Congratulations to Sycamore Creek, who got Best Red Wine/Double Gold for the 2007 Mosaico as well as a Double Gold for their 2007 Uvas Valley Cabernet at the 2010 West Coast Wine competition. Out of 1400 wines only 14 Double Golds were awarded, so to win two of them is a remarkable achievement.

Full results are here. Other local winners include:

Clos LaChance:
Silver - 2007 Merlot, Central Coast
Silver - 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Coast
Bronze - 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, Central Coast
Bronze - 2006 Syrah, Central Coast

Dancing Creek:
Silver - 2008 Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains
Bronze - 2008 Merlot, Santa Cruz Mountains

Martin Ranch:
Silver - 2006 JD Hurley Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains
Silver - 2007 Therese Vineyards Syrah, Santa Cruz Mountains
Silver - 2006 Therese Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains
Bronze - 2009 JD Hurley Sauvignon Blanc, Arroyo Seco
Bronze - 2007 JD Hurley Zinfandel, Santa Clara Valley
Bronze - 2006 Therese Vineyards Syrah, Santa Clara Valley

Jason/Stephens
Silver - 2006 Dorcich Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Clara Valley
Silver - 2006 Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains
Bronze - 2006 Syrah, Santa Clara Valley
Bronze - 2006 Merlot, Santa Clara Valley

Kings Mountain Vineyard
Bronze - 2005 Meritage, Santa Cruz Mountains

La Rusticana d'Orsa:
Bronze - 2007 Santa Cruz Mountains

Loma Prieta:
Bronze - 2008 Pinot Noir, Saveria Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
Bronze - 2008 Pinot Noir, Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains

Pietra Santa:
Gold - 2005 Vache Red Blend, Cienega Valley
Silver - 2008 Pinot Grigio, Cienega Valley
Silver - 2008 Chardonnay, Dunne Ranch, Pacheco Pass
Silver - 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Cienega Valley
Bronze - 2007 Chardonnay Signature Collection, Cienega Valley
Bronze - 2006 Sangiovese, Cienega Valley
Bronze - 2007 zinfandel, Central Coast
Bronze - NV Sacred Stone, Central Coast

Poetic Cellars:
Silver - 2005 Petite Sirah, Livermore Valley
Bronze - 2007 Ballad, Livermore Valley

Sycamore Creek
Best Red, Double Gold - 2007 Mosaico, Santa Clara Valley
Double Gold - 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Uvas Valley Vineyard, Santa Clara Valley
Silver - 2007 Syrah, Santa Clara Valley
Silver - 2007 Cabernet Franc, Santa Clara Valley
Silver - 2007 Malbec, Santa Clara Valley
Bronze - 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, Monterey

Vine Hill:
Gold - 2007 Cumbre Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains
Silver - 2007 Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains

Windy Oaks:
Bronze - 2007 Pinot Noir 'Diane's Block', Santa Cruz Mountains

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Have you ever pulled the wrong bottle from your cellar, and not noticed until it's too late?

Jason Goelz makes two Cabernets from the Dorcich vineyard on Watsonville Road. One is a lighter, softer wine that's intended to be drunk now, whereas the other has rather more intensity, oak and tannin, and could really have benefited from another year or two in a nice dark place instead of having its cork untimely plucked and being consumed without so much as a splash decanting.

2006 Jason/Stephens 'Dorcich Estate' Cabernet Sauvignon
Nose shows smoke, meat and mint. Initially there's lots of tannin and some tobacco notes; the blackcurrant fruit comes out with time. Either leave it in the cellar for a while longer or decant it first. 88+

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Another winery that recently opened to the public is Jason/Stephens. It's one of a cluster of wineries located off Watsonville Road. Having tried some of their wines recently at Bella Mia I was curious to see what else they were making.

Being Passport day for Santa Clara Valley the place was buzzing; there was live jazz and a barbecue buffet, as well as the wines. The majority of the visitors seemed to be young women (marketers and single guys take note).

2007 Chardonnay $21
Good nose of lemon, apple and pear. Lively flavours of creamy lemon and vanilla with a chalky minerality.

2006 Merlot $24
Scents of chocolate and smoke. shows good blueberry and cherry fruit, nice acidity and soft tannins.

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Between them, Santa Clara Valley wineries garnered 45 medals at the Chronicle wine competition this year. To celebrate and raise public awareness, Jason Goelz of Jason/Stephens Winery organised a tasting in downtown San Jose. In all, 9 wineries participated. It was a very pleasant event; enough time to visit all the wineries without feeling rushed.

Many of the wineries are only open to the public on the 3rd weekend of the month. Here are my brief notes from the event.

Cinnabar
2006 Mercury Rising (SILVER)
A good value blend of bordeaux varietals sourced from several regions; Napa, sonoma, Lodi and Paso Robles. Meaty, smoky nose; balanced with nice berry fruit.
2007 Pinot Noir, Sleepy Hollow Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands (GOLD)
Nice expression of Pinot from this well known vineyard in Monterey County. Rich chocolate and cherry fruit with a lingering finish.

Clos LaChance
2007 "Glittering-Throated Emerald" Chardonnay (GOLD)
This unoaked Chardonnay shows mango and other tropical fruit dlavours. Nice clean, crisp finish. Always a bargain; watch out for it on offer in Safeway and stock up.
2006 "Black Chinned" Syrah (SILVER)
A nice fruity nose leads into good fruit and spice flavours; hints of nutmeg and white pepper. Good oak and tannins.
2006 "Buff-Bellied" Zinfandel (BRONZE)
Light nose; good raspberry fruit. Tart cherries on the finish.
2005 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (GOLD)
The Estate series is generally available direct from the winery. It spends over 2 years in new French oak. There's big blackcurrant fruit together with espresso and a hint of mint. It's still very young and needs time for the oak and tannins to soften.

Creekview Vineyards
2005 was the first vintage for Creekview, based in San Martin.
2007 Chardonnay, Arroyo Seco (GOLD)
Lemony nose; butter and vanilla on the palate. This is your textbook Californian oak-and-butter Chardonnay.
2006 Syrah (DOUBLE GOLD)
Sourced mainly from the Dorcich vineyard, it also contains 6% Mourvèdre and 3% Négrette.
Dark fruit and a little smoke on the nose, rich sweet fruit on the palate. A real crowd pleaser that's ready to drink.

J. Lohr
Based in San Jose, J Lohr produces over 1 million cases annually from their 3000 farmed acres, mostly in Monterey and Paso Robles. Known mainly for their Estate series found in supermarkets everywhere they also have several high end labels.
2007 Sauvignon Blanc "Carol's Vineyard", Napa Valley (SILVER)
Very aromatic, crisp nose. Peach and gooseberry flavours, with less acidity than I expected. Nice finish.
2007 Pinot Noir "Fog's Reach Vineyard", Arroyo Seco (GOLD)
Notes of sweet cherry and toffee, both on the nose and palate. Fine tannins show on the long finish.
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon "Hilltop Vineyard", Paso Robles (GOLD)
Concentrated flavours of blackcurrant and coffee, with big tannins. Surprisingly good value at $35

Jason/Stephens
First vintage for this partnership of winemaker Jason Goelz and veteran grower Stephen Dorcich.
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (BRONZE)
Bottled under screw cap and targeted at the restaurant 'by the glass' market, this is an easy drinking, balanced Cabernet. Nice fruit; lightly oaked.
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Dorcich Estate (BRONZE)
Sourced from the same vineyard, the Estate sees more oak, which shows on the nose. There's also a lot more tannin, but there's decent fruit and nice acidity. Needs another year or so for the oak to integrate.
2006 Syrah (SILVER)
Earthy, smoky, rustic nose. Great fruit, good balance, long tannic finish.

Monte Verde
2006 was the first vintage from this husband and wife team in Morgan Hill. The estate is planted with Spanish varietals Tempranillo and Verdejo.
2006 "Villa Palma" Merlot (BRONZE)
Nose reminiscent of dried lavender. On the palate it's got nice plum fruit, if a little 1 dimensional. Soft tannins on the finish.
2006 "Muritabo" Syrah (SILVER)
A bright nose of red apples. On the palate there's black cherries and coffee, with quite a long finish.

Sarah's Vineyard
2007 Estate Chardonnay (SILVER)
The more I try this wine, the more I like it. There's a nose of green apples and pears; on the palate today it was showing a creamy caramel fudge quality. Very nice.
2007 Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains (SILVER)
Similar in style to the Estate, but with more lemon on the nose and more acidity on the palate. Long, rich finish. Two excellent Chardonnays.
2007 Estate Pinot Noir (GOLD)
Spicy nose showing cinnamon and oak; rich cherry fruit with a long finish
2007 Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains (BEST IN CLASS)
Very perfumed nose; it's the Estate and more besides, with the oak showing a little too much at this stage. Give it cellar time.
2005 Syrah, Besson Vineyard (BEST IN CLASS)
For some reason the nose on this reminded me of tinned sweetcorn. A big wine, lots of ripe fruit and a long finish. A nice wine, but a touch too ripe for my personal tastes.

Satori Cellars
Another newcomer; 2006 is their first vintage. Bright, eye catching labels and a real sense of fun.
2006 "Halelujah" Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington (GOLD)
I haven't had many cabs from Washington, but what I've tasted so far has been good. Interesting nose of Vimto and smoke. Good rich, sweet fruit; blackcurrants on toast. Soft, crisp finish.
2006 Estate Zinfandel (NOT ENTERED)
Big, bold raspberry flavours are only hinted at by the light nose. The tannins are firm on the finish.
2006 "Ta Da" Syrah (BRONZE)
A bright nose of blueberries. Soft fruit on the palate and a fairly quick finish
2006 "Ha Ha" Petite Sirah (BRONZE)
It's hard to make a Petite Sirah that isn't a tannic monster, and this is no exception. Smoky, oaky nose and a hint of liquorice on the finish. There's some fruit there but it's mostly obscured by the tannins.

Sycamore Creek
Taken over in 2005 by Bill Holt and Ted Medeiros, of Uvas Creek Vineyard.
2006 Chardonnay, Vanumanutagi Vineyard (GOLD)
Nose of oak and butterscotch. On the palate it shows rich, creamy fruit, particularly honeydew melon.
2005 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Uvas Creek Vineyard (BRONZE)
Floral nose; violets from the Petite Verdot and some oak. Lush fruit; blackcurrant and brambles. Soft tannins on the finish.
2007 Zinfandel (DOUBLE GOLD)
Sourced from a 1 acre domestic vineyard in Coyote Valley. Bright fruity nose; raspberry and brambly, which follows through to the palate. Very nice acidity and balanced; no heat from the 15% alcohol.

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Santa Clara Valley has a rich history of grape growing and wine making. When the first Spanish settlers came they found grapes growing wild; the area became known as Cañada de las Uvas, now Uvas Canyon. Soon after, Etienne Thee and Charles Le Franc established the Almaden winery, which was later owned by Paul Masson. At one time the names Paul Masson and Almaden were synonymous with quality; a far cry from the wines that bear their names today.

By 1980, the Santa Cruz Mountains had taken over the quality mantle; the valley languished and became known for a cluster of small family wineries clustered around the Hecker Pass area. Despite the presence of some quality producers such as Sycamore Creek (the 1978 Cabernet Sauvignon is sublime) and Sarah's Vineyard, when the boundaries of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA were drawn the valley was carefully excluded, while including other low elevation producers such as Kathryn Kennedy.

But in recent years a change has been brewing. Driven by the high cost and low availability of suitable vineyard land in the Santa Cruz Mountains, growers have started to take another look at the valley. The most obvious sign is the 150 acre Clos LaChance estate vineyard in San Martin, but others are more subtle.

Bill Holt and Ted Medeiros began growing grapes at the Uvas Creek vineyard, located along the creek that marks the border between the AVAs, in 1998. Since then they have quietly built up a reputation for growing some of the finest Cabernet in the state. Stefania's 2005 Uvas Creek Cabernet was recently featured in the DC Examiner as one of California's undiscovered "Wine Nuggets", though perhaps undiscovered isn't the right term to use for a wine that has a waiting list to purchase. In 2007 Bill purchased Sycamore Creek. Since the 1980s the property had been owned by a member of the Morita family, who own Sony, and the wine had been almost exclusively exported and poured at corporate functions. The 2007 Sycamore Creek Zinfandel recently won double Gold at the SF Chronicle wine festival.

Sarah's Vineyard was purchased by Tim Slater in 2001. Since then there has been significant investment in the property, both in terms of winemaking facilities and in the vineyards. New vineyards have been planted, while the old ones have been renovated, including replacing the old trellising and in some cases changing the orientation of the vines. The efforts have paid off, with two Best Of Class awards, as well as Gold for the estate Pinot and Silver for the estate Chardonnay.

Buying an established winery is one thing; building a new one is a different matter. Santa Clara Valley now has two new wineries; Jason-Stephens is a joint venture between winemaker Jason Goelz and grower Stephen Dorcich, based in a brand new facility in Dorcich's 79 acre Uvas Canyon vineyard. The first releases, a brace of 2006 Cabernets, each scored Bronze in the Chronicle competition. The vineyard certainly has potential; the 2006 Creekview Vineyard Syrah was sourced from here and it scored double Gold. It will take time to replace the old sprawling trellising, but this is one to watch.

The other new winery that I mentioned is Castillo's Hillside Shire. Located in Morgan Hill they just released their 2007 vintage. As yet I haven't had the opportunity to taste the wines, but they will be open for the Santa Clara Valley passport event later in the month.

Most of the above mentioned wines, and many more, will be poured at the Santa Clara Valley tasting event at Bella Mia on Wednesday.

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