Mendocino Wine Competition proves pros and public are in sync

"It was a novel way to run a wine competition to have the public, along with professional industry judges, a mix of winemakers, wine shop owners and journalists, tasting the same wines blind and rating them. The 46th annual Mendocino Wine Competition was held Aug. 17 in Hopland at the Brutocao Winery event center, and featured over 100 wines organized by variety."

"Worthy winners emerged, with significant congruence between the pro and consumer judges. Among the six entries in the sparkling category, People's Choice went to the NV Roederer Brut Rose, with the 2011 Terra Savia Blanc de Blanc a close second. For the Industry judges, the results were flipped, with Best of Class going to the Terra Savia. In the chardonnay category, the People's Choice was awarded to the 2024 Kalpela Chardonnay with Double Gold going to the 2021 Ettore Chardonnay."

"The sauvignon blanc table had nine entries, from which the Industry Judges chose 2024 Husch Vineyards as Best in Class. Consumers chose the 2024 Bonterra Organic Estate as Best in Class, followed by a Double Gold for the Husch Vineyards wine. Again, pretty close. In the pinot noir category, both the industry and consumer judges awarded Best of Class to the 2023 Girasole Vineyards Pinot Noir."

The 46th Mendocino Wine Competition took place Aug. 17 in Hopland at the Brutocao Winery event center, featuring over 100 wines organized by variety. Both public consumers and professional industry judges, including winemakers, wine shop owners and journalists, tasted the same wines blind and rated them. People's Choice and Industry Best of Class winners often aligned, though some categories showed flipped results. Notable winners included NV Roederer Brut Rose (People's Choice sparkling) and Terra Savia Blanc de Blanc (Industry Best of Class), 2024 Kalpela Chardonnay (People's Choice) and 2021 Ettore Chardonnay (Double Gold), 2023 Girasole Vineyards Pinot Noir (Best of Class by both panels), and 2023 Rustic Ridge Zinfandel (Best of Class by both panels).

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