We are honored to share the good news on behalf of our winery members this week. The editors at Wine Enthusiast are busy tasting through wines submitted at the end of 2019 and so far, has awarded six of our vintners with exceptional scores as follows. These wines are a fantastic representation of the unique and diverse grape growing conditions of Calaveras Wine Country and the Sierra Foothills AVA. Varietals range from Grenache, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc and Zinfandel. The initial lineup of wines awarded 90+ point scores are provided below and we look forward to adding to this list in days to come. We honored the winemakers and families in a Blind Tasting and Celebration event on February 20th at Prospect 772 Wine Company in Angels Camp. Dick Tanner - Tanner Vineyards, Brett Keller - Mineral Wines, Rob and Sheri Hendriks - Aloria Vineyards and Sydney Klann - Newsome Harlow Wines were all on hand to share information about the vineyard sources and unique approaches to making these stellar wines.
Aloria Vineyards - 2016 Estate Syrah Calaveras County - 90 points
Rob and Sheri Hendriks, owners of Aloria Vineyards share thoughts on this honor:
"This Aloria Vineyards ‘16 Estate Syrah is history in a bottle. Many hands went into making this wine, finished by our consulting Winemaker Nate Vader. Our Syrah wine grapes are historically award winning, and sought out by Napa and beyond. We are so pleased to receive 90 points, and thank Wine Enthusiast for the honor."
Hovey Winery - 2016 Petite Sirah Calaveras County - 90 points
Newsome Harlow - 2017 Shake Ridge Zinfandel - 93 points
Newsome Harlow - 2017 Big John Zinfandel - 92 points
Newsome Harlow - 2017 Roland Rosario Zinfandel - 92 points
Newsome Harlow - 2017 Donner Party Zinfandel - 90 points
Newsome Harlow - 2017 Herbert Vyd Zinfandel - 90 points
Newsome Harlow owner and winemaker, Scott Klann shares his thoughts on this honor:
“We are super stoked to hear of the most recent reviews from WE. This magazine has consistently recognized us with 90+ point scores throughout much of the history of our Single Vineyard Zinfandel program. We appreciate their support of small family-owned wineries and are encouraged by their enthusiasm for what is happening here in the Calaveras wine region.”
Mineral Wines - 2017 Cabernet Franc- 92 points
Mineral Wines - 2017 La Calavera - 92 points
Mineral Wines owner and winemaker, Brett Keller shares his thoughts on this honor:
"We are so excited to earn our first 90-point-plus ratings for our wines! Cabernet franc is a terrific variety to work with here, as it thrives in a warm climate, and grapes grown at Ironstone's Kramer Ranch have a long track record for making delicious 'Franc, always so aromatic and driven by rich black cherry flavors."
"La Calavera, our blend of 60% Tempranillo from Cave City Vineyard and 40% Malbec from Dalton and Aloria vineyards has become an instant classic for us after a highly successful 2016 vintage. The rich blueberry flavors of the Malbec combine perfectly with the red fruits of the Tempranillo. Who would have thought? This unlikely Latin blend of Spain and Argentina has rocked our world!"
Prospect 772 Wine Company - 2017 Instigator - 94 points
Prospect 772 Wine Company - 2017 Brawler - 93 points
Prospect 772 Wine Company - 2017 Brat - 92 points
Prospect 772 Wine Company - 2017 Truant - 90 points
Tanner Vineyards - 2016 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon - 90 points