Month: May 2025
Wine Judging and Position in the Line Up For Tasting & Scoring
Photo from Shintop on Amazon
I recently attended a seminar on a special varietal and the topic of wine judging came up from a well-respected and knowledgeable professor, winemaker and SOMM. A statement was made that a wine in a specific category in the position of first wine being tasted has a 27% chance of being the highest score and winning that flight. I was a bit puzzled by that, so, I began to test that statement.
Background: It should be noted that in all three events for data collection, only three judges out of 31 were the same and wine varietals differ greatly as well as price points.
Having just either conducted or judged at three events, I went back to check not the individual events but the summation of the three events to see if wines in the first tasting of a category actually won with the highest score 27% of the time. While fully admitting three events is not a widespread sampling, it is one that I had all the data available to extract the complete data/information.
Breaking down categories that had a minimum of 10 entries (some had up to 20 entries) the following conclusions were drawn:
**The conclusion of a little over 500 wines being judged that were entered in 3 different competitions showed the following results for the top 10 positions:
#1 in the lineup – 15% had the highest score or tied for the highest score
#2 in the lineup – 5% had the highest score or tied for the highest score
#3 in the lineup – 10% had the highest score or tied for the highest score
#4 in the lineup – 2% had the highest score or tied for the highest score
#5 in the lineup – 17% had the highest score or tied for the highest score
#6 in the lineup – 2% had the highest score or tied for the highest score
#7 in the lineup – 6% had the highest score or tied for the highest score
#8 in the lineup – 5% had the highest score or tied for the highest score
#9 in the lineup – 8% had the highest score or tied for the highest score
#10 in the lineup – 15% had the highest score or tied for the highest score
If a category had up to 20 wines, the cumulative percentage for wines #11 to #20 was 17% with #15 bottle tasted being the highest with 5%. Perhaps palate fatigue was involved? (note: % may not add up to 100% due to rounding of numbers). Most competitions split flights if more than 10. Something to keep in mind when holding competitions and limiting the number in a flight?
When examining events with 10 wine positions only being tasted, the breakout shows a greater likelihood of the positions 1-5 having a better score than positions 6-10:
Positions 1-5 = 23 Best Scores or 57.5%
Positions 6-10 = 17 Best Scores or 42.5%
Statistics are statistics and numbers are numbers, but based on a relatively small sampling it does not show that 27% of the first wine tasted wins the highest scores based on my sampling. It does show that wines #1, #5 & #10 did receive the highest scores. One note is that with 10 wines in a category, any wine in the first 5 wines tasted did score a better chance of being rated higher than the second 5 wines being tasted.
I will continue to monitor the statics at one more event in September and all the events next year.
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
2018 Vina Moda Red Blend “Phoenix” & Viña Ardanza Rioja with Birria Tacos (Part II)
Photo ©Michael Kelly
After posting on social media on May 9th, I was looking for suggestions on what wine to pair with Birria tacos, excluding the beer and tequila suggestions, many wines were suggested. So thanks to all those who responded. Of the 70 comments the main suggestions included some 20+ wine choices/recommendations. The wine with the most votes was for Tempranillo followed by Malbec and then Syrah. The fourth-place wine pairing idea was a tie with Zinfandel and Cabernet Franc.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Chose the 2018 Vina Moda Red Blend consisting of 74% Primitivo (same DNA as Zinfandel), 20% Tannat, 3% Tempranillo and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. A great blend of with the Primitivo characterized by its deep brooding and inky coloring, high tannins with floral and fruity aromas. The Tannat has rich aromas of red plum, black cardamom and spiciness. Throw in a modicum of Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon with enough tannins to help with the beef tacos and a perfect wine was served with the dinner.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
For good measure and a comparison, we also opened a 2015 Vina Ardanza Rioja Reserve. This wine is a blend of 78% Tempranillo and 22% Garnacha. Tempranillo pairs wonderfully with beef and smoked meats. A beautiful red deep red coloring and the nose was amazingly bright with floral notes. On the palate, a blend of spices including cinnamon and nutmeg. Secondary flavors of pipe tobacco balanced with vanilla made for a smooth and exquisite drink. This wine got rave reviews and scores of 93 and 94 points for a DOC wine is excellent.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The slow cooker Birria Tacos were cooked 8 ½ hours in a slow cooker. Besides the chuck roast, ingredients included chopped yellow onion, garlic cloves, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, chipotle in adobo, crushed fire roasted tomatoes, beef broth, white vinegar, kosher salt, bay leaves, shredded Oaxaca cheese and chopped fresh cilantro. Plated with fresh quartered limes and white corn chips. Dipping sauce was on the side. This recipe was much easier than previous ones especially having to find all the fresh ingredients (see previous story at: https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2023/08/05/2020-jessies-grove-winery-fancy-quest-old-vine-zinfandel-and-birria-tacos-and-sauce/ .
Both recipes are excellent, and I am happy to enjoy them again. Ditto for the wines!
Sláinte,
Michael
Yates Family Vineyards Visit – Grand Sweepstakes Winner of the 6th Annual International Cabernet Franc Competition
Background:
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Yates Family Vineyards entered the 2025 6th Annual International Cabernet Franc Competition at the beginning of year. I had not heard of them, but everyone is invited to enter. Mary Yates filled out the form and submitted the wines at the last minute but still qualifying. The competition was held and as a first-time entrant, Yates Family Vineyards not only took the Best of Category ($71 to $85), Best of Show for all California (all price points) but also the Grand Sweepstakes Winner for all categories against a field of about 100 wines from 14 states and 3 countries from a distinguished panel of professional judges. A magnificent feat! I finally carved out the time to meet with the Yates Family team in early May. Besides the excellent wines, the surprises will amaze you!
The Winery:
The Yates Family Vineyard is in the southern portion of Napa Valley in the Mt Veeder district. The history of the area is intriguing and fascinating. It starts off in 1880 when the Streich brothers moved here from Germany to start a winery. They planted 65 acres of vines and then prohibition saw the winery’s demise. They worked the land and built not only a completely gravity feed process and were very much “technologists” for the 1880 era.
One of the more fascinating points of construction of their winery was the use of a Roman Press. Only two are in existence today and none are being used.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Roman wine press, a significant advancement in winemaking technology, consisted of a large, mechanical press that could process large quantities of grapes at once. It utilized a heavy wooden beam (the prelum) to apply pressure to the grapes in a basin, forcing out the juice. This design, which spread throughout Europe and the Mediterranean, was based on earlier Greek presses but was more technologically advanced, utilizing windlasses or later, screw-operated levers to raise and lower the prelum.
The press typically included a large, shallow basin to hold the grapes, a heavy wooden beam (prelum) to apply pressure, and channels to collect the flowing juice.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
A system of ropes, pulleys, or screws was used to raise and lower the prelum, with a team of workers operating the mechanism at the far end of the beam. The massive piece of wood was a single tree, and the basins were concrete or wood. The Roman wine press “revolutionized” winemaking by significantly increasing juice yields and increase the production of wine. The juice was then pumped out of the bins to start the fermentation process.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
They also had brought or constructed a large screw press for harvesting the grapes to make wine.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Yates Family has preserved all the equipment from the original owners and it was like stepping back in a time machine.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Today they make their wine off-site.
The Vineyards:
Photo ©Michael Kelly
In 1949 Alden Perry Yates purchased the land and planted 35 acres of vines taking out many fruit trees.
While the Yates Family Vineyards land amounts to 272 acres, most of the land is extremely steep with forests covering the property. Only 35 acres of ruggedly steep land is farmed for grapes with the hillsides going up 1,200 feet elevation.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Today Yates Family produces besides their award-winning Cabernet Franc, a Viognier, a Proprietary red blend, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec. I was able to taste the Merlot which was thick, savory, rich, decadent and a chewable Merlot which was delicious. It might as well be called “Gunslinger” from my perspective!
The total amount of wine produced is only 800 cases with most going to their small wine club. The balance of 100 tons of beautiful, cultivated mountain fruit goes to some of the most prestigious wineries in Napa. Many have the Yates Family Vineyards designation on their bottle.
Photo from Yates Family website of Lynn and Mike Yates
Today, Mike Yates, son of Perry Yates, heads up vineyard management and winemaking with his oldest daughter Whitney. Mary Yates, the younger daughter, heads up the marketing and business side of the winery.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
There is a funny background story to how they started making Cabernet Franc. Lynn, Mike’s wife, very much appreciated the intricacies of Cabernet Franc and asked him to make some. Mike obliged her and said whether it was good or bad that the one barrel produced was hers to drink if they couldn’t sell it!
The Cabernet Franc is produced using 50% new French oak barrels with medium toast, for 18 months. Then rested in the bottle for 2 years before being released! Mike is not a fan of pyrazines in his Cabernet Franc, so this is a smoother and silkier finish. It comes in at 15.1% alcohol and only 126 cases were produced. It sells for $80/bottle when available.
This is just a smidgeon of our 3-hour discussion and my history lesson on their property and winery. I was able to taste the 2021 Cabernet Franc and what a treat! The next article on Yates Family Vineyards will be about their Cabernet Franc tasting notes and food pairing.
Stay tuned….
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
2018 Duckhorn Vineyards Napa Valley Chardonnay
Photo from Duckhorn Vineyards
The Winery
Usually, I don’t write about large wineries or wine corporations but pulled this bottle out of the cellar and was very impressed by it. Duckhorn has long been a solid and personal favorite Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay wines.
Duckhorn, founded in 1976 by Margaret and Dan Duckhorn, has been an iconic fixture in Napa Valley for decades. Today it includes Decoy and Sonoma-Cutrer and another 9 winery labels/brands. Beverly Hills-based Butterfly Equity acquired the portfolio in an all-cash deal valued at $1.95 billion in 2024. Their wines are have always been noteworthy and have held a high standard for Napa Valley. Most notable is their Three Palms series which is personally one of my favorites.
The Duckhorn Portfolio, until recently was one of the few publicly traded wineries in California according to their news release. The acquisition will make Duckhorn a privately held company.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This 2018 Duckhorn Chardonnay from Napa Valley is 100% Chardonnay aged 10 months in 90% oak barrels with 40% being new and 10% in stainless steel. A somewhat unusual mixture but the end result was very good. Apparently, those in the know follow Duckhorn Napa Valley Chardonnay wine!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The wine on the eyes is a soft golden color that is crisp and radiant. Swirling in the glass a heavier than normal viscosity. On the nose, stone fruit and lime swell up in the senses begging to be sipped. Once on the palate, the stone fruit of peach and minerality are the dominant flavors with a modicum of lime. There is a richness and mouth filling lushness to this Chardonnay.
The wine is 14.1% alcohol and underwent 40% malolactic fermentation. It was listed at $38/bottle.
This wine will make my annual list of Best Wines Tasted for 2025, both for quality and value.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Pulled the last bottle of this vintage from the cellar this evening to pair with a baked rubbed chicken breast. The rub consisted of smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, sea salt, black pepper and a pat of butter on each breast before baking. Accompanied by baked potato wedges using Russet potatoes and seasoned with olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, sea salt, black pepper, finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese and topped with parsley.
A fantastic food pairing with the cool and refreshing fruit of this gorgeous wine.
While I had picked up a few bottles back a few years ago, I think I will now pick up some current vintages to keep in the cellar as this was a delicious wine for this upcoming summer for gatherings with friends!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
2023 Soquel Vineyards Pinot Noir “Santa Cruz Mountains”
The Winery
The winery is steeped in history going back to 1919 with Giovanni Bargetto purchasing 52 acres. Giovanni Bargetto moved to Soquel from his winery located in San Francisco. He sold the entire property in 1945. In 1999 they had the vision to purchase 5 ½ acres from the original 52 acres. Today the winery is located at 8063 Glen Haven Road, Soquel, California. Soquel is just south of Santa Cruz and up in the hills above New Brighton State Beach. Giovanni was the grandfather of two of the current owners, Peter Bargetto and his twin brother Paul Bargetto. The third owner is their long-time good friend Jon Morgan.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
They opened the winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains in 1987. All three kept their “day jobs” for about 10 years learning to craft their wines. Wine grows on their property and in the Santa Cruz Mountain AVA includes a variety of Pinot Noir’s (six different labels), Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Nebbiolo. They offer the following varieties from outside the region: Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon, Atlas Peak Merlot, Pyramid (Partner’s Reserve) from Napa Valley, Re Summers Ranch Merlot and Red Blend.
Photos from Soquel Vineyards website
They have been producing award-winning wines since 1987 and just a small listing of their 2022 awards mostly from SF Chronicle Competition include:
*2022 Cabernet Franc Pleasant Valley, Gold in 2024 and 94 points Wine Enthusiast
*2022 Merlot, RE Summers Ranch, Gold in 2024
*2022 Nebbiolo, Lago Lomita Vineyard, Best of Class 2024
*2022 Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains, Best of Class 2024
*2022 Pinot Noir, Saveria Vineyard, Gold in 2024
*2022 Pinot Noir, Partner’s Reserve, 93 points Wine Enthusiast
The list goes on and on delineating a myriad of awards and wine ratings to fill up pages! The key takeaway is this winery has put in the work to make excellent wines.
The Wine – 2023 Soquel Vineyards Pinot Noir “Wine is bottled Poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The 2023 Soquel Vineyards Pinot Noir was sent to me to review. It initially opened a “bit tight” but shortly after opening blossomed like a bouquet of springtime flowers.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
On the eyes a soft magenta and red brick coloring and light viscosity. A beautiful translucence in the wine glass. On the nose a moist earthiness and faint strawberry aromas. Once on the palate, the dominant taste of freshly picked strawberries abounded. Secondary flavors of ripe cherries hit the mid-palate. On the finish velvety and rounded tannins, yet noticeable, concluded the sipping experience.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The wine is a combination of the Coast Grade and Soquel Estate vineyards. The wine is 100% Pinot Noir coming in at 13.7% alcohol. The grapes were in 100% French 3 year old barrels for 10 months with only 449 cases produced. It has already won Gold at the 2025 SF Chronicle Wine Competition and was rated 95 points and Editor’s Choice by Wine Enthusiast. That is a lot of wine for only $30/bottle!
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine was chosen to go with baked Pork Tenderloin this evening. We generally enjoy Pinot Noir wine, mostly with Pork Tenderloin and occasionally with a rib eye steak. This evening using a dry rub on the Pork Tenderloin consisting of brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, sea salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning and a pinch of Chili powder. Accompanied by roasted quartered Yukon Gold potatoes in olive oil and then tossed with garlic salt and finished with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Also sauteed Brussel spouts with fresh smoked bacon along with a fresh garden salad with green onions, smoked bacon and quartered cherry tomatoes with a Northern Italian dressing. The pork slices garnished with Steward & Jasper Cherry Pepper Sauce and freshly cut basil. An excellent wine and food pairing this evening.
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
2022 Balverne Pinot Noir – Light and Refreshing
(Photo ©Michael Kelly)
The Wine – 2022 Balverne Pinot Noir
(Photo ©Michael Kelly)
This wine on the eyes was a semi-translucent light and bright crimson in the glass. On the nose, aromas of strawberry were dominating. On the palate, the ripe strawberries burst vividly in the mouth with secondary flavors of cranberry and cherries. The finish was a bit abrupt, but sufficient to enjoy each inviting sip. The finish was on the smoother side of tartness with rounded and caressing tannins. Only 350 cases were produced from their Russian River Valley property. It was aged in 25% new French barrels for nine months with a light toasting of the barrels. Alcohol level is 13.8% and primarily used clones 667 and 459 with a smaller percentage of 114 and 115 picked from their vineyards. No price is shown on their website but the previous vintage, 2021 was $45/bottle.
This lighter and more refreshing Pinot Noir provides more complementary food pairings.
The Food and Wine Pairing
(Photo ©Michael Kelly)
Paired this evening with a Greek themed dinner. The main dish was a Greek chicken recipe that included lemons, shallot, garlic cloves, olive oil, dried oregano, kosher salt, paprika, black pepper and fresh parsley with the sliced chicken breast. Prepared in a skillet on the stove. Accompanied by Greek roasted potatoes with ingredients of chicken stock, virgin olive oil, lemon zest, garlic powder, salt, pepper, fresh oregano and fresh parsley. Also a fresh garden salad with cherry tomatoes, halved Kalamata olives and minced purple onion.
Selected this wine as an alternative to Sauvignon Blanc for the meal this evening. The Pinot Noir was light and airy believing this would be a good match for the meal. It was a good match but do think Sauvignon Blanc would have been a better choice. As the anonymous saying goes, “Adventure may hurt you, but monotony will kill you”, so worth a little risk this evening.
The meal was very tasty, and the wine was a perfect fine to drink. The thought would be for this wine to be a summertime “patio pounder” with warmer weather and could easily be a standalone wine.
The Winery
(Photo Balverne website)
Bob and Renee Stein purchased the 710-acre Russian River Valley estate that included a working vineyard in 1992. The Steins vision was to create a sustainable property which they developed by keeping 350 acres in a protected Forever Wild open space. This acreage weaved with the vineyards combines rugged wildland and wildlife with the manicured vineyards.
(Photo ©Michael Kelly)
They accomplished their ideal view and called it Notre Vue (our view). Who would not enjoy viewing this idyllic setting every day? Can you imagine yourself sitting here?
(Photo Balverne website)
The resulting effort is 250 acres of rolling vineyards and the “Forever Wild” protected space. This includes 17 miles of hiking and biking trails with picnic areas throughout. Horseback riding trails also exist. Their label shows a red shoulder Hawk which roams the area. Their motto is the reason they consider Forever Wild to be the heart of the Notre Vue Estate.
Their goal with their winemaker Alex Hoffman is focused on making wine in a European style with finesse and low intervention. Their current offerings with the Balverne label include Zinfandel, Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, a few different Chardonnay’s, Malbec, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Under their Notre Vue label, they have various Rosés, Chardonnay’s, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and a few red blends.
Sláinte,
Michael
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