2021 Sunset International Wine Competition Awards

Best Red and Best of Show to 2019 Miro Cellars Cuvée Sasha Grenache/Syrah, Chevalier Vineyard, Mendocino

Best of Class goes to Mimosa Royale, Flavored Wine

Best White goes to 2020 Forefathers Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, NZ; Best Rosé to 2020 Roaming Dog Cabernet Rosé, Columbia Valley, WA; Best Sparkling to 2019 Maison Jussiaume Oeil de Perdrix, Rogue Valley, Southern Oregon; Best Dessert to 2017 Husch Late Harvest Gewürztraminer, Anderson Valley, Mendocino

Santa Rosa, Calif., — June 23, 2021—With a record number of entries, the 2021 Sunset International Wine Competition awarded Best Red and Best of Show to a standout blend of Grenache (85%) and Syrah (15%) from Mendocino.

Best of Class, Gold, Silver, AND Bronze was all amazingly won by a new winery and entry….  Mimosa Royale.  All four flavors won medals with Berry winning Best in Class and Gold. 

Taking Best of Show White was the 2020 Forefathers Sauvignon Blanc, made by winemaker Nick Goldschmidt, from a vineyard in Marlborough, New Zealand, $20, 99 points. Crisp, grassy, grapefruity and assertive, this was stainless steel cold fermented. 

Best of Show Rosé went to the 2020 Roaming Dog Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé, which has 1% Malbec to juice up the strawberry and cherry flavors, $15, 98 points. It hailed from the Columbia Valley of Washington. 

Best Sparkling went to the 2019 Oeil de Perdrix from Maison Jussiaume, a brut Méthode Champenoise cuvée of 50-50 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Rogue Valley of Southern Oregon. Priced at $75, it serves up perfect balance with lively tart notes of apple and fine mousse. This is the first time an Oregon sparkler has won Best Sparkling at the Sunset Wine Competition. 

Best Dessert Wine was awarded to Husch Vineyards for their lush apricot and citrus-edged 2017 Late Harvest G Gewürztraminer from Anderson Valley, $25. This is the second year in a row that Husch has won Best Dessert at Sunset with their LH Gewürztraminer, beating out a Port and Cream Sherry for top honors once again. 

Best Port went to Ficklin Vineyards NV Old Vine Tinta Port, made of 100% Portuguese varieties grown in Madera, $20. It’s the most awarded Port in America.

Best Cream Sherry went to Rancho de Philo’s NV California Triple Cream Sherry made of Mission grapes from Cucamonga Valley, (San Bernardino, CA), $42.95. 

Best Cider was bestowed upon Portland Cider Company’s NV “Sorta Sweet” Modern Cider from apples grown in Oregon and Washington, $11.99.

Best Mead went to The Mead Works of Puget Sound, WA, for their Fallen Cyser semi-sweet apple mead from blackberry blossom honey, $23. 

To win Best Red of Show, the Miro Cellars Grenache-Syrah Cuvée had to best a field of 14 other reds in the Red Sweepstakes round, including a Trentadue Sangiovese, also made by Tcholakov. In the first round of voting, the Cuvée Sasha had stiff competition from the 2018 Domaine Carneros Estate Pinot Noir with 15 votes, followed by the 2017 Garré Cabernet Franc from Livermore and the 2017 Rapp Ranch Cutter’s Reserve Bordeaux style blend from Napa, both of which earned 11 votes. The Miro Cellars Cuvée Sasha prevailed in final voting, with 18 votes, while the Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir received 8. 

Best of Show White was a showdown between the 2020 Forefathers Sauvignon Blanc and the showy yet elegant 2020 Alexandria Nicole Cellars Shepherds Mark Rhone Blend from Horse Heaven Hills, WA. Each got 15 votes in the initial acclimation round, with the gorgeous Earl Grey tea-laden 2020 Lewis Grace Torrontes (Alta Mesa) earning 12 votes and the lively lemon-lime 2020 Oak Farm Fiano (Lodi), 11. Final score was 14 votes to 12, with the Forefathers Sauv Blanc just edging out the Shepherds Mark Rhone, made from 43% Roussanne, 38% Viognier and 19% Marsanne, a serious effort with perfect poise, $28 (98 points).