Eagles Nest Winery ’s 2008 Picpoul Blanc, 07 Syrah, and 07 Ruby Port garnered Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals at 20th Annual Grand Harvest International Wine Competition.
The 2010 competition completed Thursday, February 25, 2010. This year marks the 20th consecutive Grand Harvest Awards, with a field of over 1,400 entries from North America, Europe, South America, and the Pacific Rim.
Judges awarded a total of 141 Gold (1 in ten), 426 Silver (less than 1 in three) , and 461 Bronze (less than 1 in three) medals in this very competitive event where judges must agree on merit of awarding a medal.
Twenty-four judges evaluated over 1,400 entries. Garnering medals at the Grand Harvest Awards has traditionally been difficult to achieve because of its high standards of excellence. Wine competitions are invaluable purchasing tools that help consumers choose from over 6,000 wineries in the US alone.
The 2008 White Port-styled Picpoul Blanc Dessert Wine reveals the hallmarks of an Eagles Nest dessert wine – premium varietal flavor extraction and a reserved sweetness.
This Gold Medal winning Port is a light-golden colored with reserved sweetness dessert wine offers appetizing aromas of fresh tropical fruit, juicy peaches, with a back note of lemon-lime. Smooth with a hint of crispness, the white-fruit flavors are refreshing and cleansing with a long finish. Bright and appealing with an appropriate complexity, it’s a first-rate dessert wine.
Our 2007 Private Reserve Syrah Wine exemplifies the hallmarks of a premium Eagles Nest Wine flavorful extraction, balanced tannins, and luxurious color.
This Silver Medal (and Gold) winning 2007 Private Reserve Syrah delivers everything a premium Syrah should and more—bright cherry and raspberry aromas and classic hint of white pepper, silky-smooth mouth feel and long finish.
This is a rich complex wine with layers and layers of blueberry, blackberry and cherry flavors with echoes of coffee and chocolate. This is the kind of wine which is great to drink on its own or with your favorite robust pastas, grilled meats, or BBQ.
A serious, California-style Syrah, it delivers a multi-dimensional wine, a supple rich core framed by integrated smooth tannins and a long caressing finish. The extended oak barrel aging smooths the wine and allows its vivid fruit core to shine through. Drinking great now, but its character will increase even further with bottle aging.
Label Artwork: Custom artwork in our Winery Dog Series depicts Duke our rescue Doberman. Duke is co-owner Julie’s constant companion at the estate. He’s an imposing but well mannered Dobie who keeps an eye on the Baby Doll sheep and patrols the winery and estate on foot and as a passenger in the golf cart or Gator.
Our 2007 Ruby-Port Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve Starboard Desert wine reveals all the hallmarks of a Eagles Nest wine — an opaque black/purple color representative of a classic Ruby Port, an exquisite bouquet of blackberries, creme de cassis, licorice, vanillin and dark chocolate flavors, immense body, opulent texture, spectacular depth, and a wealth of fruit and extract.
This profound Port-styled Ruby Dessert wine drinks well immediately, but can be cellared for many years. Recommended paired with premium chocolate or a fine post dinner cigar.
Label Artwork: Custom artwork depicts the distinctive and luxurious Eagles Nest Vacation Villa (“Cottage”). Located above our Gold Medal winning Syrah estate vineyard, this agritourism venue immerses guests in the wine lifestyle with Italiana and wine themed decor including fountain, piazza lights and wood fired pizza oven with an expansive view deco overlooking the beautiful west Ramona Valley AVA.
Depicts
More about the Grand Harvest Competition is included in the below press release:
Grand Harvest Awards
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer Merletti
800.535.5670 x105, jmerletti@vwm-online.com
Joe Gargiulo (707.795.9400, joe@jagpublicrelations.com )
2010 Grand Harvest Awards:
Wine Competition Furthers Its Search for Terroir
Santa Rosa, California (March 2, 2010) — Judging for the 2010 Grand Harvest Awards, an international wine competition produced by Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, completed its mission of recognizing outstanding wines from all over the world and simultaneously studying the effects of terroir on wine quality.
Celebrating its 20th year, the Grand Harvest Awards was held February 24-26 at Sonoma Mountain Village, Rohnert Park, California. Complete results are posted at www.vwm-online.com/gha while a related article will be published in the May-June issue of the magazine.
Twenty-four judges evaluated over 1,400 entries and awarded a total of 1,027 medals including 141 gold, 426 silver and 461 bronze. Garnering medals at the Grand Harvest Awards has traditionally been difficult to achieve because of its high standards of excellence. Wine competitions are invaluable purchasing tools that help consumers choose from over 6,000 wineries in the US alone.
Most entries in the Grand Harvest Awards were grown and produced in the United States and Canada with some originating in Australia and New Zealand, Europe (France, Germany, Italy, and Spain) and South Africa.
“The Grand Harvest Awards are a great forum for producers to have their wines evaluated by experienced judges in the context of their respective growing regions,” said competition chairman Bill Traverso. “Wines from up-and-coming regions such as Nebraska and Florida garnered gold medals.”
This year’s Grand Harvest Awards presents a new promotional opportunity for wine producers: medal winners will be featured during March via a link on Food & Wine magazine’s one-million-unique-visitors-per-month website (foodandwine.com).
The Judges
Selected for their familiarity with wines from specific growing regions, the judges represent some of the most qualified experts in the industry: food and beverage media, winemakers, wine marketers, enology and viticulture professors and researchers, restaurateurs and sommeliers, hospitality and tourism consultants, and fine wine retailers. Judges included George M. Tabor, author of Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine; Tim McNally, radio host of “The Wine Show”, WIST 690 AM, New Orleans; Eric Degerman, managing editor of Wine Press Northwest; William S. Bloxsom-Carter, executive chef/food and beverage director of Playboy Mansion West; and Jim Trezise, president of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation.
The Search for Terroir
The Grand Harvest Awards is the only North American wine competition that presents entries to judges according to regional classification. Wines of particular appellations are arranged in flights (mostly groups of 10) and evaluated by judges who are unaware of the geographic origin or producer, knowing only varietal name when relevant. In contrast, other competitions group wines by varietal name and suggested retail price.
Beyond the determination of medals, the Grand Harvest Awards also recognizes entries that best exemplify the terroir of their respective viticultural areas, and acknowledges the influence of terroir on wine quality. After evaluating each flight, judges frequently discuss their impressions in order to identify the signature elements of terroir and their link to regional typicity (wine characteristics that are common to particular growing regions).
While it is has no scientific definition, terroir is considered to be the combined expression of soil, climate, elevation and topography in the aroma, flavor and tactile sensations of wine beyond clone and rootstock selection, cultural practices, and winemaking techniques.
About the Producer
The Grand Harvest Awards is a division of Vineyard & Winery Services, the publisher of the leading independent wine trade publication Vineyard & Winery Management magazine www.vwm-online.com , Winedex (Wine Industry Index). Based in Santa Rosa, California, the multimedia corporation also produces seminars, conferences and trade shows (Wineries Unlimited, Tasting Room Profitability, Wine Club Summit, and Managing the Winery Laboratory) as well as two other wine competitions (International Eastern Wine Competition, and West Coast Wine Competition).
{ 0 comments }
