2022 SF Chronicle Wine Competition!
Bradley Aden
2022 SF Chronicle Wine Competition – Gold Medal Wines
2022 was a great year for our wine, as we received 9 Gold Medals at the 2022 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. We were also awarded Best of Class award for our 2019 Chardonnay Reserve. For a taste of our featured double gold medal wines, shop our Award Winning Wine Pack and experience these winning bottles for yourself!
Please join us in congratulating our entire winemaking team, including head winemakers Brooks Painter & Peter Velleno for their hard work. Special thanks to our vineyard manager David Bejar who oversees Castello properties year-round.
Awards from the 2022 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
There were over forty-eight judges, representing various North American wine regions, evaluating 5,816 wines from nearly 1,000 wineries for the 2022 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.
Bob Fraser, SFCWC executive director, says, “The response from the wineries of North America at our 2022 competition was outstanding. Sweepstakes awards hail from California, Washington and Georgia.
We had a number of wines win Gold and Double Gold Medals, along with a Best of Class medal for our 2020 Reserve Chardonnay. Check out the complete list of award winners:
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- 2019 Chardonnay Reserve – Best of Class, Chardonnay
- 2017 Il Barone, Cabernet Sauvignon – Double Gold Metal (5th Vintage in a row)
- 2015 La Castellana, Super Tuscan Blend, Napa Valley – Double Gold Medal
- 2019 Pinot Noir, Cresta d’Oro Vineyard, Sonoma County – Double Gold Medal (4th vintage in a row)
- 2019 Pinot Noir, Terra de Promissio, Sonoma County – Double Gold Medal
- 2019 Pinot Noir, Morning Dew Ranch, Anderson Valley – Double Gold Medal
- 2019 Chardonnay Reserve – Best of Class, Chardonnay
- 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley – Gold Medal
- 2016 Il Passito, Napa Valley – Gold Medal
- 2018 Pinot Noir, Il Rubino – Gold Medal (3rd vintage in a row)
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SF Chronicle Best of Class: 2019 Reserve Chardonnay, Napa Valley
SF Chronicle Wine Judge Mike Dunne, longtime SFCWC wine judge and the former food editor, wine columnist, and restaurant critic noted “Castello di Amorosa 2019 Napa Valley Reserve Chardonnay: Of course any Chardonnay that comes from a castle should be seen as being kingly and queenly, which this is in its golden luminescence, regal carriage, vivid citric fruit and ticklish spiciness. Castello di Amorosa is part of the same royal family that includes V. Sattui Winery, which also won best-of-class for a lighter but nonethess correct interpretation of Chardonnay.”
2021 Wine Competitions!
Bradley Aden
2021 Wine Competitions: Gold Medal Wines
2021 was a great year for our wine, as we received 15 Gold Medals between the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition & The American Fine Wine Competition. We were also awarded 3 Best of Class awards between the two competitions. For a taste of our featured double gold medal wines, shop our 2021 Award Winning Wine Pack and experience these winning bottles for yourself!
Please join us in congratulating our entire winemaking team, including head winemakers Brooks Painter & Peter Velleno for their hard work. Special thanks to our vineyard manager David Bejar who oversees Castello properties year-round.
Awards from the 2021 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
The 2021 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition invited 50 judges representing winemaking, wine education, trade, hospitality, culinary, media, and other wine/food sectors to judge over 5,700 wines from over 1,000 North American wineries in early March, 2021. Over the past two decades, the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (SFCWC) has grown to become one of the world’s most respected and highly publicized wine competitions.
We had a number of wines win Gold and Double Gold Medals, along with two Best of Class medals for our 2017 Spumante, Rosé & our 2018 Pinot Noir, Terra de Promissio. Check out the complete list of award winners:
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- 2017 Spumante Rosé – Best of Class
- 2018 Pinot Noir, Terra de Promissio – Best of Class
- 2016 Il Barone, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley – Double Gold Medal (4th vintage in a row)
- 2018 Pinot Noir, Cresta d’Oro Vineyard – Double Gold Medal (3rd vintage in a row)
- 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley – Double Gold Medal (2nd vintage in a row)
- 2018 Reserve Chardonnay, Napa Valley – Gold Medal (3rd vintage in a row)
- 2018 Pinot Noir, Il Rubino – Gold Medal (2nd vintage in a row)
- 2014 La Castellana, Super Tuscan Blend – Gold Medal
SF Chronicle Best of Class: 2017 Spumante Rosé
Winemaker Brooks Painter noted “Spumante del Castello is a classic Méthode Champenoise sparkling wine, is sure to elevate any occasion to something truly memorable. This elegant Brut Rosé boasts a light shade of coral pink, with refreshing flavors of raspberry, citrus, and melon. It will be sure to impress at your next celebration!”
SF Chronicle Best of Class: 2018 Pinot Noir, Terra de Promissio
Winemaker Brooks Painter noted “An elegant and refined single vineyard Pinot Noir from the famed Petaluma Gap region of Sonoma County, revealing an expressive bouquet of cherry and spiced Christmas berries with subtle hints of cola and black tea. A sleek Pinot Noir boasting both lush texture and vibrant acidity.”
Mary Davidek, who runs our highly acclaimed Royal Food & Wine Pairing Tour at the Castello notes that “Terra de Promissio is evocative of the best of Sonoma fruit with the finesse of Willamette Valley and the classic earthiness of Burgundy which we all aspire to.”
Awards from the 2021 American Fine Wine Competition
This year marked the 14th anniversary of the competition, which took place on Memorial Day weekend this year.
More than 550 wines from 125 wineries vied for top honors at this invitation only event. The Judging was conducted by a 28-member blue ribbon panel from across the wine industry, included educators, restaurateurs, retailers, journalists, and top sommeliers from across the country.
We received a number of Gold and Double Gold Medals in this competition as well, along with a Best of Class medal for our 2020 Vermentino. Check out the complete list of award winners:
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- 2020 Vermentino – 95 Points, Best of Class
- 2016 Il Barone, Cabernet Sauvignon – 95 Points, Double Gold Medal (4th vintage in a row)
- 2018 Morisoli-Borges, Cabernet Sauvignon – 94 Points, Double Gold Medal
- 2018 Quattro, Cabernet Sauvignon – 94 Points, Gold Medal
- 2018 Zingaro, Sonoma County – 94 Points, Double Gold Medal (3rd vintage in a row)
- 2018 Pinot Noir, Cresta d’Oro Vineyard – 93 Points, Gold Medal (2nd vintage in a row)
- 2015 La Castellana, Super Tuscan Blend – 91 Points, Gold Medal
AFWC Best of Class: 2020 Vermentino
Jacqueline Coleman is a published wine + travel writer, wine judge, & consultant. She is the monthly “Vino” columnist for Biscayne Times newspaper, and a regular contributor to Winetraveler.com. Her new podcast, “Wine Uncorked,” is out on all major podcast sites and the Podmany app. An International Sommelier Guild (ISG), U.S. Sommelier Association, and FIU Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Wine Program. She said: “This Vermentino stood out among all the other white single varietals. Floral, sweet fruit and honeysuckle. It personified what a Vermentino should be.”
Patrick Sullivan, a wine journalist, consultant, and educator, is the Wine & Spirits editor for DINE Magazine in Florida. He said: “This Vermentino, a rarity in California, displays beautiful minerality and near perfect balance between its classic citric acidity and generous fruit!”
The Fifty Best - California Chardonnay
Jim Sullivan
Jim Sullivan, Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing spearheads Castello di Amorosa’s publicity and marketing initiatives.
With over 20 years of marketing, public relations and business development experience with professional motorsports teams and in a variety of healthcare organizations in Southern California, Jim first joined Castello di Amorosa in 2008 as Public Relations and Marketing Manager.
An avid cyclist, Jim fell in love with wine and wineries while exploring the Washington State countryside. His love of wine was reinforced during subsequent trips to the Napa Valley to visit family.
Jim holds an MBA from the University of Redlands and a Bachelor of Science from Central Washington University. He resides in Calistoga, Calif.
Best California Chardonnay
From the Napa Valley to New York. Castello di Amorosa’s Reserve Chardonnay won a gold medal in the Fifty Best professional wine tasting in New York. Twenty-three premium wine contenders were evaluated for the distinguished “Best California Chardonnay” awards for 2020.
Using professional criteria, the pre-qualified panel of judges blind-tasted the chardonnays and rated them individually on a 1 to 5-point scoring system with 5 being the highest. After tallying the scores, “Best California Chardonnay” medals were awarded based on the judges’ impressions.
Chardonnay is the most widely planted white grape variety, globally. The grape originated in a small village of Chardonnay in France and is now grown throughout the world. Castello’s Reserve Chardonnay is grown in the cool-climate Los Carneros AVA of the Napa Valley.
The wine judges had the following observation of our award-winning Reserve Chardonnay:
Following fermentation, this 100% Chardonnay was aged in 100% new Burgundian French oak barrels for 12 months prior to bottling. Aroma: Green apple, rambutan, lemon peel, minerality, subtle malo, slight oak, buttery. Palate: Bountiful lemon, lemon peel, apple, pear, melon, mango, peach, great tropical fruit, floral, cedar box, balanced oak, buttery, buttered popcorn, creamy, vanilla, smooth, crisp, classic California chardonnay. Finish: Ripe lemon, lime, mango, papaya, oak, vanilla, creamy, soft, balanced.
The complete results, along with tasting notes of the best chardonnays in California, can be viewed here:
https://www.thefiftybest.com/wine/best_california_chardonnay/
TheFiftyBest.com is a digital guide to wines & spirits, featuring rated listings resulting from proprietary blind tastings as judged by wine/spirits journalists, sommeliers, wine/spirit retailers, mixologists, wine consultants and connoisseurs. The Fifty Best achieves the highest standards of spirits evaluations by adhering to strict tasting rules and rigorous methodology.
2020 American Fine Wine Competition!
Bradley Aden
2020 American Fine Wine Competition
We received 9 gold medals at The American Wine Competition. We were the only winery to receive 2 Best of Class Wines. AFWC is “Invitation-only” and includes only wines that received an invitation. The panel of 32 judges include a somm, a wine-trained chef, a wine writer, and an educator, with no producers or distributors to avoid biases. Judges in the AFWC circulate to encourage positive, consistent and careful evaluations.
Best of Show: 2018 Gewurztraminer, Anderson Valley
Winemaker Brooks Painter noted “The grapes for this wine were grown in the Anderson Valley, Mendocino County. We pick after the grapes have developed a pink to reddish hue, and the aromas are effuse with rose petals, cinnamon spice and exotic lychee fruit. We handle the fruit very carefully, avoiding as much as possible some of the more bitter tannins found in the skins. It is cold fermented in stainless steel and bottled in the spring. Gewürztraminer is a grape I am familiar with, as it was one of the first white grapes I made into wine when I started in the wine business 38 years ago. It is delightful with strong cheeses, spicy Asian dishes and sauced white meats.”
Mary Davidek, who runs our highly acclaimed Royal Food & Wine Pairing Tour at the Castello, recommends pairing spicy dishes such as Thai or Indian cuisine with Gewurztraminer, to complement the sweet & spicy elements of the wine.
Best of Class: 2014 Il Barone, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Robert Parker of The Wine Advocate scored the 2014, 94 Points. Parker Noted “The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Il Barone is also impressively endowed with plenty of crème de cassis, blueberry, blackberry fruit, a dense purple color, full-bodied mouthfeel, sweet tannin and a long finish. The wine has more fruit and less minerality than the Butala Vineyard and doesn’t quite show the graphite character, but it is a beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon to drink over the next 15-20 years. Drink 2016 – 2036.”
Mary Davidek, who runs our highly acclaimed Royal Food & Wine Pairing Tour at the Castello, recommends grilled red meats, wild game, and flavorful cheeses to compliment the excellent 2014 vintage.
All awards from the 2020 American Fine Wine Competition
Castello di Amorosa also received a number of Gold and Double Gold Medals, along with two Best of Class medals for our 2015 Il Barone, Cabernet Sauvignon & 2018 Dry Gewürztraminer. We also received Best of Show White Wine Winner in 2018 Dry Gewürztraminer. Check out the complete list of award winners:
- 2018 DRY GEWURZTRAMINER – Best of Show – Best of Class – 95 Points
- 2014 IL BARONE, RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON – Best of Class – 95 Points
- 2018 RESERVE CHARDONNAY, NAPA VALLEY – Double Gold Medal – 92 Points
- 2018 PINOT NOIR, TERRA DE PROMISSIO – Double Gold Medal – 90 Points
- 2018 CHARDONNAY, BIEN NACIDO – Gold Medal – 91 Points
- 2018 PINOT NOIR, MORNING DEW RANCH – Gold Medal – 90 Points
- 2018 PINOT NOIR, IL RUBINO – Gold Medal – 90 Points
- 2014 LA CASTELLANA, SUPER TUSCAN BLEND – Gold Medal – 90 Points
- 2018 LATE HARVEST GEWURZTRAMINER, ANDERSON VALLEY – Gold Medal – 90 Points
We are always proud of our amazing winemaking team, and look forward to sharing our award-winning wines with you!
2020 SF Chronicle Wine Competition!
Julie Ann Kodmur
2020 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
There’s a gold rush happening! We received eight gold medals at The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. These are terrific results, considering there was a field of 6,700 entries!
Please join us in congratulating winemakers Brooks Painter and Peter Velleno and vineyard manager David Bejar for their hard work.
We will be pouring these wines at the Chronicle’s Tasting at Ft. Mason Center in San Francisco on February 15 from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Come find us there! Tickets can be purchased at https://winejudging.com/public-tasting/.
Best of Class: 2018 Gewurztraminer, Anderson Valley
Acclaimed wine critic, Mike Dunne offered this tasting note of this wine: “For the third straight year, Castello di Amorosa dominated this class of Gewurztraminer with a release out of the Anderson Valley. If the 2018 talked up the varietal with any more rose petals in aroma, grapefruit, lychee and peach in flavor and spice in the finish it would likely break the seam of the bottle.”
Winemaker Brooks Painter noted “The grapes for this wine were grown in the Anderson Valley, Mendocino County. We pick after the grapes have developed a pink to reddish hue, and the aromas are effuse with rose petals, cinnamon spice and exotic lychee fruit. We handle the fruit very carefully, avoiding as much as possible some of the more bitter tannins found in the skins. It is cold fermented in stainless steel and bottled in the spring. Gewürztraminer is a grape I am familiar with, as it was one of the first white grapes I made into wine when I started in the wine business 38 years ago. It is delightful with strong cheeses, spicy Asian dishes and sauced white meats.”
Mary Davidek, who runs our highly acclaimed Royal Food & Wine Pairing Tour at the Castello, recommends pairing spicy dishes such as Thai or Indian cuisine with Gewurztraminer, to complement the sweet & spicy elements of the wine.
All awards from the 2020 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
Castello di Amorosa also received a number of Gold and Double Gold Medals, along with a fifth consecutive Best of Class medal for our 2018 Dry Gewürztraminer. Check out the complete list of award winners:
- 2018 DRY GEWURZTRAMINER – Best of Class (5th vintage in a row)
- 2015 IL BARONE, RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON – Double Gold Medal (3nd vintage in a row)
- 2018 PINOT NOIR, THREE ARROWS RANCH – Double Gold Medal (2nd vintage in a row)
- 2017 PINOT NOIR, IL RUBINO – Double Gold Medal
- 2016 CABERNET SAUVIGNON, NAPA VALLEY – Gold Medal
- 2018 RESERVE CHARDONNAY, NAPA VALLEY – Gold Medal
- 2018 LATE HARVEST GEWURZTRAMINER, ANDERSON VALLEY – Gold Medal
- 2018 PINOT NOIR, TERRA DE PROMISSIO – Gold Medal
- 2014 LA CASTELLANA, SUPER TUSCAN BLEND – Gold Medal
We are so proud of our fantastic winemaking team, and look forward to sharing all of our award-winning wines with you!
2017 Reserve Chardonnay wins Best White Wine at the SF Chronicle Competition!
Fantastic awards from the 2019 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
We are thrilled to announce that our 2017 Reserve Chardonnay was named the White Sweepstakes Winner in this year’s San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, which is the largest competition of wines from across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Over 64 professional wine judges evaluated over 6,800 wines from 1,132 wineries, and our Reserve Chardonnay was one of 9 wines which were awarded sweepstakes medals. To achieve this distinction, our Chardonnay had to win in its price category, then win against all other Chardonnays across all price points (which comprised over 60% of the 2,500 white wines in the competition), and finally triumph in the field of all other winning white wine contenders.
Bob Fraser, Executive Director of the competition, elaborated on this achievement, stating “along with the Red Sweepstakes, the White Sweepstakes is very difficult to attain for a winery because it is competing against over 2,500 other outstanding white wines from a multitude of viticultural areas in North America. What is even more remarkable is that this marks the fourth time Castello di Amorosa has won the coveted San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Sweepstakes award. In the past the winery won the White Sweepstakes in 2017 for its 2015 Anderson Valley Gewürztraminer and won in consecutive years (2012-2013) for its Dessert Sweepstakes Anderson Valley Late Harvest Gewürztraminer. This illustrates a pursuit of excellence for the winemaking team at Castello di Amorosa.”
The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition is the largest wine competition in North America. Founded in 1983 as the modestly sized Cloverdale Citrus Fair Wine Competition, the SFCWC has expanded tremendously over the years, gaining title sponsorship from the San Francisco Chronicle in 2000. Now celebrating the 19th anniversary of the competition, the SFCWC is considered the barometer of how consumers select and measure their wine.
The public will have a chance to taste the award winning wines at The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition’s Public Tasting on Saturday, February 16 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Fort Mason Center’s Festival Pavilion in San Francisco. Click here for tickets and additional information.
About the 2017 Reserve Chardonnay
Our 2017 Reserve Chardonnay was sourced from two vineyards in the cooler southern end of Napa Valley, and harvested between August 17 and September 13. It was fermented and aged sur lie in 100% new Burgundian oak barrels, with 75% of the wine undergoing malolactic fermentation, which lends to a round and balanced full-bodied Napa Valley Chardonnay with lush notes of baked apple, ripe pear, fall spices and toasted almond.
Winemaker Peter Velleno noted “the 2017 vintage quality is showing very high quality, with a lot of bright acidity and fresh varietal aromas in the white wines, along with deep color and sweet fruit flavors. We think our Reserve Chardonnay is an excellent example of this exceptional growing season in Napa Valley.”
Mary Davidek, who runs our highly acclaimed Royal Food & Wine Pairing Tour at the Castello, recommends pairing creamy dishes such as Fettuccine Alfredo with the Reserve Chardonnay, to complement the creamy elements in the wine. For a lighter pairing, her Ahi Avocado Salad with Ponzu (pictured below) makes a bright and refreshing accompaniment to the full-bodied Chardonnay.
All awards from the 2019 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
Castello di Amorosa also received a number of Gold and Double Gold Medals, along with a fifth consecutive Best of Class medal for our 2017 Dry Gewürztraminer. Check out the complete list of award winners:
- 2017 RESERVE CHARDONNAY – Sweepstakes, Best White Wine
- 2017 DRY GEWURZTRAMINER – Best of Class (5th vintage in a row)
- 2017 PINOT NOIR, THREE ARROWS RANCH – Double Gold Medal
- 2014 MERLOT, NAPA VALLEY – Double Gold Medal (2nd vintage in a row)
- 2015 CABERNET SAUVIGNON, NAPA VALLEY – Double Gold Medal
- 2014 IL BARONE, RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON – Double Gold Medal (2nd vintage in a row)
- 2016 ZINGARO, OLD VINE ZINFANDEL – Gold Medal
- 2014 LA CASTELLANA, SUPER TUSCAN BLEND – Gold Medal
We are so proud of our fantastic winemaking team, and look forward to sharing all of our award-winning wines with you!
Winter White
Mary Davidek
Winter White Wine | Wine for the Season | Castello di Amorosa
While most of us have a go-to favorite wine taking permanent tenancy in the ‘most preferred’ zone, often we explore other varietals– particularly when entertaining or in my case, looking for the just-right pairing. Entertaining and pleasing guests with diverse palates, seasonal influences, even extreme weather can bring wine-drinking-enjoying challenges. When it is 100 degrees and the mercury is soaring it can be a test to feign enthusiasm about a glass of inky rich Cabernet for the thick Porterhouse grilling on the ‘cue. Likewise, when you spy frost on the pavement and the windshield is icy, a chilled crisp white wine may be less than heart-warming. What to do when some of the satisfying hearty wintertime favorites are rich and creamy and just screaming for…. well….not a red wine.
My winter white is Chardonnay. Specifically, Castello di Amorosa Bien Nacido Vineyard Chardonnay. This is not the ‘Castello sommelier’ pontificating on the many virtues of this award winning chardonnay, this is me, the ‘wine drinker’ who is generally not excited about most California chard.
Castello’s Bien Nacido Vineyard Chardonnay is different—this fruit is exceptional. The vineyard is located on the central coast of California and exposed to the Pacific. The coastal morning fog provides cool temperatures early in the day but warm late afternoons drenched in the Pacific sun. This gives the slow ripening grapes longer hang time on the vines while enjoying the real estate and the luxurious coastal influence. The juice shows its mettle when barrel fermented but not over manipulated so the gorgeous bright backbone of zippy acidity shines through. This balanced chard displays a soft nuttiness with fruit and focus. Juicy Comice pear, white peach and light vanilla flavors; full bodied and rounded–perfect for the rich creamy cold-weather foods we crave.
While winter white wine may not conjure up warm cozy images outside–
when you are inside, winter white can be an absolute delight!
Quick and Easy Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
♦ ½ lb. fettuccine, uncooked
♦ 1lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
♦ 4tsp. flour
♦ 1-1/4cups chicken broth
♦ 4oz. Mascarpone ( sub cream cheese)
♦ 1/2 cup Grated Parm, divided
♦ ¼ tsp. garlic powder
♦ 1/4tsp. white pepper
Cook pasta to slightly firm. Sautée chicken in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat 5 to 7 min. or until done, stirring occasionally. Remove from skillet. Mix flour and broth in same skillet with whisk. Stir in Mascarpone, 2 Tbsp. Parm, garlic powder and pepper; cook 2 min. or until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly. Stir in chicken. Drain pasta; place in large bowl. Add chicken mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining Parm.