April 26, 2024 – One of the most focused of the wine competitions that I get to judge, this one is only open to wines made from the Sierra Foothills AVA, which includes Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Nevada, Placer, Tuolumne and Yuba counties. Entries are primarily from Amador County wineries, though, as the event is held at the Amador Fairgrounds in Plymouth.
The field was strong, favoring a mix of Italian and Rhone varietals that thrive in the prevalent red volcanic soil that imparts a granular raw silkiness to the wines. In spring, the verdant foothills, dotted with magnificent oaks and spiked with orange-gold flashes of California poppies, along with acres of streamside flower covered meadows punctuated by cool patches of lupine, make for an instant love affair.
First made famous for Zinfandel and Petite Sirah, the bucolic winegrowing region has embraced Barbera as its own. This is greatly due to the influence of the late Dick Cooper of Cooper Vineyards, who was encouraged to plant Barbera by the man who will always know more than you, Darrell Corti of Corti Brothers Grocers in Sacramento.
Consequently, Cooper Vineyards installed what is the largest planting of Barbera in the county, and the go-to source for those seeking the best. In fact, the 2021 Cooper Vineyards Barbera took Best Red at the 2024 SF Chronicle Competition earlier this year.
Here’s the short list of top winners from this year’s Amador Wine Competition. The Best of Amador distinction is important, as it rewards wineries in Amador County for their Amador-grown wines, as opposed to the wineries from El Dorado, Calaveras and Tuolomne Counties who buy Amador fruit.
Best White and Best of Show – 2023 Helwig Sauvignon Blanc – True to the varietal, with lemongrass and tropical aromas, it delivers pineapple, lime pith and creamy guava on a luxurious palate that could only stem from the musque clone. It bested the other three contenders handily to wine Best of Show, holding onto its purity and intensity right to the last drop.
Best Rosé – 2023 Runquist Rosé of Sangiovese – Lipsmacking strawberry cream lifesavers with red current and sour red cherry make this a rosé you want to shamelessly quaff.
Best Red – 2021 Amador Cellars Barbera – Deep, dark, spicy and peppery with well-managed tannins, abundant fruit and superb acid, this is a terrific example of how to pick, ferment and barrel age most intriguing of Italian grapes. In Italy, it’s what you drink while you’re waiting for your Nebbiolo to come around.
Best Dessert – NV Shenandoah Vineyards Black Muscat – Fragrant, exotic, enjoyable dessert wine that will please any lover of sweeter wines that emphasize fruit flavors.
Additional Awards
Best Amador Rhone – 2022 Jeff Runquist Carignane – Truly worth buying a bottle of this for its outstanding treatment of this rather rare Rhone varietal that can often be a bit vegetal. Instead, this has a wonderful fruit-based core with savory edges, and that signature Runquist mouthfeel.
Best Amador Zinfandel – 2019 Vino Noceto OGV Zinfandel – From the Original Grandpère Vineyard (OGV), planted in 1869, comes this supremely perfumed Foothill Zin, showing off high-toned, elegant red fruit and a satiny texture that sets it far apart in the Old Vine Zin category. A must buy.
Best Amador Italian Varietal; Best Amador Barbera – 2021 Amador Cellars Barbera – no wonder! A great example of the varietal.
Other Best of Class winners of note were:
2019 Amador Cellars Cuvée des Sierras – A righteous Rhone blend of 57% Mourvedre, 29% Syrah, 14% Grenache, this is a truly well-crafted Mourvedre-dominant blend that delivers a balance of earth, fruit and spice, with a perfect pace and an exemplary taste of place.
2020 Avio Sangiovese – Showing that Sangiovese can be more than just simple cherry and a touch of earth, this rendition adds smoky olive and basil to the repertoire of flavors.
2020 Casino Mine Ranch Estate Mouvedre – From a relatively new producer with a big investment in vineyards and a gorgeous new tasting room on Shenandoah Road, this is an earthy example of the grape, tending towards peaty and savory meaty.
2022 Cooper Vineyard Alicante Bouschet – A sensational spotlight on this pretty and pretty much always blended grape, it’s nice to see Alicante shine on its own. There’s vibrant blue-black fruit with a dash of vivid raspberry, and nothing to get in the way of its clear voiced enthusiasm.
2020 Crystal Basin Petite Sirah, El Dorado County – Crystal Basin nailed this varietal delivering pure blueberry pie with a scoop of marionberry ice cream on top. Simply divine treatment of tannins and acid.
2021 Drytown Cellars Malbec – A beguiling nose leads to a burst of bright pomegranate and bushberry, in this medium weight wine that totally envelops your palate with attractive, velvety tannins. This wine can dance!
2021 Ironstone Estate Reserve Merlot – Big, impressive and meaty Merlot, with deep cherry and tobacco flavors, and a dark chocolately core and finish.
2021 Ironstone Limited Release Tempranillo – This was a huge crowd pleaser in the sweepstakes round, with its sweet red plummy yummy fruit, accented by the abundant oak, and very tame tannins.
Catch these beauties and many more on display at the annual Amador Four Fires Food & Wine Festival coming up Saturday, May 4, at the Plymouth Fairgrounds. Featuring the area’s best restaurants and caterers, many cooking over open flame, the local wineries pour by variety in the Rhone, Iberian, Italian and American Heritage (read: Zinfandel, CA’s official grape) tents.
It’s very cool to be able to focus on a set of varietals and see who’s making Viognier and Syrah in the Rhone tent, then sample Tempranillo and Garnacha in the Iberian tent. Lovers of Barbera and Sangiovese will also discover Montepulciano and Vermentino under the Italian flag. And of course, everyone flocks to the Heritage tent because Foothill Zins are like no other: rarely jammy or black fruited, they tend towards red and blue, with a signature dusty volcanic soil signature that makes them standouts. AmadorFourFires
About the author
Laura Ness is a longtime wine journalist, columnist and judge who contributes regularly to Edible Monterey Bay, Spirited, WineOh.Tv, Los Gatos Magazine and Wine Industry Network, and a variety of consumer publications. Her passion is telling stories about the intriguing characters who inhabit the fascinating world of wine and food.
