The Amador County Fair Commercial Wine Competition took place in mid-June, just as a streak of 100-degree-plus temperatures settled in for a record run of heat. Competition chairman and organizer Scott Mahon warned his judging crew about venturing outside during the tasting to a gathering area for further discussion on various wines’ merits.

Fortunately it was cool and comfortable inside the judging hall as more than 25 judges collectively made their way through 443 entries that morning. It was a general consensus that the region’s wines continue to grow in quality, especially among underappreciated grape types. Scott said that 87 percent of the judged wines received medals, with 21 earning Double Gold awards and another 64 winning Gold medals. Double Gold is awarded when all the judges on a panel say that a particular wine should get a Gold medal.

The top wine award, the competition’s Best of Show, went to the 2106 Cooper Vineyard “Roundpen” Grenache Rose. While this might be considered an unusual choice for the top award, the selection resonates with dry Roses showing production improvements, not to mention their becoming increasingly popular.

Mike Dunn, noted wine writer and a longtime judge at the Amador competition, was involved in judging and voting for the top winners.

“The final rounds, during which the highest awards were determined, showed that the foothill wine trade is no longer a one-pony show,” he said, indicating prior years when Zinfandels topped the charts. “One Zinfandel did get a top award, but others went to a Vermentino, Viognier, Verdelho and a Primitivo. And then there was the overall Best of Show wine, a Grenache Rose.” On the down side, his panel judged red Rhone blends, a class for which he had high expectations, but as a group he said he felt that wines entered were a letdown.

I had a similar experience with the panel I judged with. We found only one Gold medal in the Rhone White Blend class. A stronger showing for our panel, along with deeply stained teeth, was achieved by the flight of 22 Petite Sirahs, in which we awarded two Double Gold medals and six Gold medals. We were also impressed with the Italian Red Blend and Bordeaux Red Blend flights that we judged.

Big winners, or wineries achieving four or more Gold or Double Gold medals at the competition, include Amador Cellars, Borjon Winery, Cielo Estate, Jeff Runquist Wines, Karmere Winery and Sobon Estate.

Amador Cellars picked up Double Gold and Best of Class for its 2016 Sauvignon Blanc and 2014 Farmhouse Red Blend. Borjon Winery scored Double Gold and Best Amador Zin for its 2015 Zinfandel. Cielo Estate earned Double Gold and Best of Class for the 2014 Tempranillo and 2016 El Dorado Vermentino. Jeff Runquist Wines scored the most Gold medals overall, including Double Gold and Best of Class for its 2015 Malbec. Karmere Winery got a Double Gold medal for its 2015 Daisy Zinfandel, while Sobon Estate Winery won Double Gold for the 2014 Primitivo and 2014 Petite Sirah.

If you would like to sample some of these winning wines, plan to attend Friday’s tasting at the Amador County Fairgrounds in Plymouth. The wine tasting is from 7 to 9 p.m. and features only award winners produced from grapes grown in Amador County

Read more at source: Calaveras Enterprise