• When and where: June 7-8, 2010, Grapevine, Texas
• Biggest surprise: The quality of the entries, which included some well-known and even famous wines from places other than Texas. That has almost never happened. Napa's Cakebread Cellars entered its 2007 Carneros syrah, an $80 wine, and we were joking that it may have been the most expensive wine ever entered in the Lone Star. (Yes, it won a gold medal.)
• What's different: The same Texas wineries that usually dominate didn't. That wasn't a reflection of a lack of quality; rather, that so many other good wines were entered. We also had a several dozen wines from Gallo and its subsidiaries, as well as another big California producer, Underdog (which makes Fish Eye, among others).
• Who I judged with: My pal John Bratcher, the other Wine Guy; Jon Davis of Hear Hear Wines, a Fort Worth distributor; Mirek von Springer, who works for Dallas retailer Goody Goody; and Mary Ann Willis of Glazer's, the big distributor. Our panel moderator was Bob Klocek of the Grapevine Wine Pouring Society, who did his usual outstanding job.
• Compensation: The competition paid for lunch both days.
• Overall: The best Lone Star competition since I started judging it five years ago. Much of the credit must go to Michael Zerbach and sommelier Barbara Werley, who co-chair the event, and have made a concerted effort to expand the quality of the entries. Especially impressive among the Texas wins were the Peter's Praire barbera from Becker Vineyards, the Raider tempranillo blend from Llano Estacado, and McPherson's Rose of Syrah. All won gold medals, and are excellent examples of what Texas can do with grapes that aren't cabernet sauvignon, merlot and chardonnay. I'll link to the complete results when they bvecome available.
Recent Comments