Awards were handed out in four categories and The SOMM Journal named its top sommelier
June 10, 2016 (Pismo Beach, CA) – The International Chardonnay Symposium, (ICS), TheChardonnaySymposium.com, the world’s foremost gathering of premium Chardonnay producers, sommeliers, trade and enthusiasts, announced the official medal winners of the 2016 International Chardonnay Symposium Wine Competition.
The ICS 2016 and The SOMM Journal selected leading sommeliers to judge the extensive double-blind tasting of Chardonnay from around the globe. The medal winners were announced at the Symposium’s Annual La Paulée Dinner and Vintner Awards Ceremony, held this year at Greengate Ranch & Vineyard in the heart of the Edna Valley AVA in mid-May.
The 2016 ICS was held in the seaside resort towns of Pismo Beach, ClassicCalifornia.com; Avila Beach, VisitAvilaBeach.com; and the Edna Valley, an area of the Highway 1 Discovery Route in San Luis Obispo County, Highway1DiscoveryRoute.com.
The 2016 International Chardonnay Symposium Wine Competition “Best” category winners are:
Best of Show
Alpha Omega 2013 Reserve (Napa Valley)
Platinum medal
Best Unoaked Chardonnay
Simonnet-Febvre 2014 Chablis Premier Cru “Vallions” (Chablis)
Double Gold medal
Best Oaked Chardonnay
Grgich Hills Estate 2013 Miljenko’s Selection (Carneros)
Double Gold medal
SOMM Journal’s Choice
Arínzano 2010 Gran Vino White (Arínzano, Vino de Pago, Spain)
Gold medal
The Best of Show award was especially meaningful for vintner Robin Baggett, the proprietor of Alpha Omega in Napa Valley and Tolosa Winery in San Luis Obispo. Baggett said, “Having graduated from Cal Poly and raised by family in San Luis Obispo, then starting my wine career in Edna Valley at Tolosa Winery, it’s an honor to return and receive such a prestigious award for our Napa Valley efforts.”
The SOMM Journal and the ICS named Alicia Ajolo of taste wine-beer-kitchen in Long Beach, California, as the Symposium’s 2016 Top Sommelier. Ajolo was one of the judges at the day-long wine competition where she determined the origin of the most of wines during a double-blind tasting.
Platinum Medal Winners
- Alpha Omega 2013 Reserve (Napa Valley)
- Hearst Ranch Vineyard 2014 Proprietor’s Reserve (Central Coast)
- RUSACK Vineyards 2014 Santa Maria Valley Reserve (Santa Maria Valley)
Double Gold Medal Winners
- ADELAIDA 2014 Estate, (Adelaida District)
- Bernardus 2013 Sierra Mar (Santa Lucia Highlands)
- Clos Pepe 2013 Estate Barrel Fermented (Sta. Rita Hills)
- CRU Wine Co. 2014 Montage (Monterey)
- El Pistolero 2015 “Cold Steel” (Santa Lucia Highlands)
- Grgich Hills Estate 2013 Miljenko’s Selection (Carneros)
- Simonnet-Febvre 2014 Chablis Premier Cru “Vallions” (Chablis)
- Wente Vineyards 2014 The Nth Degree (Livermore Valley)
- Windemere 2014 MacGregor Vineyard (Central Coast)
Gold Medal Winners
- Alpha Omega 2013 Chardonnay (Napa Valley)
- Arínzano 2010 Gran Vino White (Arínzano, Vino de Pago, Spain)
- Baileyana 2014 Firepeak (Edna Valley)
- Chartron et Trébuchet 2012 Meursault (Meursault)
- Coitere 2014 Talley Rincon (Arroyo Grande Valley)
- DeLoach Vineyard 2013 Estate (Russian River)
- Edna Valley Vineyard 2014 (Central Coast)
- Edna Valley Vineyard 2014 Winemaker Series Heritage (Santa Lucia Highlands)
- Landmark Vineyards 2014 Overlook (Sonoma County)
- Louis Latour 2010 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru (Corton-Charlemagne)
- Nottingham Cellars 2014 1846 by Nottingham Cellars (Arroyo Seco)
- Sextant Wines 2014 Central Coast (Central Coast)
- Sinor-LaVallee 2014 White Label-Bassi Vineyard (Santa Lucia Highlands)
- St. Francis Winery 2014 Behler (Sonoma Valley)
- Tolosa Winery 2014 569 (Central Coast)
- Tolosa Winery 2014 Dijon (Central Coast)
Silver Medal Winners
- ADELAIDA 2014 HMR Vineyard (Adelaida District)
- Buena Vista Winery 2013 Private Reserve (Sonoma County)
- Capensis 2013 (Western Cape, South Africa)
- Chartron et Trébuchet 2013 Rully Premier Cru Les Grésigny (Rully)
- Clos Pepe 2013 Estate (Sta. Rita Hills)
- CRU Wine Co. 2014 Unoaked (Arroyo Seco)
- Domaine L’Arjolle 2015 Côtes de Thongue (Côtes de Thongue)
- Harmony Cellars 2014 (Central Coast)
- Hearst Ranch Vineyard 2014 Glacier Ridge (Santa Lucia Highlands)
- Jean-Charles Boisset 2013 JCB #81 (Sonoma Coast)
- Presqu’ile, 2013 Presqu’ile Vineyard (Santa Maria Valley)
- Talley Vineyards 2014 Estate (Arroyo Grande Valley)
- Trefethen 2014 (Oak Knoll District)
- True Myth 2014 Paragon Estate (Edna Valley)
About The International Chardonnay Symposium
The International Chardonnay Symposium attracts winemakers, sommeliers, media, trade, wine enthusiasts and tastemakers from across the globe to enjoy and study the world’s favorite grape. When the discussion ends, there’s plenty of time for exploring nearby Central Coast wineries, as well as the hosting seaside resort towns of Pismo Beach and Avila Beach that offer downtown winetasting rooms, pristine beaches, surfing and kayaking, hiking and biking trails, farm-to-table and seaport-inspired cuisine, boutique shopping, and more. The International Chardonnay Symposium is sponsored by Pismo Beach Conference & Visitors Bureau, Avila Beach Tourism Alliance, California Highway 1 Discovery Route, Visit San Luis Obispo County, The Tasting Panel Magazine, The SOMM Journal, Wine Enthusiast Magazine, 805 Living, Touring & Tasting, Greengate Ranch & Vineyard, Riedel, Farm Credit West, San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, and Yelp.
About Pismo Beach, Avila Beach, & Highway 1 Discovery Route of SLO County
San Luis Obispo County’s Pismo Beach, Avila Beach and the Highway 1 Discovery Route destination towns are located on California’s famous Central Coast, halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. With miles of pristine Pacific coastline, enjoy great weather, a plethora of outdoor activities, rich wild life and nature preserves, downtown wine tasting rooms, and the neighboring world class wine producing regions of the Edna Valley, Arroyo Grande Valley, Santa Maria Valley and Paso Robles. For information on the wide variety of lodging choices, accommodating every budget and lifestyle, visit ClassicCalifornia.com, VisitAvilaBeach.com, and Highway1DiscoveryRoute.com.
