Our wines under-repped in Chron Top 100
Mendocino County wines improved their rankings in the San Francisco Chronicle's 100 Top Wines in 2007 but only slightly and I think they're still way underrepresented on the list. This year eight Mendocino County wines made the list compared to six in 2006. Last year five whites and one red - an Anderson Valley pinot noir - made the list.
This year, five whites and two reds and one dessert wine made the list. All the whites are from Anderson Valley. They are:
Handley Cellars 2003 Estate Brut Rosé
Roederer's 2000 L'hermitage Brut
Roederer's non-vintage Brut Rosé
Esterlina's Cole Ranch Reisling
Navarro's 2006 Estate Dry Gerwurztraminer
In the reds category two Mendocino County wines made the Top 100:
Drew Fog Eater 2005 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir
Naughty Boy 2004 Potter Valley Pinot Noir
In the dessert category, the Lolonis 2002 Eugenia Late Harvest Redwood Valley Sauvignon Blanc made the list.
To my mind there are two categories where Mendocino County wines ought to be tops and got no recognition at all: zinfandel and "other reds and blends."
Inland Mendocino County's zins are among the best anywhere I believe and how we did not make the list there I can't imagine. Also the Mendocino County Coro program which produces a dozen fine red blends from a dozen fine winemakers also didn't show up on the list.
Does this mean our winemakers simply aren't submitting wines for this competition? Maybe the new Winegrapes and Wine Commission can do something about that next year.
I know a lot of winemakers say they don't bother with these kinds of competitions or any competitions - let the wines speak for themselves and all that - but when the San Francisco Chronicle puts out a list like this just before Christmas, it seems to me that there are a lot of people who are going to look for these wines.
Comments
K.C.: Thank you for taking an interest in how Mendocino County wines fared in the Chronicle's Top 100 wines of 2007. The Mendocino Winegrape & Wine Commission will indeed be encouraging Mnedocino County wineries to send their newly released wines to San Francisco Chronicle wine critics this year, with a view toward raising our ranking. The top 100 wines list is based not on a competition, but on the wines tasted by the wine section staff over the course of the year. There is no queation that many of our local wines deserve recognition among the very best in the world. People right here in our own county can support our local grape growers and wineries by buying local wines and sharing them with friends and family near and far. We need to insist that our grocers stock local wines. My own Potter Valley wine rack has nothing but Mendocino County wines and I get rave reviews from everyone who tastes them....
Posted by: paige poulos | January 5, 2008 09:12 AM