Shannon Ridge wines awarded 94 for both the Lake County 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and the Lake County 2007 Zinfandel.

Lake County wines awarded 37 medals in prestigious competition
Written by Editor
Sunday, 26 July 2009

SACRAMENTO – Lake County wines once again performed well at the 2009 California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition, with 37 wines garnering medals, including one Double Gold, five Gold, 18 Silver and 13 Bronze awards.

First held in 1855, the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition is by far the oldest wine competition limited to vitis vinifera grapes in America and is firmly established as the most prestigious of American Wine Competitions. Many industry leaders recognize it as the most meaningful of the major competitions restricted to California wines.

At this year’s Wine Competition, more than 2,600 wine entries were received from more than 600 participating wineries. Sixty-eight professional wine judges awarded a total of 1,895 medals, including 43 Double Gold, 220 Gold, 1,028 Silver, and 604 Bronze awards.

It is the only competition that requires all wines to be entered based on the American viticultural area (AVA, also known as an appellation) where the grapes are grown, not where the winery is located.

To further focus on the event’s unique attributes and on the importance of the wine grapes, duplicate awards are presented to each single vineyard grape grower or the winery estate vineyard manager. This applies to all award-winning wines from single vineyards or estate vineyards.

This is the first wine competition in the world ever to honor the grape growers and vineyard managers this way.

Wines produced from primarily Lake County winegrapes were well-represented in medals and in varietals.

This year’s winners included zinfandel, sauvignon blanc, petite sirah, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, sangiovese, primitivo, chardonnay, syrah, muscat, pinot noir, pinot gris and pinot grigio, as well as blends that include other varietals.

Shannon Ridge Vineyards & Winery, which operates a tasting room on Highway 20 in Clearlake Oaks, was awarded Gold with a score of 94 for both the Lake County 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and the Lake County 2007 Zinfandel. The Lake County 2007 Wrangler Red and the 2008 Lake County Sauvignon Blanc Ranch Collection were each awarded Silver. The Lake County 2008 Chardonnay Ranch Collection, Lake County 2007 Petite Sirah, and Lake County 2007 Syrah were all awarded Bronze.

After meeting at a Napa Valley winery where they both worked, Clay and Margarita Shannon would eventually use their common vision to take the reins with their own winery. Shannon Ridge uses fruit from the High Valley AVA in Clearlake Oaks, where the Shannons have pioneered more than 300 acres of mountain vineyards. Sited in blankets of brick-red earth – at altitudes up to 2,400 feet – the vineyards are nestled between the waters of Clear Lake to the south and snow-capped mountains to the north. The lean and rocky volcanic soil has kept its promise to grow vines that produce small berries with concentrated flavors, which compose the luscious, fruit-driven wines that lift Shannon Ridge’s reputation to the same elevations as the grapes that distinguish it.

Fiesta 2009 Shannon Ranches - Fiesta 2009

Clay and Margarita opened their ranch for the annual Fiesta a few weeks back. Great attendance by friends and family. Here is a link to a 9 minute video of the highlights of the day. Stay tuned to the end to see the new label of our Ranch Collection and Single Vineyard labels. Click on the link below the video for a better quality view on YouTube.



Link is here

Pile on the medals, recent awards from San Francisco International and California State Fair competitions.

San Francisco International

Gold- Shannon Ridge 2007 Wrangler Red

Gold- Shannon Ridge 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

Silver- Shannon Ridge 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Ranch Collection

Silver- Shannon Ridge 2007 Syrah

Silver Shannon Ridge 2007 Zinfandel

Silver- Shannon Ridge 2007 Petite Sirah

Bronze- Shannon Ridge 2008 Chardonnay, Ranch Collection

California State Fair

Gold- Shannon Ridge 2007 Zinfandel

Gold- Shannon Ridge 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

Silver- Shannon Ridge 2007 Wrangler Red(Best of Class-North Coast Appellations)

Silver- Shannon Ridge 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Ranch Collection

Bronze- Shannon Ridge 2008 Chardonnay, Ranch Collection

Bronze - Shannon Ridge 2007 Petite Sirah

Bronze - Shannon Ridge 2007 Syrah

Orange County Fair results

FYI….The results are as follows:

Bronze- 2008 Chardonnay ‘Ranch Collection’

Bronze-2008 Wrangler Rosé ‘Ranch Collection’

Silver-2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

Silver-2007 Wrangler Red

Silver-2007 Petite Sirah

Silver-2008 Sauvignon Blanc ‘Ranch Collection’

GOLD-2007 Zinfandel

Wow, 41 countries and counting

The blog has now been visited by guests from 41 different countries. From as far away as Russia, Iran and Japan. N ow we just have to get some wine to those folks.

New package on the way

After much study, we have upgraded our packaging to a little more sophisticated look. Our previous label served us well but there wasn't enough room on the back label to adequately tell our story. Enjoy the new look and more importantly, the great wine inside. The Sauvignon Blanc 2008 vintage is a stunning example of Lake County fruit and recently received 91 points from the Cellarmaster at Beverages and More in California, Wilfred Wong.

Find us on Facebook

Be sure to also check out Shannon Ridge on Facebook and join up as a "Friend of Shannon Ridge"

The hits keep coming...

Sort of a "Best of 2008" hit list, here are the Top 8:

1. Expanded sales force to cover key markets throughout the United States.

2. Earned many high scores from industry publications and more than 20 Gold medals in competition.

3. Completed acquisition of Rolling Knolls Vineyards, adding another 500 acres to land holdings.

4. Achieved over 250% growth from previous year sales.  

5. Achieved high profile placements in Ruth’s Chris, Fleming’s Steakhouse, Whole Foods, Marriott Corporation, Harris Teeter Supermarkets, Kroger Supermarkets.

6. Chosen as a featured winery for The Cliff’s Communities, Tiger Woods first North American golf course community is on one of the properties.

7. Branding continued with profile articles in NY Times Styles magazine, Appellation America, Venture Magazine, Wines & Vines, Charlotte Health & Fitness & San Francisco Business Times.

8. This blog has been visited by folks from 26 different countries.

Best of Class,

Shannon Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon wins "Best of class" designation at the San Francisco Chronicle wine competition. Check it out:

http://www.winejudging.com/medal_winners_2009/451.htm

Awards update listed here:

http://www.shannonridge.com/wines/awards.php