Wine Talk by Robert Whitley

There was a little something for everyone in the inaugural Sommelier Challenge. The international wine competition, conducted Sept. 26 to 27 in San Diego, brought together 11 sommeliers from top restaurants, such as Sona in Los Angeles (Mark Mendoza) and The French Laundry of the Napa Valley (Anani Lawson) to evaluate more than 500 wines.

The results demonstrated once again that wine appreciation can be as expensive as the wine lover chooses to make it. Judges awarded platinum, gold and silver medals, with platinum going to wines that rose to the very top during the two-day tasting.

A glance at the 49 Sommelier Challenge platinum awards, for example, reveals a who's who of coveted and expensive Napa Valley cabernet sauvignons: Beringer 2005 Private Reserve ($115); Parallel 2006 Napa Valley ($55); Trefethen 2005 Oak Knoll District ($50); Eagle's Trace 2004 Latitude 38 ($95); and Freemark Abbey 2003 Bosche Vineyard ($65).

On the other hand, outstanding value wines such as Clayhouse 2006 Syrah ($15) from Paso Robles, Calif., and Pacific Rim 2007 Dry Riesling ($11) from Washington's Columbia Valley were not out of their league. And a foreign entry, the 2005 Chateau Laroque Saint-Emilion Grand Cru ($55), even got the nod as best red wine. Complete results have been posted at www.sommelierchallenge.com.

The following are some of my personal observations on who did well and why.

Beringer Vineyards — This powerhouse Napa Valley winery scored with two of its flagship wines, the Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and Private Reserve Chardonnay ($35). In the past, both of those wines have been wine of the year in the Wine Spectator, the leading wine magazine in the United States. Beringer has been a prolific wine competition winner in recent years with its wines at the value end of the spectrum, so it's nice to see that this proud icon of the Napa Valley is taking care of business at the luxury end as well.

Flora Springs — Trilogy ($65), the red meritage of Flora Springs, has always been among my favorite Napa Valley reds. And the winery's top-notch sauvignon blanc, Soliloquy ($27), picked up a gold.

Plantagenet — Let's hear it for Western Australia. Plantagenet's 2008 Riesling ($18) and 2008 Omrah Pinot Noir ($17) were impressive platinum winners. The wines of Western Australia don't get the same level of attention as Aussie wines from the Barossa Valley, Victoria and New South Wales, but they are every bit as good and possess their own distinctive style.

Bella Sera — A staple in the grocery store value aisle, Bella Sera delivers some very nice Italian wine at very affordable prices.

Its 2007 Pinot Noir ($7) from Pavia, a Sommelier Challenge platinum, is but one example.

Fanucchi Vineyards — This small winery in Sonoma County lived large at the first Sommelier Challenge, taking platinum with both of the wines it entered — 2006 Trousseau Gris, Russian River Valley ($24) and 2005 Wood Road Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel ($50).

Clayhouse Vineyards — A relatively new winery in California's Paso Robles region, Clayhouse scored platinum with its syrah and petite sirah. The 2006 Clayhouse Petite Sirah ($25) was Best of Show red wine earlier this year at the Critics Challenge, a competition in which all of the judges are renowned wine journalists.

Steele Wines — Former Kendall-Jackson winemaker Jed Steele has had his own label for a number of years now, and just as he did at K-J, he makes delicious wines at fair prices. Steele also took two platinums, winning with the 2007 Viognier ($16) and the 2005 DuPratt Vineyard Zinfandel ($24).

Osborne — Spain's great sherry producer placed two wines — Fino Pale Dry Sherry ($11) and Pedro Ximenez 1827 ($20) — in the platinum round, and the Pedro Ximenez was tabbed best fortified wine.

As Director of the Sommelier Challenge, I had the opportunity to taste many of the wines myself and was impressed by the platinum-winning Rocca delle Macie 2005 Chianti Macie Chianti Classico Riserva ($26), which I believe is one of the finest Chianti Classico Riserva's at this price.

Ditto for the platinum-winning 2006 Chateau Lascombes Margaux ($100), a wine that will develop slowly over the next dozen years or so.

Judges for the Sommelier Challenge were: Adam Curling, M Resort, Las Vegas; Brian Donegan, Market, Del Mar, Calif.; Desi Echavarrie, Switch at the Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas; Jared Heber, BLT Steak, Los Angeles; Anani Lawson, The French Laundry, Yountville, Calif.; Andre Mack, Mouton Noir Wines (formerly with Per Se, New York); Mark Mendoza, Sona, Los Angeles; Lisa Redwine, The Shores, La Jolla, Calif.; Jesse Rodriguez, Addison, Del Mar, Calif.; George Skorka, BottleRock, Los Angeles; and Megan Yelenosky, Vela, San Diego.

Gloria Ferrer was the winningest winery at the Sommelier Challenge, picking up 13 medals, including Best of Show sparkling wine with its 2004 Blanc de Blancs Brut ($24). Eberle Winery of Paso Robles was a close second with 12 medals, and Monterey County's Ventana Vineyards placed third with 11.

Top foreign producer was the superb Australian winery d'Arenberg with eight medals.

It should be noted that all of the wines were tasted "blind." Judges had no knowledge of the producer, vintage or price of the wines they evaluated, and each wine was analyzed by at least two sommeliers.

To find out more about Robert Whitley and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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