2024 Official Judges Dinner

Hosted By:

Bricoleur Vineyards

Bricoleur Vineyards
Bricoleur Vineyards

Bricoleur Vineyards is a destination for friends and family to gather around our table to enjoy exceptional wine and food in a stunning and relaxed environment. We strive to make each vintage, bite, and memory better than the last. We are proud to create a place where people can build life-long relationships, living each moment to its fullest, through toasts and laughter.


Judges unwind at winery known for culinary experiences

By Carey Sweet

Judges enjoy wine and appetizers at the Official Judges Dinner at Bricoleur Vineyards in Windsor.
Judges enjoy wine and appetizers at the Official Judges Dinner at Bricoleur Vineyards in Windsor. (PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEULNER)

After tasting hundreds of wines over four days, the more than 50 judges at the 2024 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition really did not need to tip another glass. Yet the annual celebratory dinner is a highlight of their week, always held at a notable Sonoma or Napa winery, and resplendent with a wine reception, followed by a multi-course feast paired with fine wine and more fine wine.

This evening isn’t work, however, but an opportunity to savor. Instead of meticulously analyzing each sip to determine which of the more than 5,700 wines entered in the competition this year would take home honors ranging from the grand prize Sweepstake award, to Double Gold, Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, judges can relax. It’s a time to give their spouses and guests a peek at the competition glamour, while inevitably, talking more wine shop with their colleagues.

Founder Mark Hanson talks about opening Bricoleur Vineyards with his wife,Elizabeth, at the judges dinner in the Windsor winery’s contemporary tasting room.
Founder Mark Hanson talks about opening Bricoleur Vineyards with his wife, Elizabeth, at the judges dinner in the Windsor winery’s contemporary tasting room.

This year’s venue was another draw for wine professionals across the country that had not yet seen Bricoleur Vineyards in Windsor. The grand, 39-acre estate debuted in March of 2020 before having to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contemporary tasting hall and state-of-the-art kitchen is outfitted with a full culinary and food service license, and now is known for its elaborate experiences like Rooted, a six-course seated feast that showcases produce from the winery’s on-site gardens.

From left, Tony Lawrence, Jamie Knee and Helena Welsh clink glasses before they join otherjudges at the dinner hosted by Bricoleur Vineyards in Windsor
From left, Tony Lawrence, Jamie Knee and Helena Welsh clink glasses before they join other judges at the dinner hosted by Bricoleur Vineyards in Windsor

James Beard Award-winning celebrity Chef Charlie Palmer is a consultant. Culinary Director Thomas Bellec co-directs, following a long career with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. And Executive Chef Todd Knoll leads, drawing on nearly two decades of work at Jordan Vineyard & Winery in Healdsburg.

Guests mingled and enjoyed appetizers of rich bisque (its wild mushrooms and fennel were hand-foraged on the coast by Knoll), plus Tsar Nicoulai smoked sturgeon rillette and roe on crostini while sipping Bricoleur’s new Isla Rose Brut Rosé.

They applauded when Bricoleur co-winemaker Bob Cabral (known for his Williams Selyem, Three Sticks and Bob Cabral Wines) teased the judges with an observation that might seem obvious: “I’ve been in your shoes, and you guys are maniacs, tasting 5,000 wines in a week. That’s insane.”

Competition Executive Director Bob Fraser agreed that the competition is always an amazing feat. He and his son Scott Fraser have been handling the competition since its inception and know every component and challenge, including all the judges and what they undertake.

“Tonight is dedicated to you, the judges, who put in not only so many miles of travel to get here, but then, we ask you taste more than 5,500 wines,” Fraser said. “I know it’s exhausting, so we thank you and applaud you.”

Then Bricoleur owner Mark Hanson gave a little background, explaining that he and his wife, Elizabeth Hanson, started making wine in 2017, and the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition was the first competition they had ever entered. Since then, they have grown from producing four wines to 18 and take-home medals every year, including a Double Gold this year for their 2022 Kick Ranch Sauvignon Blanc.

Left: Judges enjoy a multi-course dinner at Bricoleur Vineyards in Windsor. Right: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Executive Director Bob Fraser welcomes the crowd and thanks the judges, his staff and volunteers for making the competition a success.
Left: Judges enjoy a multi-course dinner at Bricoleur Vineyards in Windsor. Right: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Executive Director Bob Fraser welcomes the crowd and thanks the judges, his staff and volunteers for making the competition a success.

“Wine competitions take teams of talented judges to agree on wines, and I find that kind of rating is actually better than an individual wine writer,” he said. “In the distribution world and restaurants, some rely on (magazine ratings), but to me, that’s one person’s opinion, on one day and depending on what mood they’re in. For me, if you get a Best in Class from a full panel of tasters, it feels like it’s a better award and more exposure.”

Hosting the dinner gives winery staff the opportunity to meet influential judges one-on-one and share their stories, he explained. Since all the competition’s wines are tasted blind (meaning judges have no idea which brands they’re sampling), relationships have no bearing on who gets medals, but it helps the producing and media/ industry communities understand each other.

San Francisco Chronicle Publisher and CEO Bill Nagel speaks before the judges have dinner at Bricoleur Vineyards.
San Francisco Chronicle Publisher and CEO Bill Nagel speaks before the judges have dinner at Bricoleur Vineyards.

“Some of the judges are local, others are from all over the country,” Hanson said. “This way, when they visit, they can learn what we’re doing. We’re still the new kid on the block, and we’re trying to get national food and wine recognition by producing award-winning wines and culinary events.”

To create the dinner menu, Knoll and the team started planning a few weeks in advance inspired by seasonal ingredients and the wines they chose to showcase. The wines are chosen first, and then the dishes are adapted for complementing flavors and seasonings.

For dessert, a 2021 The Last Note was paired with a bundt cake.
For dessert, a 2021 The Last Note was paired with a bundt cake.

So a 2022 Russian River Valley Estate Chardonnay was matched with a tart winter citrus and fennel salad tossed in lacto-fermented persimmon and plenty of salt. The key was that the Chardonnay is unoaked so it was light and lemon-y alongside the brightly flavored greens.

Then came a hunk of short rib, the lush fattiness designed, Knoll said, to “push the fruit up” of a new Bricoleur wine, a rich, soft 2021 Le Rumeur red blend of Syrah and Zinfandel. A knob of wood-fire roasted sunchoke root brought earthy notes, accented with sweet carrots, quinoa, shallots and a drizzle of huckleberry truffle jus.

Dessert brought personal-size bundt cakes, house made with brown butter and a touch of rum then slathered in salted vanilla caramel and passion fruit glaze. The wine; a 2021 The Last Note, a delicately sweet late harvest wine boasting aromatics of yuzu, honeysuckle and dried pineapple.

For Bricoluer, such exposure like the Official Judges Dinner event is key to its success, Hanson said. The young winery only launched its distribution business last January — it’s in four states now and working its way into restaurants.

“We want to get in front of wine professionals, sommeliers and such,” added Knoll. “Think about the exponential growth we can have by holding a dinner like this. Besides being a good neighbor (by offering our service and space), each one of those judges is going to talk to so many people about what they find here.”


  • 2024 Official Judges Dinner Host: Bricoleur Vineyards

For winery inquiries of hosting the 2025 SFCWC Official Judges Dinner, contact Bob Fraser directly at redhillscab@gmail.com.

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