The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition is the largest single North American wine event, with over 6,800 wines from some 1,132 wineries. The public tasting in San Francisco is the largest tasting of American wines in the world.
GOLD MEDAL ~ Sosie 2016 Roberts Road Vineyard Pinot Noir
SILVER MEDAL ~ Sosie 2016 Vivio Vineyards Syrah
SILVER MEDAL ~ Sosie 2016 Spring Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir
SILVER MEDAL ~ Sosie 2015 Spring Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir
SILVER MEDAL ~ Sosie 2016 Vivio Vineyards Roussanne
SILVER MEDAL ~ Sosie 2015 Vivio Vineyards Roussanne
SILVER MEDAL ~ Sosie 2016 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Franc
SILVER MEDAL ~ Sosie 2015 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Franc
TEXSOM is the leading sommelier conference in the world and draws nearly 1,300 of the wine industry’s most influential leaders to Dallas each year. Entries in the TEXSOM International Wine Awards are blind-tasted and judged by 60-70 internationally renowned tastemakers from six countries
GOLD MEDAL ~ Sosie Wines 2015 Cabernet Franc, Stagecoach Vineyard, Block K5
Named “Best New Wine Blog” in 2011, “Best Overall Wine Blog” in 2013, and a finalist for the top honor in 2012, ‘13, ‘14 and ‘15, Terroirist reaches approximately 50,000 readers per month. Founder and editor, David White, is the author of But First, Champagne: A Modern Guide to the World’s Favorite Wine. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post.
2015 Sosie Roussanne Vivio Vineyard
Bold yellow color. Aromas pop with super tropical combos of pineapple, lychee, honey butter, almond, tropical flowers. Medium-bodied (only 12.9% alcohol) with moderating acidity, which really helps, and there’s a creamy, waxy texture. Flavors of yellow apples and pineapple, laced with floral potpourri, salted nuts, white tea, there’s some underlying mineral tones. Bold and tropical in flavors yet it’s nuanced and light on its feel – a nice combo to find in California Roussanne. Native yeasts, barrel fermented, all maloactic fermentation. (90 points IJB)
2015 Sosie Pinot Noir Spring Hill Vineyard
Bright cherry colored. Nose shows fresh red cherries and pomegranate with lots of spiced tea, bay leaf, pepper, paprika, rose petals – this has a really spicy, savory nose that I love. Medium-bodied and really fresh with dusty tannins and bright acidity on a frame of about 13% alcohol. Red cherries, raspberries and pomegranate fruit blend well with notes of spiced tea, pepper, bay leaf, subtle coffee and cedar notes. Complex and could develop in the cellar but it’s already harmonious. Aged 16 months in 25% new French oak. (91 points IJB)
Joe Roberts, aka 1 Wine Dude, writes one of the Top 20 US wine blogs. Joe himself is one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the US Wine Industry and one of the Most Infuential Wine Writers. Joe is a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW). He holds the Level 2 and Level 3 Certificates in Wine & Spirits (WSET) as well as WLS credentials from the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) and the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto (IVDP). Whatever the hell those are.
2015 Sosie Wines Stagecoach Vineyard Block K5 Cabernet Franc (Napa Valley)
Holllllllly. Sh*t. Struts into the dusty street, calm, collected, both guns blazing. $80 A
2015 Sosie Wines Vivio Vineyard Bennet Valley Roussanne (Sonoma County)
When stone fruits get all sultry and seductive and stuff like that. $38 A-
Alder Yarrow is widely regarded as a pioneer of wine blogging, having founded Vinography way back in 2003. Since 2011, Alder has been a columnist for the esteemed Jancis Robinson. He is the author of an award-winning coffee table book about the many flavors and aromas of wine, called “The Essence of Wine” and deemed one of the best wine books of 2015 by the New York Times. He was also a contributor to “Opus Vino,” a comprehensive look (800 pages!) at the world’s wine regions that was a finalist for the 2011 James Beard Journalism Award.
2015 Sosie “Vivio Vineyard”, Roussanne, Bennett Valley, Sonoma, California
Pale gold in color, this wine smells of quince and pears poached in cream. In the mouth, silky flavors of unripe pear and golden apple mix with a hint of yellow flowers. There's a nice underlying wet chalkboard minerality, though the acidity is delicate and softer than I would like. Finishes clean with hints of chamomile. 12.9% alcohol. 100 cases produced. Score: between 8.5–9.