Gracianna Winery Announces Results of 2020 Sunset International Wine Competition: Best of Show Goes to 2018 Gracianna Westside Reserve Pinot Noir
Healdsburg, CA—July 3, 2020—The results of the 2020 Sunset International Wine Competition are in, and Gracianna Winery on the Miracle Mile of Westside Road in the Russian River Valley, is celebrating a Best of Show win for their 2018 Westside Reserve Pinot Noir. Standing tall over the record 2700 entries in this year’s competition, this Pinot Noir wowed the judges with its brilliant bouquet and flawless balance.
The wine was also awarded Best of Show – Red Wine, Best in Class, and Double Gold and garnered 97 points. Other Gracianna winners:
- 2016 Gracianna Estate Pinot Noir – Gold (93 points)
- 2017 Gracianna Estate Pinot Noir – Silver
- 2016 Gracianna Pinot Noir – Silver
- 2016 Gracianna Zinfandel – Silver
- 2016 Gracianna Chardonnay Suzanne’s Blend – Silver
To win Best of Show, the Gracianna Westside Reserve Pinot Noir first had to best a field of 12 other reds in the final Sweepstakes. It was a close call, with five other wines giving it a solid run, all of which scored 10 votes or more in acclimation voting. A faceoff between the Pinot and its primary competitor ensured it went to the final round.
Then it was on to the finals, where the Westside Reserve Pinot Noir faced off against the other Best Of Class winners for top honors. The Reserve Pinot Noir prevailed by 11 votes, which was more than twice as many votes for the next runner up.
This year’s competition saw a 10% increase in entries over last year, despite the pandemic, and was held in Santa Rosa the week of June 22. A record 12 judging panels were needed to accommodate the volume of entries, along with physical distancing requirements. Judging panels were comprised of 36 industry experts, including journalists, buyers and winemakers, who judged wines from all over the world over a three-day period.
While many wine competitions have been canceled this year, the 2020 Sunset International Wine Competition was determined to go on.
Debra Del Fiorentino, President of Wine Competitions Production & Management, who owns and operates the Sunset International Wine Competition, said, “This year’s entries garnered a record number of Golds and Double Golds, making for a very competitive Sweepstakes round. The judges had some very difficult decisions to make when faced with those final 30 wines!”
Lisa Amador, Gracianna Winery partner said, “We are so thankful to Sunset for conducting such a wonderful and competitive International competition. We are humbled at being lauded once again and are proud of our winemaking team for their care and our hospitality team members who have made Gracianna the #1 recommended winery in Sonoma County on TripAdvisor for the second year in a row. So proud.”
The 2018 Gracianna Westside Reserve Pinot Noir was also awarded Best of Class/Gold at the 2019 Dan Berger’s International Wine Competition and took Gold at both the 2020 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and the 2020 The Fifty Best California Pinot Noir Wine Competition.
