2020 Zinfandel:
Double GOLD, 96 Points
2023 North Coast Wine Challenge:
DOUBLE GOLD, 96 Points for 2020 Alexander Valley Zinfandel
“Purity of fruit, zesty, gutsy, feisty but polite.”
Here are the judges who took part in the Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge:
- Daryl Groom: Chief judge and owner/winemaker, Groom Wines, Healdsburg
- Chelsea Barrett: Winemaker, Matterra Cunat Family Vineyards in Napa. She launched Aviatrix of Napa with her mom, winemaker Heidi Barrett, and sister Remi Barrett, Calistoga.
- Heidi Barrett: Winemaker for Barrett & Barrett Wines, Calistoga
- Tim Bell: Winemaker, Dry Creek Vineyards, Healdsburg
- Dan Berger: Master sommelier and wine journalist, Santa Rosa
- Scot Covington: Winemaker for Trione Vineyards and Winery, Geyserville
- Traci Dutton: Sommelier, wine and beverage judge and manager of the Public Wine and Beverage Studies at the Culinary Institute of America, Napa County
- Ziggy Eschliman: Radio and TV personality and wine blogger, Sonoma County
- Nick Goldschmidt: Winemaker and consultant, Goldschmidt Vineyards, Healdsburg
- Bill Hayes: Wine category manager, BevMo!, U.S. West Coast
- Barry Herbst: Wine director, Bottle Barn Liquors, Santa Rosa
- Kady Kahale: Head of wine buying, Naked Wines US; wine consultant and winemaker, Napa
- Jesse Katz: Winemaker, Aperture and Devil Proof Vineyards, Healdsburg
- Ellen Landis: Certified sommelier, certified wine specialist and wine educator, Windsor
- Jon McCarthy: Certified sommelier, wine and beverage director for The Matheson, Healdsburg
- Peg Melnik: Wine critic, The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa
- Chris Munsell: Director of winemaking, E&J Gallo Winery, Sonoma County
- Linda Murphy: Contributing writer, Sonoma Magazine and The Press Democrat, Healdsburg
- Laura Ness: Wine journalist, columnist and judge, Bay Area
- Erik Olsen: COO, Fetzer Vineyards, Hopland
- Alexandria Sarovich: Sommelier at the three-Michelin-star Single Thread Farm, Restaurant & Inn, Healdsburg
- Christopher Sawyer: Wine writer and “Sommelier to the Stars,” Sonoma
- Mick Schroeter: Director of winemaking, Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards, Windsor
- Elizabeth “Liz” Thach: Master of wine, professor of wine, professor of management, author
- Greg Urimi: Production manager, Paul Hobbs Wines, Sebastopol
- Larry Van Aalst: Radio host of “The Sonoma Wine Report,” CRN Digital Talk Radio, Santa Rosa
- Wilfred Wong: Chief storyteller, wine.com, San Francisco
- Debbie Zachareas: Wine expert and lecturer, Napa County
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2020 Zinfandel:
Double GOLD, 96 Points
2023 North Coast Wine Challenge:DOUBLE GOLD, 96 Points for 2020 Alexander Valley Zinfandel"Purity of fruit, zesty, gutsy, feisty but polite." Here are the judges who took part in the Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge: Daryl Groom: Chief judge and...
2021 Cuvée Sasha: 100 Points
2021 Cuvée Sasha: 100 Points2021 Chevalier Cuvée Sasha Mendocino County Best of ClassGold Medal100 Points 2023 Los Angeles International Wine Competition
Michael Franz, Chief Wine Judge
Michael Cervin, Chief Spirits Judge.jpg)
Michael Apstein is a James Beard Award-winning journalist, and columnist and wine reviewer for WineReviewOnline.com. As a freelance writer, he wrote over 300 wine columns for The Boston Globe newspaper. His writing has also appeared in a variety of U.S., Canadian, and U.K. publications, including Decanter, Decanter Premium, Quench Magazine, The San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Magazine, Wine and Spirits, The Wine News, and The Tasting Panel Magazine. He is a recipient of Les Grands Jours de Bourgogne Press Trophy and is a past nominee for the prestigious Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards. Dr. Apstein judges frequently at international and national wine competitions.
Wayne Belding, MS, has written about wine for over 30 years for local and national publications. In 1990, he became the 13th American to pass the Master Sommelier Diploma examination, passing all three parts of the exam on his first attempt. Wayne is a frequent wine reviewer, competition judge and speaker at wine events. He is a partner at Wine Ring, the leading AI-driven personalization software for the wine and spirits industry – changing the way people discover, evaluate, buy and share wine. He is also the author of “Diving Into Wine,” a guide for wine consumers.
Patrick Comiskey holds the position of Senior Editor for Wine & Spirits Magazine and is a former columnist with WineReviewOnline.com. He contributes regularly to the Los Angeles Times as chief wine columnist for the Food Section, and has been published in various periodicals including the San Francisco Chronicle, Food & Wine and Bon Appétit. He is the author of “American Rhone: How Maverick Winemakers Changed the Way Americans Drink Wine” (2016).
Michael Dunne is a freelance wine and travel writer who divides his time between Sacramento, California and San Jose del Cabo in Baja California Sur, Mexico. For 30 years he was a staff writer with The Sacramento Bee, retiring as food editor, restaurant critic and wine columnist. In addition to continuing to provide articles for various publications and platforms, he is a frequent judge on the wine-competition circuit. During downtime during the Covid-19 pandemic he used his isolation to write a book with the working title “The Signature Wines of Superior California: 50 Wines That Define the Sierra Foothills, the Delta, Yolo and Lodi.” He anticipates publishing within the year.
Allison Levine is owner of Please The Palate, a marketing and event planning agency for the wine and spirits industry. She holds a Master’s degree in International Communications, as well as wine-and-spirits certifications from Wine & Spirits Education Trust, North American Sommelier Association (Italian wine specialist), and BarSmarts Wired. She contributes regularly to the Napa Valley Register, Alcohol Professor, Monarch.wine, California Winery Advisor, and Beverage Industry News. Allison hosts the podcast WineSoundtrack USA, reviews wines in one-minute videos for the Wine Weirdos and hosts a weekly wine chat on Crush On This.
Rebecca Murphy was the first female wine steward in Texas and went on to found and produce The Dallas Morning News and TexSom wine competitions. As a wine writer, she has contributed a weekly feature to The Dallas Morning News for many years, is a regular contributor to WineReviewOnline.com, and has written for Wine Business Monthly and Wines & Vines. Rebecca also furnished entries for The Oxford Companion to Wine and the sixth edition.
Laura Ness’s wine obsession started with a visit to France shortly after college and eventually led her from high-tech communications in Silicon Valley to the wine industry. She is the wine columnist and regular contributor to Edible: Monterey, Wine Industry Advisor, Spirited and Los Gatos magazines, as well as the San Jose Mercury News and The Livermore Independent. She judges wine competitions throughout California and has a corkscrew in every purse.
Mike Stepanovich has been writing about wine since 1985. His work has appeared in national and international publications such as the International Wine Review, Wine News, and Wine Business Monthly. His wine column, “Life is a Cabernet,” ran for 34 years. Currently living in Las Vegas, Mike is active on the judging circuit at such venues as the American Wine Competition, San Diego International Wine Competition, Florida International Wine Competition, Pacific Rim International Wine Competition, San Francisco International Wine Competition, Los Angeles International Wine Competition, Central Coast Wine Competition, and Long Beach Grand Cru. An avid wine collector, he served as managing director of the Bakersfield Wine Society for more than 20 years and teaches wine history, wine appreciation, and wine-and-food-pairing.
