The Winning Profile: Top 5 wines from the North Coast Wine Challenge

Discover the top five wines from this year’s North Coast Wine Challenge.

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Best of the best

Trentadue Winery 2021 La Storia Cuvée 32, Alexander Valley won the Best of the Best, Best of Show Red Wine, Best of Sonoma County, Best of Class and Double Gold. With a score of 99 points, this Italian blend was a hit with the judges. They described it as having “beautiful balance” and one that is “bright and very juicy, with notes of huckleberry and crème de cassis.” The blend, priced at $36, is 47% sangiovese, 31% merlot, 22% montepulciano. But the makeup is unique with every vintage, with the goal of crafting the best expression on its components. According to the winery’s website, this Super Tuscan “has been highly successful and consistently our top selling wine in the tasting room.”

Where to buy: trentadue.com, $36

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Best of Show Sparkling

Jeffrey Jindra: winemaker of Scharffenberger Cellars

Winery: Scharffenberger Cellars

Wine: Scharffenberger Cellars, 2019 Blanc de Blancs, Mendocino County (100% chardonnay), 98 points

Awards: Best of Show Sparkling, Best of Class, Double Gold

Tasting notes: With a pale straw and light golden hue, its effervescence is showcased by a steady stream of fine, persistent bubbles. Aromas include notes of cream soda with a lemon-lime twist, pear, blooming lilac and wet limestone. Its soft, creamy entry is bound by fresh acidity and gentle bubbles. Flavors of citrus, apple, stone fruit and cream. The judges called this wine “sexy and creamy, a taffeta ballgown, with notes of mandarin blossoms.”

From the winemaker, Jeffrey Jindra:“It’s an honor to have our 2019 Blanc de Blancs, the first vintage of this prestige cuvée in 10 years, recognized in this notable competition, especially since it's a limited production and only available at our winery. It's a blend of carefully selected chardonnay grapes from our Redwood Grove Vineyard at the winery in Philo and from the Gibson Vineyard in Hopland, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the result. We took our time with this wine, and the hard work and patience is paying off.”

Where to buy: scharffenbergercellars.com, $40

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Best of Show Dessert Wine

Carol Shelton: winemaker and co-owner of Carol Shelton Wines

Winery: Carol Shelton Wines

Wine: Carol Shelton Wines, 2023 Black Magic Late Harvest, Sonoma County Zinfandel (100% Zinfandel), 95 points.

Awards: Best of Show Dessert, Best of Class, Double Gold

Tasting notes: Inky blue-purple in color, yummy deep razzberry-blackberry jam and luscious dark chocolate with a pinch of baking spices. Moderately sweet at 5.8% residual sugar, yet pleasingly balanced with a bit of bright freshness and warm vanilla on the finish. The judges called this wine had good acidity with notes of “molasses, raspberry jam and boysenberry.”

From the vintner/winemaker, Carol Shelton: “ I am jazzed to have this wine recognized, because it is one of my most difficult wines to make! It’s not easy to get the yeasts to stop fermenting without the addition of spirits like you’d add to a port-style wine. (So please do NOT call it a PORT.) (The yeasts are having a seriously good time fermenting the fruit sugars, and 13-14% alcohol is not high enough to make the environment uncomfortable enough for them to stop eating sugar and die off.) So we stop the ferment with just cold temperatures and careful monitoring, and then bring the final wine into perfect sugar/acid/alcohol balance by blending with a dryer version of the same or similar wine. It takes a bit of fine-tuning and finesse, and we strive to make it the perfect companion for 72% cacao dark chocolate, which we sell in the tasting room.”

Where to buy: carolshelton.com, $22 for 375ml bottlings, the only option available

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Best of Show Rosé

Jamie Benziger: winemaker of Imagery Estate Winery

Winery: Imagery Estate Winery

Wine: Imagery Estate 2023 Aleatico Rosé, Sonoma Valley (100% Aleatico), 98 points

Awards: Best of Show Rosé, Best of Class, Double Gold

Tasting notes: This exclusive varietal, sourced from Serres Ranch in Sonoma Valley, creates the perfect rosé bursting with notes of sweet strawberry and rose petals. Ripe red raspberries on the palate enhance the elegance of this well-balanced wine. The judges said, “this is a romantic wine, a Casa Blanca ‘Here’s looking at you kid sipper.”

From winemaker, Jamie Benziger: “Imagery winning this award is such a surprise and an honor! The 2023 Serres Ranch Aleatico Rosé is a wine that is near and dear to my heart and a crowd favorite amongst our team and wine club members. This wine is a multi-generational team effort from grape to bottle, which helps make it a one-of-a-kind Rosé. I believe the Serres Family grows the best Aleatico grapes in California and the whole winemaking team here at Imagery shaped this wine. Many of our crew have been working not only with me, but with my family for many years. Having a legacy of Sonoma grapes and winemaking win the Best of Show Rosé Award, in this prestigious local wine competition, is truly special.”

Where to buy: imagerywinery.com, $35.

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Best of Show White Wine

Sarah Cahn Bennett: winemaker and general manager of Pennyroyal Farms

Wine: Pennyroyal Farms, 2023 PinoTrio, Anderson Valley (40% pinot noir, 40% pinot blanc, 20% pinot gris), 99 points

Awards: Best of Show White Wine, Best of Mendocino County, Best of Class, Double Gold

Tasting notes: PinoTrio is a unique cuvée featuring three related members of the pinot family: pinot blanc, pinot noir, and pinot gris. Pinot blanc is the base wine, lending a crisp, apple-like freshness alongside a subtle touch of minerality. Pinot noir joins in, enriching the mid-palate with its velvety richness and delicate whispers of strawberry. The pinot gris, with its distinctive oily texture, gracefully links the household with a symphony of flavors and elegantly elongates the wine's finish, proving that the whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts. The judges called this wine “a zest bomb from the land of the wild. Spritzy, with notes of cherry blossom.”

From the winemaker, Sarah Cahn Bennett: “ As a second-generation winemaker born and raised in the North Coast and Mendocino County, I feel extremely honored and grateful for the recognition this wine has received regionally and in competition. This particular wine was created as a tribute to my family's love for cultivating cool-climate white varietals, and we are thrilled with its positive response.”

Where to buy: pennyroyalfarm.com, $33

You can reach Wine Writer Peg Melnik at 707-521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @pegmelnik.