Tri-Valley Conservancy’s Annual

Livermore Valley UNCORKED!

2021 12th Annual Livermore Valley UNCORKED

Tri-Valley Conservancy’s Livermore Valley UNCORKED is an annual wine competition where local wineries are invited to submit their best wines. What makes this competition unique is that the submitted wines are crafted from grapes grown in the Livermore Valley American Viticulture Area (AVA). The purpose of UNCORKED is to promote the excellence of Livermore Valley American Viticulture Area wines.

The competition has three components: Initial Winemaker Round Judging, Medal Round Judging, and the Celebration. The Winemaker Round will be held March 29-31, 2021. Four wines per day are blindly tasted and determined whether a wine will move forward to the medal round. The Medal Round Judging will take place in April (date TBD). A small, experienced cohort of professional judges take part in this round. It is here that the medal rankings, best in class, and best in show are determined via blind tasting. The final component is the Celebration where the winners are announced and guests are able to sample ALL of the medal winning wines and enjoy amazing food by Beets Hospitality. The Celebration will be held on Thursday, May 20th at the Palm Event Center in Pleasanton, CA.

Varietal categories this year:

Rosé
Dry White, excluding Chardonnay (includes SB)
Chardonnay ($35.00 or less)
Chardonnay (above $35.00)
Petite Sirah
Merlot
Other Red Varietals (at least 75%)
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Sauvignon ($40.00 or less)
Cabernet Sauvignon (above $40.00)
Rhone
Bordeaux

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 gsaucedo@trivalleyconservancy.org

*Photo credit Kerry McGehee

Congratulations to our 2020 UNCORKED winners!

Looking for the SHOPPING LIST?

The Tri Valley Conservancy is pleased to announce the results of its annual wine competition, “Livermore Uncorked!”, which celebrates its 11^th 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 BUY

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 BUY

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 18^th. 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

Looking for the 2020 Livermore Valley Uncorked Wine Competition? Click here for more information!

*Photo Credit Alyssa Barber

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

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.