| We just wanted to share with you some great news from the 2022 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition! All 10 of the wines we entered won awards (a Clean Sweep!), including the White Sweepstakes which was the “Best White” of the show for our 2020 Viognier. We also won Best of Class for 2020 Grenache Blanc, 2020 Roussanne and 2020 Picpoul Blanc. Here’s a post by wine writer Mike Dunne (SF Chronicle/Sacramento Bee): “Several intriguing storylines emerged from the 2022 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, which concluded its four-day run in Cloverdale today. None of them may be more significant than the showing of Acquiesce Winery & Vineyards of Lodi. Consider: More than 5,800 wines from throughout North America were entered, broken down into almost 200 classes, evaluated by some 50 judges. Acquiesce won a perhaps unprecedented four best-of-class awards. And these weren’t small classes. The Acquiesce Picpoul Blanc was up against 41 other white varietal wines. The Acquiesce Roussanne was up against 19 others. The Acquiesce Viognier was up against 52 others. Remarkably, all four Acquiesce best-of-class wines were nominated by judges for the sweepstakes round, which included 13 other white wines, including a classically rich Chardonnay, a spirited Sauvignon Blanc, a peachy and spicy Riesling, and a lychee-lined Chenin Blanc from Mexico. With four candidates in the lineup, Acquiesce not only was competing against that strong and diverse field, it was competing against itself for the top award. Nevertheless, the fragrant and mellifluous Acquiesce 2020 Lodi Mokelumne River Viognier ($30) emerged as the competition’s best white wine. No longer should Lodi be seen as the land of only hearty red wines.” Mike Dunne’s review of our Best White Wine of the Show – Viognier: “Acquiesce Winery & Vineyards 2020 Lodi Mokelumne River Viognier: Susan Tipton’s masterful hand with white grapes traditionally associated with France’s Rhone Valley was recognized with remarkable consistency at the 2022 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competitions. Four of her white varietal wines topped their classes, with her mellifluous 2020 Viognier going all the way to win the competition’s award for best white wine on the strength of its honeysuckle perfume and tuneful suggestions of peach orchard. It outdistanced 16 other nominated whites for the top honor in the final round of voting.” And our Best of Class Grenache Blanc: “Acquiesce Winery & Vineyard 2020 Lodi Grenache Blanc: A variety most at home in France’s Rhone Valley, Grenache Blanc is gaining adherents in California, thanks largely to the gumption and imagination of Susan Tipton of Acquiesce in Lodi. She appreciates food-and-wine pairing to an extent that is exceptional even in California’s winemaking community, and as a consequence styles her wines to shine at the dinner table, which her Grenache Blanc will do for its refreshingly citric flavor, steely structure and dry and snappy finish. Whatever fresh seafood is on the plate, this Grenache Blanc should be in the glass.” And our Best of Class Roussanne: “Acquiesce 2020 Lodi Roussanne: Lodi, long celebrated for its husky and brash red wines, nowadays is showing that it has the climate, soils and gutsy vintners to turn out white wines of alluring nuance and zest, including the Tiptons of Acquiesce, who with imagination and flair are raising Lodi’s profile for astute whites based on traditional Rhone Valley varieties, including this golden and elegant representative of Roussanne.” And our Best of Class Picpoul Blanc: “Acquiesce 2020 Lodi Picpoul Blanc: In France, Picpoul Blanc is so celebrated for the piercing acidity it brings to blended white wines it fondly is referred to as “lip stinger.” That ardent acidity is evident in the Acquiesce, helping offset the richness of its swelling suggestions of lemon creme brulee, honeycomb and lime. Bring on the mussels, oysters and clams.” This is one of my favorite wineries to go to. Other places I love can be found at https://travelsandescapes.net/2020/10/19/freixenet-spanish-cava/ |