Tri-Valley Conservancy’s Annual
Livermore Valley UNCORKED Celebration!
Congratulations to our winners!
Looking for this year’s SHOPPING LIST?
The Tri Valley Conservancy is pleased to announce the results of its annual wine competition, “Livermore Uncorked!”, which celebrates its 11th year in 2020. Initial screening of the wines submitted occurred in March, prior to the pandemic, and was judged over three days by many of the region’s winemakers. Wineries were asked to submit a total of up to 6 wines in 12 categories
From the original 123 submissions, 69 went on to the final round, where they were judged blind by three wine writers, Jim Gordon of Wine Enthusiast, Laura Ness of Spirited and Wine Industry Advisor, and Fred Swan of NorCal Wines.
Best Red and Best in Show went to the statuesque 2016 Ruby Hill Petite Sirah, Reserve Collection. Fittingly, Petite Sirah is a varietal long associated with the Livermore winegrowing region, and was first varietally bottled by 3rd generation vintner, Jim Concannon, in 1963. BUY
Best Dry White: 2018 Concannon Vineyards Assemblage Blanc (Sauvignon Blanc & Semillon) (Double Gold) BUY
Best Chardonnay ($30 and under): 2018 Wood Family Para Mas Amigas (Double Gold) BUY
Best Chardonnay (over $30): 2018 Darcie Kent Vineyards Pistachio Lane Chardonnay (Gold) – Also Awarded Best White of Show BUY
Best Rosé: 2019 Occasio Winery Rosé of Grenache (Double Gold) BUY
Best Italian/Spanish Varietal: 2017 Rodrigue Molyneaux Sangiovese
Best Other Red: 2017 Crooked Vine Petit Verdot
Best Merlot: 2015 McGrail Vineyard & Winery Merlot BUY
Best Red Blend: 2017 Wood Family “The Captain” (Merlot and Cabernet Franc) BUY
Best Cabernet Franc: 2016 Occasio Winery Cabernet Franc (Double Gold)
Best Cabernet Sauvignon ($40 and under): 2016 Entropy Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon BUY
Best Cabernet Sauvignon (over $40): 2016 Murrieta’s Well Small Lot Cabernet (Double Gold) BUY
Best Petite Sirah: 2016 Ruby Hill Petite Sirah, Reserve Collection (Double Gold) BUY
Best White of Show: 2018 Darcie Kent Vineyards Pistachio Lane Chardonnay BUY
This was a tasteoff between the Best Dry White, Best Chardonnay under $30 and Best Chardonnay over $30.
Best Of Show pitted all three Best of winners against one another, with the 2016 Ruby Hill Reserve Collection Petite Sirah besting the lot for its embodiment of both the varietal and the region. BUY
Here are the medal winners in each category:
Dry White Wines
2018 Concannon Vineyards Assemblage Blanc (Sauvignon Blanc & Semillon) (Double Gold, Best in Class) BUY
2019 Fenestra Winery Sauvignon Blanc, Gold
2019 Las Positas Vineyard Verdelho, Gold BUY
2019 Garré Winery Pinot Grigio, Silver
2019 Occasio Winery Sauvignon Blanc, Silver BUY
Chardonnay ($30.00 and under)
2018 Wood Family Chardonnay, Para Mas Amigas (Double Gold, Best in Class) BUY
2018 Wente Vineyards Morning Fog Chardonnay, Gold BUY
2018 Cellar 13 Winery Chardonnay, Silver BUY
2016 Rubino Estates Chardonnay Riserva, Bronze BUY
Chardonnay (over $30.00)
2018 Darcie Kent Vineyards Pistachio Lane Chardonnay (Gold, Best in Class, Best White of Show) BUY
2018 McGrail Vineyards & Winery Chardonnay, Silver BUY
2018 Nottingham Cellars Micro Lot Reserve Chardonnay, Silver BUY
2018 Occasio Winery Chardonnay, Silver BUY
Rosé
2019 Occasio Winery Rosé of Grenache (Double Gold, Best in Class) BUY
2019 Fenestra Winery Grenache Rosé, Gold BUY
2019 Garré Winery Rosato di Sangiovese, Silver
2019 McGrail Vineyard & Winery “Kylie Ryan” Rosé (Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet), Silver BUY
2019 Wood Family “Pink Pearl,” Grenache Rosé, Silver BUY
2018 Las Positas Vineyard Rosé (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre), Bronze
Italian/Spanish Varietals
2017 Rodrigue Molyneaux Sangiovese, Gold, Best in Class
2016 Garré Winery Sangiovese, Silver
2017 Las Positas Vineyard Tempranillo, Silver
NV Rosa Fierro Cellars “Primo” Primitivo, Silver BUY
2016 Rosa Fierro Cellars “Bittersweet Symphony” Zinfandel, Bronze BUY
Other Red Varietals (at least 75%)
2017 Crooked Vine Petit Verdot, Gold, Best in Class
2017 Concannon Reserve Petit Verdot, Gold BUY
2014 Fenestra Winery Malbec, Silver BUY
2016 Las Positas Vineyard Petit Verdot, Silver
2015 Fenestra Winery Estate Syrah, Bronze
Merlot
2015 McGrail Vineyard & Winery Merlot, Silver, Best in Class BUY
2017 Cellar 13 Winery Merlot, Silver
2017 Cuda Ridge Merlot, Silver BUY
2017 Entropy Cellars Merlot, Silver
2016 Stony Ridge Estate Merlot, Silver
2017 Wood Family Merlot, One Oak Vineyard, Silver BUY
Red Blends
2017 Wood Family “The Captain” (Merlot & Cabernet Franc), Gold, Best in Class BUY
2017 Murrieta’s Well “The Spur” (Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Merlot, Petit Verdot), Gold
2017 Stony Ridge “Trifecta” (Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc, Syrah), Gold
2017 Concannon Vineyards Reserve Stampmaker’s GSM, (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre), Silver BUY
2017 Cellar 13 “Tsogadu” (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc), Silver BUY
2016 Darcie Kent Vineyards “Fire Pit Red,” Silver
2017 Las Positas Vineyard “Coccineous” (Graciano, Tempranillo, Monastreli, Garnacha), Silver
2017 Occasio Winery “Telos” (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot), Silver BUY
2017 John Evan Cellars “The Winter Star” (Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon), Bronze BUY
Cabernet Franc
2016 Occasio Winery Cabernet Franc, Double Gold, Best of Class
2017 Rodrigue Molyneaux Cabernet Franc, Gold
2017 Wood Family Cabernet Franc, Gold
2017 Crooked Vine Estate Cabernet Franc, Silver
2016 Darcie Kent Vineyards “Stone Patch” Cabernet Franc, Silver BUY
2016 Steven Kent Winery Cabernet Franc, Silver BUY
Cabernet Sauvignon ($40.00 or under)
2015 Entropy Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Gold, Best of Class
2017 Wood Family “Viva” Cabernet Sauvignon, Gold BUY
2017 Cuda Ridge Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon, Silver BUY
2016 Darcie Kent Vineyards “Dog Day” Cabernet, Silver BUY
2017 Garré Cabernet Sauvignon, Silver
2017 Occasio Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Silver
Cabernet Sauvignon (over $40.00)
2016 Murrieta’s Well Small Lot Cabernet, Double Gold & Best of Class BUY
2016 McGrail Vineyard & Winery “A Jo’ E’let “The Good Life” Cabernet, Gold BUY
2017 Concannon Vineyards Reserve Mother Vine Cabernet, Silver BUY
2016 McGrail Vineyard & Winery Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Silver BUY
2016 Steven Kent Winery Smith Ranch Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Silver BUY
2015 Darcie Kent Vineyards Clone 337 Cabernet Sauvignon, Bronze BUY
Petite Sirah
2016 Ruby Hill Petite Sirah, Reserve Collection, Double Gold, Best of Class, Best Red and Best of Show BUY
2016 Darcie Kent Vineyards “Madden Big Petite” Petite Sirah, Silver BUY
2016 Garré Winery Petite Sirah, Silver
2017 Stony Ridge Estate Petite Sirah, Silver
Congratulations to all the wineries who participated, to all the winning winemakers and to all those who gave of their time and talents to put on this competition during a challenging era. Special thanks go to Georgie Saucedo of the TVC, whose tireless behind the scenes efforts made this possible.
We appreciate your continued support of Tri-Valley Conservancy and the Livermore Valley Wine Region. We are exploring alternative ways to promote Livermore winegrowers and their award-winning wines in these difficult times. Here are a few ways you can still enjoy your local wine region:
- Ship your favorite wines to yourself and your friends
- Join a wine club
- Follow a winery on social media
- Participate in SIP at-home events
- Subscribe to a winery mailing list
- Grab a bottle and do a virtual wine tasting
- Check out the UNCORKED shopping lists of our competition’s favorite wines
Tri-Valley Conservancy refunded all ticket purchases on June 18th. If you have not received your ticket refund, please reach out to droberts@trivalleyconservancy.org
Thank you for your support and generosity through this difficult time. We hope to see you all next year!
What is UNCORKED?
UNCORKED is a local wine competition consisting of wines made from grapes grown in Livermore Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA). Local wineries are invited to submit their wines based on the criteria. There are two rounds of judging and 12 wine categories. The first consists of a cohort of experienced local winemakers who blind taste/screen the submitted wines over a 3-day consecutive period. The selected wine then advance to the medal round where professional judges of various wine industry backgrounds blind taste and decide the awards given to each wine. Winning wines will be announced at a later date and you will have the opportunity to bid on a Best in Class case of wine of this year’s winners as well as a wine experience for 8 with the Best in Show winning winemaker!
Varietal Categories:
- Rosé
- Dry White, excluding Chardonnay (includes SB)
- Chardonnay ($30.00 or less)
- Chardonnay (above $30.00)
- Italian/Spanish Varietals (eg. Primitivo/Zinfandel, Barbera, Tempranillo, etc.)
- Petite Sirah
- Merlot
- Other Red Varietals (at least 75%)
- Cabernet Franc
- Cabernet Sauvignon ($40.00 or less)
- Cabernet Sauvignon (above $40.00)
- Red Blends
2020 Medal Round Judges: Jim Gordon, Laura Ness, Fred Swan
For questions about UNCORKED, advertising opportunities in the Official 2021 Livermore Valley UNCORKED Wine Guide, or custom sponsorship opportunities please contact Events Program Manager, Georgie Saucedo at 925-449-8706 or gsaucedo@trivalleyconservancy.org
Looking for the 2020 Livermore Valley Uncorked Wine Competition? Click here for more information!
*Photo Credit Alyssa Barber
Sponsored By
2019
Thank You All For Joining Us at This SOLD OUT Event!
It was standing room only as 360 wine lovers tasted ALL the best wines at 10th Annual Livermore Valley Uncorked on April 4th 2019! Guest’s enjoyed celebrating Livermore Valley Wine Country, while helping to preserve agricultural lands and open spaces in the Tri-Valley forever.
Check out photos by Michael White from our 10th Annual UNCORKED Celebrations in 2019 HERE.
If you would like to taste Livermore Valley’s Award-Winning wines yourself, take a look at our “Shopping List” of Livermore Valley’s TOP WINES!
To view all medal winners, click HERE
See the Judges’ bios here.
All proceeds benefited Tri-Valley Conservancy’s land programs.
The fun event included:
- Unlimited wine tasting
- Delicious hors d’ oeuvres
- Meeting the winemakers and growers
- Helping preserve more land
Guests of the VIP Winemaker Lounge Experience enjoyed:
- VIP Parking & entrance
- Private Butler-Passed Hor d’ oeuvres Reception from Beets Hospitality Group
- Hand-picked wines from Host Winemakers at each table
- First to taste the Award-Winning Wines
- Bananas Fosters Flambe Dessert Station
Sponsored by
2018
Guests tasted ALL the best wines at 9th Annual Livermore Valley Uncorked on April 12th 2018. Their palates thanked them. And so will wildlife and future generations, because guests helped to preserve more land in the Tri-Valley forever.
If you’d like to taste all of the Best wines from the Livermore Valley for yourself, check out our fresh Wine Shopping List here.
Guests Enjoyed
- Unlimited wine tasting
- Delicious hors d’ oeuvres
- Meet the winemakers and growers
- Help preserve more land
2018 Tickets SOLD OUT! Thank you very much for your support!
VIP Winemaker Lounge Experience – SOLD OUT
New in 2018, our guests also had the opportunity to enjoy a more private and intimate VIP experience. The VIP lounge provided a table hosted by one of our principal winery representatives with exclusive wines, distinct cuisine, and wine tasting expertise to enhance your winetasting journey.
- Unlimited wine tasting
- Delicious hors d’ oeuvres
- Meet the winemakers and growers
- Help preserve more land
PLUS - VIP Lounge
- Dedicated Elite Winery Host
- Exclusive Wines
- Special Pairing Menu
Proceeds were donated to Tri-Valley Conservancy’s land programs.
Sponsored by
2017
More than 80 local wines were blind tasted and judged at the 8th annual Livermore Valley Uncorked Competition, which meant the next day everyone was invited to taste the best of the best at the Livermore Valley Uncorked Celebration!
You made this the best Livermore Valley Uncorked yet! About 300 guests including wine lovers, winemakers, winegrowers, and Tri-Valley Conservancy supporters enjoyed unlimited wine tasting accompanied by delicious hors d’ oeuvres and the awards which were presented by Master of Ceremonies Supervisor Scott Haggerty. Tickets for the Celebration sold out a week before the event! We are grateful for all of the support! Proceeds from the Celebration benefited Tri-Valley Conservancy’s land programs.
If you didn’t get a chance to taste all of the best wines from the Livermore Valley, you can find them on our complimentary Wine Shopping List here.
Check out all of the 2017 competition’s Ribbon-Winning wines here.
You can see the 2017 Livermore Valley Uncorked Photo Gallery here.
Sponsored by
2016
Congratulations to all of our amazing wineries! You can view all of the 2016 Ribbon-Winning Wines here! If you’d like to make a few of these award winning Livermore Valley wines yours, here’s the 2016 Shopping List to help!
You can see photos from last year’s Livermore Valley Uncorked Celebration in the event gallery here.