AlaWine.com: Super Award Winning Wines

Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2008 Vidal Blanc Ice Wine

The Award-Winning Wine:
Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2008 Vidal Blanc Ice Wine

Reason for Reviewing:
Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2008 Vidal Blanc Ice Wine earned a top-honor Double Gold Medal award at the 2010 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition.

Noteworthy:
This year, Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards is celebrating twenty-five years of winemaking in the Finger Lakes region. The Winery is rated one of America’s Top 25 Tasting Rooms by Wine Enthusiast magazine and is home to the ever-popular Red Cat (Red Catawba and Baco Noir).

Winery Notes:
Created in the method of the rare German eiswein. This Vidal wine offers the alluring flavors of peach, apricot and honey balanced by the fine refreshing acidity and a silky finish.

AlaWine Notes:
Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2008 Vidal Blanc Ice Wine shows as a light honey-yellow color in the glass. Peach and tropical fruit aromas lift to the nose. Peach pie flavors in a smooth, viscous mouth, with balanced acidity, and a long finish.

Bottom Line:
Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2008 Vidal Blanc Ice Wine is a delicious and refreshing dessert wine from start to finish. Suggested retail price is $40 per 375ml. Overall composite score: 95 points.

Lake Chelan Winery 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon

The Award-Winning Wine:
Lake Chelan Winery 2005 Rivers bend Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Reason for Reviewing:
Lake Chelan Winery 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon earned a Double Gold Medal award from the 2010 Tasters Guild International Wine Judging.

Winery Notes:
The color is a beautiful purple-red. The aromas and flavors are focused, and plentiful, with rich blackberries, purple plum, dried herbs and vanilla bean leading the way. The body is definitely medium with the finish persisting... The tannins are moderate yet in sufficient quantities. This wine is so well structured that it may be enjoyed alone, however, it would be a shame not to marry it with grilled red meats or richly seasoned pasta dishes.

AlaWine Notes:
Lake Chelan Winery 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon pours as a dark ruby color. Rich, abundant aromas of berries rise to the nose. Ripe blackberry and whole plum flavors fill the palate in a smooth opening and linger through a long, toasty finish.

Bottom Line:
Lake Chelan Winery 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon is a flavorful, quaffable cab with a satisfying finish. Suggested retail price is $30. Overall composite score: 93 points.

Dutcher Crossing Winery 2008 Chardonnay

The Award-Winning Wine:
Dutcher Crossing Winery 2008 Chardonnay, Stuhlmuller Vineyard, Alexander Valley

Reason for Reviewing:
Dutcher Crossing Winery 2008 Chardonnay won the top award for Best Chardonnay at the 2010 San Diego International Wine Competition. Dutcher Crossing has also won numerous other super awards on this and other wines this year, as you can see here.

Noteworthy:
The winery's logo is a vintage high-wheel bicycle, based on a treasured gift from proprietor Debra Mathy's father, and "represents Dutcher Crossing's pursuit of quality small-lot winemaking..."

Winery Notes:
This wine is complex, rich and layered. The signature Stuhlmuller light straw color with a greenish hue defines the wine's color. The aromas have this long layered effect with lovely toasted nut with creamy pear and apple subtleties, each adding to the sum of enjoyment. On the palate, the flavors are broad with texture and depth. There is a sense of freshness in every sip that marries well with the long length of the finish.

AlaWine Notes:
Dutcher Crossing Winery 2008 Chardonnay shows as a pale straw yellow color on pouring. Delicate apple-pear aromas lift to the nose. And, flavors of apple and pear carry onto the palate, along with apricot in creamy mouth, which lingers gracefully through a refreshing finish.

Bottom Line:
Dutcher Crossing Winery 2008 Chardonnay is a beautiful and elegant wine, well balanced and finessed; truly delicious. Suggested retail price is $34. Overall composite score: 97 points.

Quady Winery 2008 Essensia

The Award-Winning Wine:
Quady Winery 2008 Essensia, California Orange Muscat

Reason for Reviewing:
Quady Winery 2008 Essensia California Orange Muscat earned a Platinum Medal award at the 2010 Monterey Wine Competition and several Gold Medals from various other wine competitions.

Noteworthy:
From the winery: Andrew and Laurel Quady left crowded southern California and their jobs in pyrotechnics and merchandising to pursue their dream: a non-urban way of life making wine. Andrew graduated with a Masters in Food Science-Enology from UC Davis.

Winery Notes:
From 100% Orange Muscat with an aroma reminiscent of Orange Blossom and Apricot, and a lingering refreshing aftertaste, Essensia is used as a dessert accompaniment or a dessert in itself.

AlaWine Notes:
Quady Winery 2008 Essensia pours as an orange honey color, and readily yields fragrant aromas of a citrus orchard on a warm summer day. Abundant sweet orange flavors coat the palate and linger lazily

Bottom Line:
Quady Winery 2008 Essensia, California Orange Muscat is a unique and delicious dessert wine with full fruit flavors and a refreshing finish. Pair with fresh fruits, nuts, chocolate. Suggested retail price is $16.99 per 375ml. Overall composite score: 94 points.

Santa Barbara Winery 2007 Reserve Chardonnay

The Award-Winning Wine:
Santa Barbara Winery 2007 Reserve Chardonnay, Santa Rita Hills

Reason for Reviewing:
Santa Barbara Winery 2007 Reserve Chardonnay earned a Platinum Medal at the 2010 Monterey Wine Festival and a Double Gold Medal award from the 2010 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

Noteworthy:
Santa Barbara Winery was the first winery in Santa Barbara County after prohibition. It would be more than ten years before a second winery opened; today, there are more than 100.

Winery Notes:
"...full-bodied and richly textured with complexity of flavor further enhanced by barrel fermentation. More than half of the fruit used was from vines aged 30 years and older."

AlaWine Notes:
Santa Barbara Winery 2007 Reserve Chardonnay graces the glass as a medium straw-yellow color. Tropical and citrus aromas present to the nose. On the palate, rich flavors of passionfruit, apricot, and pineapple rush in in a smooth mouth, and sustain through a moderate acidity and buttery finish.

Bottom Line:
Santa Barbara Winery 2007 Reserve Chardonnay is a rich wine of some substance and substantial fruit. Smooth, flavorful, and fresh from start to finish. Both refreshing and satisfying. Suggested retail price is $22. Overall composite score: 95 points.