The winner is… a Syrah?
This past weekend was the 29th annual San Diego International Wine Competition. Monday morning we got the news that a wine from Calcareous Vineyard took top honors, earning the title ‘Wine of the Year’ from this celebrated competition. With over 1,400 entries from around the world, including some very prestigious Napa Valley wineries, this is an accomplishment we are proud of. The funny thing is that our team and wine club members have known for a while just how good this wine is, (and all of our wines for that matter), but what a joy it is to see that 40 judges thought our 2008 Estate Syrah deserved to be number one.
The judges for this competition are mostly winemakers and/or are closely related to the industry in a variety of ways. To me this award is of more validation to the quality of wine here at Calcareous Vineyard than earning a score given by one person. To get forty people to agree through democratic means seems more relevant in this day and age than earning one score from one person. Given the vast ranges in varieties and styles, from Carneros sparkling wine to hillside Napa Cabernet, it seems unlikely that a Paso Robles single-varietal wine could be the most impressive. Besides touting about ourselves, the interesting thing above all else is that the wine that amazed the judges the most was a Syrah.
