon (VDCS) from Casa De Vinas. Both entries also earned a Cellar Selections notation, the magazine’s nod to wines built for longer aging. Nottingham Cellars also picked up scores of 89 points for the 2010 Chardonnay and the 2009 VDCS Cabernet from Wisner Vineyard, followed by 88 Points for the VDCS Del Arroyo Vineyard, and 86 Points for the Livermore Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The VDCS Cabs are available for presale to club members only and will become available after Feb 24. The 2010 Chardonnay will be available in April.
