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 VILLAGE OF PINEHURST, N.C. - In a year of value in the wine industry, quality is still emerging in Australia, Chile and even North Carolina. But the 60 panel judges at Pinehurst’s third annual Festival Focus Wine Competition still ruled that California leads the pack.
More than 130 wineries submitted entries to the competition, from four New World varietals: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Syrah/Shiraz. Each varietal division was subcategorized into three price-point driven entries ranging from $10 to $50+ (retail), resulting in 12 gold and 12 silver medalists.
The results showed a few surprises: North Carolina wineries captured three of the 24 total awards given in Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir categories. While Australian Chardonnays and Shiraz varietals received their due, Chilean Casa La Postolle captured high honors in the Super Premium Chardonnay and Syrah categories. And small producer L’Ecole No. 41from Walla Walla, Washington took honors in the Prestige Syrah category.
The complete list of winners in each category is as follows:
Premium Chardonnay
Gold Medal – Green Point 2005 - Victoria, Australia
Silver Medal – Penfold’s 2007 “Thomas Hyland,” South Australia
Super Premium Chardonnay
Gold Medal – Rodney Strong Chalk Hill 2007 – Sonoma, California
Silver Medal – Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre - Chile
Prestige Chardonnay
Gold Medal – Newton Unfiltered 2006 – St. Helena, California
Silver Medal – Shelton Family Reserve – North Carolina
Premium Sauvignon Blanc
Gold Medal – Shooting Star 2008 – Lake County, California
Silver Medal – Shelton – North Carolina
 Super Premium Sauvignon Blanc
Gold Medal – Franciscan 2007 - Napa Valley, California
Silver Medal – Girard 2008 - Napa Valley, California
Prestige Sauvignon Blanc
Gold Medal - Sonoma Coast Vineyards 2006 - Sonoma Coast, California
Silver Medal – Grgich Hills 2007 Fume Blanc – Napa, California
Premium Pinot Noir
Gold Medal – Biltmore - North Carolina
Silver Medal – Steele Santa Barbara 2006 - California
Super Premium Pinot Noir
Gold Medal – Rodney Strong Reserve 2007 – Russian River Valley, California
Silver Medal – Jeriko Estate 2006 – Mendocino, California
Prestige Pinot Noir
Gold Medal - Erath Dundee Hills 2006 – Willamette Valley, Oregon
Silver Medal – Ancien Russian River 2006 - Russian River Valley, California
Premium Syrah/Shiraz
Gold Medal - Toasted Head 2006 - Dunnigan Hills, California
Silver Medal - Rosenblum Cellars 2006 Syrah - Vintner’s Cuvee, California
Super Premium Syrah/Shiraz
Gold Medal - Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre Syrah 2005 – Requinoa, Chile
Silver Medal - Longview Vineyard “Yakka” Shiraz 2006 - Adelaide Hills, Australia
Prestige Syrah/Shiraz
Gold Medal - Penfold’s St Henri Shiraz - South Australia
Silver Medal - L’Ecole No 41, Seven Hills Vineyard Syrah 2006 - Walla Walla Valley, Washington
The competition was a double-blind tasting with hand scoring, verified and independently audited by an accountant prior to release of the results. Judges scored each wine based on gustatory (taste), visual, and olfactory (smell) factors for a total score in each flight. No manufacturers or persons associated in direct brand representation were utilized in the judging of the wines, and each judge could only vote on one flight for the competition.
Winners received awards at the Food and Wine Festival’s Opening Ceremonies on Friday, Sept. 4, 2009. Each Gold and Silver Medal award winners will also be recognized on Pinehurst’s Master Wine List resortwide for an entire year.
The Pinehurst Food and Wine Festival is held annually each Labor Day weekend at the renowned Pinehurst Resort, featuring a series of seminars, culinary demonstrations, gala dining events and daily grand tastings featuring over 100 bottles from which to sample daily. An upscale boutique resort event, it draws the most top-rated wines in the world to over 500 guests each year. The four-day festival celebrated its 21th Anniversary this year.
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