For each San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, longtime wine writer Mike Dunne tastes and jots notes on the best-of-class wines. For the competition in 2025, Mike first tasted each of the 150 best-of-class wines and then trimmed this wide field to those most notable entries of the 55 wines that went into the concluding sweepstakes round. His tasting notes are based on his extensive wine knowledge and writing experience.
Mike Dunne, who has been writing of wine in Northern California for 50 years, is the author of “The Signature Wines of Superior California: 50 Wines that Define the Sierra Foothills, the Delta, Yolo and Lodi.” In the book, Mike traces the evolution of the modern wine trade about Sacramento through 50 wines that represent character, quality, value and pivotal developments in grape varieties, wine styles, appellations and personalities during that span. When he isn’t writing of wine and travel for various publications and platforms, including his website SignatureWines.us, Mike frequently judges at wine competitions across the United States. He and his wife Martha, also a wine judge, reside in Sacramento, California.
| Category | Best of Class Wine | Tasting Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blanc de Blancs |  Domaine Chandon NV California Carneros Vineyard By the Bay Reserve | Five classes of sparkling wine compete at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. The competition's 2025 edition drew a total 173 entries. Two of the five best-of-class winners were made by the same winery, Napa Valley's Domaine Chandon. One was this By the Bay, made almost entirely with Chardonnay. Sparkling wine and popcorn are natural companions, but when popping kernels for a bowl to serve with By the Bay also have on hand some Parmigiano-Reggiano and black pepper to mix with it. By the Bay has the insistent bubbles, lean muscularity and buttery texture to go with popcorn that includes all that, each element joyously reinforcing the other. By the way, the label says "methode traditionale," not "methode champenoise," but they must be the same, or at least close, given that the yeastiness and suggestions of brioche in By the Bay make it more Champagne than the usual California sparkling wine. | |
| Blanc de Noirs |  * Sparkling Sweeps Winner * - Domaine Chandon NV California Blanc de Pinot Noir | For the second straight year, Domaine Chandon's Blanc de Pinot Noir not only topped its class, but it was also anointed the top overall sparkling wine in the final sweepstakes round of the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Credit its profile and thrust, as sleek and throaty as a Lamborghini. It is dry and crisp, with a lacy curtain of beads, biting citric fruit, firm acidity and trailing suggestions of gunflint and fir. The wine is largely Pinot Noir, but it also includes a generous portion of Pinot Meunier (16 percent). While generally unheralded Pinot Meunier plays a significant role in refined sparklers, only rarely is it given this much responsibility. The combination clearly works to the benefit of wine consumers. | |
| Brut | Roederer Estate NV Anderson Valley Brut | A sparkling wine of grace and grit, coyness and candor, fruit and fortitude, the Roederer speaks to the distinctive agrarian heritage of Mendocino County's Anderson Valley, not only in its suggestion of crisp and juicy apples but the valley's tradition of proud and careful stewardship. The wine consists of 60 percent Chardonnay, 40 percent Pinot Noir. This is a sparkling wine whose rare authority shouldn't be given over to launching ships but to toasting marriages, anniversaries, retirements, births and the like, or maybe just Wednesday's dinner. | |
| Rose Sparkling | Twin Rocks 2023 Sierra Foothills Sparkling Rosé | California's Sierra Foothills are recognized for red wines of heft and muscle, and those same attributes are seized in this earthy, fleshy, and exceptionally fruity sparkling rosé, made solely with Grenache, an increasingly prominent player in California's Gold Country. It is cast in a fetching orange-tinged pink and is startling in its suggestions of strawberries dusted with cinnamon and nutmeg. | |
| Fruit and Other Sparkling | Barefoot Bubbly NV Moscato Spumante | If summertime refreshment is what you seek, shaved ice in any number of flavors is one option, but the wine equivalent would be this fragrant and fizzy Barefoot Bubbly, loaded with tropical fruit and engaging brio. | |
| Sauvignon Blanc/Fume - Up to - $19.99 | St. Francis 2023 Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc | An uncommonly elegant Sauvignon Blanc, capturing cantaloupe and melon in full ripeness, spicing them up with just a dash of salt and pepper, and delivering it all with mouth-watering vigor and exceptional balance and longevity. | |
| Sauvignon Blanc/Fume - $20.00 - $24.99 |  La Mesa 2024 Amador County Sauvignon Blanc | Sauvignon Blanc at its best should be charming, energetic and versatile at the table, and the La Mesa is all that. It stood out from its 34 competitors in the class for its persistent finish. Sauvignon Blancs just don't commonly last on the palate this long; think of a champion trampoline artist who continues to bounce and bounce and bounce. Off the trampoline, it has the verve and acidity to go head-to-head with chicken enchiladas finished with salsa verde. | |
| Sauvignon Blanc/Fume - $25.00 - $ 29.99 | Gracianna 2023 Russian River Valley Kiwi's Blend Sauvignon Blanc | Ripe fruit and careful handling in the cellar add up to a Sauvignon Blanc of swagger and sass, its fruit running to suggestions of pomegranate and peach more than kiwis. | |
| Sauvignon Blanc/Fume - $30.00 - $34.99 | Veritas 2023 Virginia Monticello Sauvignon Blanc | Thomas Jefferson would be happy. The assurance and gusto of this Sauvignon Blanc confirms his confidence in Virginia as potential wine country. Up to now, Viognier has been widely seen as Virginia's signature white wine, but the focus and zest of this abiding Sauvignon Blanc will rattle that perception. The wine is frank, lithe, dry, citric and astonishingly persistent for a Sauvignon Blanc. Its perky acidity makes it a perfect match for raw oysters. | |
| Sauvignon Blanc/Fume - $35.00 and Over | Barrel Oak Winery 2023 Virginia Sauvignon Blanc | At the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, two of the five best-of-class Sauvignon Blancs were from Virginia, an unprecedented showing. (In all, 198 Sauvigon Blancs were in the competition.) The two Virginia winners were direct opposites in style, with the Barrel Oak the richer, riper, and rounder of the two, its fruit fleshy and saturating, its acidity zingy, making it ideal for Singapore stir-fried noodles with chicken, mushrooms and even some bits of bacon. | |
| Chardonnay - Up to - $15.99 | Easley 2023 American Chardonnay | The Easley winery occupies a former ice cream plant in downtown Indianapolis. It is Indiana's oldest winery, founded in the 1960s, when making and selling wine in Indiana still was prohibited, so the enterprising entrepreneurs went to work to successfully change the law, in the meantime investing in a winery in nearby Michigan. This Chardonnay bears an "American" appellation, indicating that the family still is looking beyond Indiana for grapes. Whatever the source, the wine is a blithe and pleasant take on the country's most popular white wine, its ripe fruit suggestive of apples and lemons, its French and American oak bringing gravitas and sweetness to an otherwise sprightly Chardonnay. | |
| Chardonnay - $16.00 - $20.99 |  Rodney Strong 2023 Sonoma County Chardonnay | One trend at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition in 2025 was the seeming rediscovery of "Sonoma County" as a stand-alone appellation, without further refinement to Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley and the like. Perhaps more winemakers are recognizing that if they draw grapes from more than one sub-appellation in the county the blend will be more complex and compelling than if the wine relied solely on one area. If that's the inspiration, it works with this Rodney Strong Chardonnay, which rounds up all the fruits asociated with the Chardonnay family - tropical, apple, citrus - and delivers them in a tidy and vivacious package. The wine skates across the palate with drive and spice, and lingers long and refreshingly. If roast chicken stuffed with assorted herbs and lemon is on the table, so should be this Rodney Strong Chardonnay. | |
| Chardonnay - $26.00 - $29.99 |  Storrs 2022 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay | While oak from barrel fermentation courses through the wine with strong currents of smoke and char, the inherest richness of Chardonnay from Santa Cruz Mountains balances the wood. The overall character of the wine packs just the richness to complement a gooey blend of Cheddar, beans and tempered chile peppers, to be scooped up with tortilla chips. | |
| Chardonnay - $30.00 - $ 34.99 |  Trump 2022 Monticello Estate Reserve Chardonnay | When the votes were counted, Trump won again, though judges didn't know the identities of any of the 54 contenders in the class. The Trump won best of class on the strength of its vigor, engaging suggestions of lemony fruit, a faint thread of leafiness, and ample French oak. A Chardonnay of embracing charm, ideal for swordfish just off the grill and topped with a salsa of cucumbers, olives, onion and capers. | |
| Chardonnay - $35.00 - $37.99 | Jeff Runquist 2023 Napa Valley Los Carneros Sisters Vineyard Chardonnay | With its strut and sass, this Jeff Runquist take on cool-climate Chardonnay out of the Carneros district is the equivalent of a Reyn Spooner Hawaiian shirt designed to highlight all the color and variety of tropical fruit - splashes of guava, mango, pineapple, lychee and the like abound from collar to tail. The fit is perfect - dry, balanced, and refreshing with somersaulting acidity. | |
| Chardonnay - $43.00 - $46.99 |  Roche 2023 Carneros Chardonnay | Don't let the fine print on the front label scare you - "American Oak Reserve." The 2023 Roche Carneros Chardonnay is neither excessively ripe nor excessively heavy on oak, though the timber is ample enough to please Chardonnay fans who expect a beam or two in their juice. The wine is a first-rate example of astute winemaking at its most astute, with the apple notes of Carneros Chardonnay, the creaminess of oak, and the snap of cool-climate acid all woven together into a refreshingly vital and entertaining Chardonnay. Few Chardonnays combine both authority and grace in such equal measure. | |
| Chardonnay - $47.00 and Over | Stone Mason Cellars 2022 Mendocino County Harmon Family Reserve Chardonnay | By its forthright power, this Chardonnay reinforces Mendocino County's stature as a land of resolve, independence, frankness and complexity. It is fresh and charming, its seductiveness due in no small part to the sweetness and spice brought to its layered fruit by long aging in French oak barrels. Don't shy from pouring it with chicken in a spicy peanut sauce. | |
| Viognier - Up to - $26.99 |  Seka Hills 2023 California Capay Valley Viognier | Capay Valley's early winemaking history was marked by grand ambition followed by abrupt disappointment, but maybe that's because its pioneers didn't plant Viognier, which has evolved into the focused and frisky signature wine of the appellation. With its fresh suggestions of honeysuckle and peaches, its spicy mid-palate, its punctuating acidity, and its long, long, long finish, the Seka Hills points to a more successful future for the far-flung and isolated Capay Valley. | |
| Viognier $27.00 and Over |  English Newsom Cellars 2023 Texas High Plains Reserve Viognier | Fermenting Viognier in stainless-steel tanks with staves of toasted Hungarian and French oak represents thinking outside the box with playful daring, but Steve and Cindy Newsom's plunge into the novel paid off with a Viognier with a bit more structure and complexity than usual, but without interfering with the grape's telltale suggestions of peach and honeysuckle, along, in this instance, with sizzling citrus, mainly lemon. That vibrant fruit, coupled with searing acidity, makes this Viognier a splendid companion with Delia Smith's roasted cod topped with a tapenade of sun-dried tomatoes. | |
| Pinot Gris/Grigio - $20.00 and Over | Verterra Winery 2023 Michigan Lelanau Peninsula Pinot Grigio | No thin Pinot Grigio this. Must be the challenge of growing vitis vinifera grapes in such a fiercely cold climate that accounts for a Pinot Grigio of unusual spine, weight and fortitude, all without sacrificing the grape's fruity magic.The result is a buoyant, lemony, and rarely layered Pinot Grigio with the poise to accompany a range of foods from the simple delight of raw oysters to complicated crab cakes with red-pepper remoulade. | |
| Semillon; Vignoles; Muscat; and Picpoul Blanc |  Dove Ridge Winery 2023 Texas Parker County Dove Ridge Vineyards Picpoul Blanc | Chiseled from limestone soil just west of Fort Worth, the Dove Ridge Picpoul Blanc represents place in its dry angularity and grape in its "lip stinging" acidity. No balm needed, however, for the acidity is not as fierce as that phrase suggests, though the wine does deliver the kind of lemony zest that needs to be in play when the table is set with sesame noodles tossed with corn, basil and cucumber. | |
| Chenin Blanc; and Grenache Blanc |  Silt Wine Company 2023 Clarksburg Wilson Vineyard Utter Ranch Chenin Blanc | If anyone ever nominates Chenin Blanc to be California's official state white wine, lobbyists on its behalf should load legislators onto a caravan of buses and take them to Clarksburg just south of Sacramento for a tasting in the setting where the grape shines. After they tasted this unusually fragrant, clear, dry, and long take on the varietal, the vote in its favor would be unanimous. | |
| Albarino |  * White Sweeps Winner * - Las Positas 2023 Livermore Valley Estate Reserve Albarino | Livermore's reputation for producing white wines of character, structure and transparency is reaffirmed by the citric fruit, chiseled build and zippy acidity of the Las Positas Albarino, whose steely dryness makes the wine a perfect match with raw oysters. In the sweepstakes round of the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the Los Positas Albarino tied with one other entry as best white wine in the show. | |
| Fiano; Vermentino; Pinot Blanc; Traminette |  Castello di Amorosa 2023 California Vermentino | This is why Vermentino is grabbing the attention of California vintners: At its best, as here, Vermentino can be a white wine of thrust and kick, exceptionally beckoning in its floral aroma and exceptionally compelling on the palate for its suggestions of grapefruit and peach. Order a bottle when seared scallops are on the menu. | |
| Roussanne; Marsanne; Gruner Veltliner | Aurora Cellars 2022 Michigan Leelanau Peninsula Gruner Veltliner | "Gruner Veltliner" could translate as "refreshing wine," at least in this instance. What makes it so is the wine's chiming grapefruit and peach aroma and flavor, hint of white pepper, lean build, and dynamic acidity. It is laser-like in its focus, ripping right to a solid core of pure fruit. | |
| Verdelho; Trebbianno; Petit Manseng; and Malvasia Bianca |  Las Positas 2024 Livermore Valley Estate Reserve Verdelho | For the second straight year, a Las Positas Verdelho emerged as the best Verdelho at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, and it was no small class. In all, 31 American interpretations of the Iberian peninsula grape were entered. As before, the Las Positas is forthright in tempting fruity aroma, expansive in its projection of melon flavors, and ticklish with spice, most from the green-herb side of the kitchen cabinet. | |
| Gewurztraminer |  Ferrante 2023 Grand River Valley Gewurztraminer | Glaciars that left behind the Great Lakes also left behind soils ideal for sustaining grapevines capable of yielding equally great wines. Exhibit one is the Ferrante 2023 Grand River Valley Gewurztraminer, which delivers a veritable garden of lush flowers, many of them members of the rose family. Orchards of lychee, peach and grapefruit are at play in the wine's flavor. Don't hesitate to servie this Gewurztraminer with a grilled-cheese sandwhich, with or without kimchi, it possesses that sort of tenacity and versatility. | |
| Riesling- Dry <.99 RS |  * White Sweeps Winner * - V. Sattui 2023 Napa Valley Mount Veeder Napa Valley Dry Riesling | For its command, drive and focus - to say nothing of its welcome suggestion of petrol - here is a California Riesling that would be more at home on Germany's autobahn than Napa Valley's Highway 29. A cluster of peaches could be this vehicle's grille emblem. No one is going to suggest that farmers on Mount Veeder start to tear out grapes for which it is better known - Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah - and replace them with Riesling, but given the joy of this take, which went on to tie for best white wine at the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, a few more acres might not be a bad idea. | |
| Riesling Medium Dry 1.0-2.00 RS | Integrity 2023 Santa Lucia Highlands Riesling | Lush peachy fruit, plush texture, gentle sweetness, and an underscore of revitalizing acidity add up to a Riesling ready for duty to accompany and flatter all the varied colors, flavors and weights of dishes at a Cantonese banquet marking the Lunar New Year. | |
| Riesling Medium Sweet to Sweet- 2.1 RS and Over | V. Sattui 2023 California Off-Dry Riesling | From a field of 19 contenders, the V. Sattui rose to the top of the class for its abiding freshness, resonating peachiness, and expansive mouthfeel. Yes, it is decidedly sweet, but the sugar is balanced with ticklish acidity. A wine to savor from the saggy comfort of a hammock as the heat of a summer day recedes. | |
| White Native American and Hybrids |  Lady Slipper 2023 Minnesota Rolling Forks Vineyard La Crescent | La Crescent is a white grape developed by breeders at the University of Minnesota to withstand the Midwest's frigid climate. (It is named after a Minnesota town.) The breeding worked, with La Crescent wines becoming a frequent award-winner on the competition circuit since the grape was patented in 2004. The Lady Slipper is a textbook take on the varietal, the wine luscious and lively, its honeyed sweetness running to apricot and peach, with touches of musat and spice. | |
| Other White Varietals |  Lewis Grace 2024 Alta Mesa Torrontes | Torrontes can be a peculiar wine, putting off some people with its frequent soapiness. That won't be an issue with the Lewis Grace, which captures the variety's enticing floral aromatics and sweet fruit with vigor and persistence. No suds in this wine, but there sure is a patch of assorted heritage melons. Alta Mesa, incidentally, is a sub-appellation of the Lodi American Viticultural Area. | |
| White Blends - $23.00 - $30.99 |  Dos Mariposas 2023 Oregon Rogue Valley Tumbleweed White | "Tumbleweed" is the nickname of a young member of the family that owns Dos Mariposas, a nod to his untethered drift and bounce about the home spread. The name fits the wine, as well. A blend of Muscat and Chardonnay, it is a frolicsome white redolent with the aroma of a rose garden, threaded with minerality, and perky with spice. It is sweet, but far from cloying thanks to its hustling acidity. | |
| Dry Rose - 0 RS Up to $29.99 | Pleiades 2023 Mendocino Gibson Ranch Sangiovese Rosé | American vintners slowly are coming to the realization that Sangiovese's most impressive role when it is grown in the United States is as a rollicking pink wine. That pretty much sums up the appeal of the Pleiades - brilliant color, balanced build, forthright fruit, a hint of minerality, a whisper of caramel, a piercing acidity, and an astonishly persistent finish. | |
| Dry Rose - 0 RS $30.00 and Over | * Rose Sweeps Winner * - Eberle 2024 Paso Robles Cotes-Du-Robles Grenache Rose | One of the younger wines at the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the Eberle nonetheless possesses maturity, balance and clout, filling the mouth with flamboyant suggestions of pomegranate, watermelon, orange rind, and raspberries, all accented with minerality and zesty acidity. It has the cockiness to be perfectly at home with tamales of carnitas and green chile peppers, seeds and veins removed. The Eberle sailed to the competition's sweepstakes finale, where it beat out six other pink contenders for best blush. | |
| Dry Rose - .001 - .099 RS Up to $25.00 | Justin Vineyards & Winery 2023 Central Coast Rosé | Load the picnic basket with slices of mortadella, clam dip with tortilla chips, a couple of slices of vegetarian quiche, and whatever else grabs your fancy, for this dry, fragrant, and brassy rosé has, well, the brass to add just the right notes of refreshing fruit, barbed acidity and delicate spice to enliven a wide range of fun foods. | |
| Dry Rose - .001 - .099 RS $25.99 and Over |  Acquiesce 2023 Lodi Mokelumne River Estate Grenache Rosé | With this laser beam of strawberry and raspberry fruit draped on a wiry but sturdy frame, Susan Tipton and Christina Lopez of Acquiesce again show that Lodi can be counted on for pink wines of breezy acumen as much as it is recognized for reds of muscle and force. The come-hither aroma beckons with an alluring if brief hint of earthiness that speaks to the depth and richness of the soils of the Mokelumne River district. Visit the Acquiesce website and you will find all sorts of recipes to accompany the wine, starting with the gazpacho of almonds, garlic, bread, olive oil and sherry vinegar. | |
| Dry Rose - .1 - .299 RS | Rodney Strong 2023 Sonoma Coast Rosé of Pinot Noir | Sonoma Coast appears to be the place to get fully mature Pinot Noir strung with stinging acidity, a combination that makes this dry and angular rosé a splendid match for a broth choppy with clams and scented with lemon grass. | |
| Dry Rose - .3 - .99 RS |  Sonoma-Cutrer 2023 Russian River Valley Rosé of Pinot Noir | Whether the occasion be solemn or playful, this Sonoma-Cutrer rosé will be perfectly at home. It is dry and lean, with a current of minerality, but also vivid with fresh strawberry fruit, all backed with focused acidity. | |
| Dry/Sweet Rose - 1.00 and Over RS |  Gervasi Family Reserve NV Lascito "Live Your Legacy" Frontenac Gris | What the University of Minnesota lacks in breeding football champions it more than compensates with what it breeds in championship-caliber wine grapes. Frontenac Gris is one of them, and one of several of the university's grape varieties to win best of class at the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Frontenac Gris was bred to resist frigid temperatures, and in the hands of the folks at Gervasi of Canton, Ohio, it transports wine enthusiasts to the heat and humidity of a South American carnaval - fruit flavors that dance athletically, a sweetness that makes it fitting for fritters, feathery acidity, masked tannins. In short, one fun wine. | |
| Pinot Noir - Up to - $17.99 | Castle Rock 2022 Central Coast Pinot Noir | Castle Rock Winery, long recognized as one of the more reliable brands for high-value Pinot Noir, delivers again with this best of class. The wine is light in color, lithe in build, modest in tannin, its uptown fruit running to suggestions of rhubarb and cranberry, its sweetness and acidity just present enough for the wine to complement easily a low-key stir fry. | |
| Pinot Noir - $18.00 - $24.99 | Bishop's Peak 2023 San Luis Obispo Coast Pinot Noir | Note the "San Luis Obispo Coast" on the label, a sign that this Pinot Noir is from the cooler side of San Luis Obispo County, but even if you don't see that on the label you will tell at first taste that here is a Pinot from the kind of cooler setting in which the grape shines, delivering fresh strawberry fruit, reserved tannins, exquisite balance, and an acidity that snaps like sails on a catamaran just off, well, the San Luis Obispo coast. | |
| Pinot Noir - $30.00 - $35.99 |  Balletto 2021 Russian River Valley Estate Pinot Noir | With finesse and layering, the Balletto shows why Russian River Valley is so highly regarded for Pinot Noir - brilliant color, medium weight, lively acidity, and suggestions of cherries and strawberries that come across as both lush and imperative. When you visit the winery, get in touch with nearby Bianchi Catering Co. and order the butternut farro salad with blood-orange vinaigrette, sauteed haircots verts, and garlic- and herb-roasted potatoes, just the spread to accompany this vivid and versatile Pinot Noir. | |
| Pinot Noir - $36.00 - $41.99 | Outer Bound 2022 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir | A delicate take on Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, not sacrificing the region's characteristic fresh berry fruit but delivering it with exceptional elegance. | |
| Pinot Noir - $53.00 - $57.99 | Grand Scheme 2023 Carneros Barnhouse Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir | If the Grand Scheme were a sheep - the first crop to bring attention to Carneros - it would win a blue ribbon in the livestock show at the county fair for its precise definition - sunny cherry/berry fruit hanging on a dependable frame. | |
| Pinot Noir - $58.00 - $64.99 |  Benziger Estate 2022 Russian River Valley Bella Luna Pinot Noir | Made with grapes grown biodynamically, "Bella Luna" is about as complete a Pinot Noir anyone will find, from its intense color through its lingering and caressing finish. Between start and end, the wine delivers classic mature and resonating berry fruit, a seam of spice, tannins big enough for it to stand up to foods more husky than commonly suggested for Pinot Noir, and acidity punctuating and bracing. | |
| Zinfandel - Up to - $24.99 | Macchia 2022 Lodi Old Vine "Ambiguous" Zinfandel | Odd name, for there's nothing about this wine that is "ambiguous" if you want to declare that Lodi old-vine Zinfandel is a treasure to preserve for this kind of flamboyant, frolicking and embracing berry fruit. It's juicy, fruity more than sweet, conservative in tannins, antic with acidity, and persevering in finish. | |
| Zinfandel - $50.00 - $56.99 |  Gracianna 2023 Russian River Valley Bacigalupi Vineyard Zinfandel | Gracianna 2023 Russian River Valley Bacigalupi Vineyard Zinfandel. Gracianna's Bacigalupi measures up to wine's loftiest command - "drink me" - with intense boysenberry fruit, a hint of watermelon, a dash of spice, and reinforcing yet polite tannins. All brilliant color, freshness, and agility. Don't flinch at pouring it with a skillet of chicken thighs gussied up with apricot and ginger; it has the assurance and versatility to play well with all that. | |
| Primitivo | Vina Moda 2020 Stanislaus County Primitivo | Husky yet balanced, the Vina Moda flies in the face of conventional wisdom that while the San Joaquin Valley does fine by everyday jug wines it can't put out "fine" wines. By its embracingly fragrant aroma, berry juiciness, complicating suggestions of tobacco and tar, solid tannins, and abiding spiciness the Vina Moda is everything anyone would want when they are putting on the table a Moroccan-spiced leg of lamb, even if accompanied with a relish of preserved lemon. | |
| Sangiovese - Up to - $39.99 |  Lava Cap 2023 El Dorado County Sangiovese | Svelte and acute, the Lava Cap Sangiovese comes about as close to Chianti Classico as anyone is apt to find in California. In addition to its angularity, it has many of the same characteristics that make Chianti Classico such an amiable companion at the dinner table - bright cherry fruit, a whippet spareness (all lean muscle, no fat), distant tannins, and edgy acidity. Bring on the gnocchi with pancetta and Parmigiano-Reggiano. | |
| Sangiovese - $40.00 and Over |  Tsillan Cellars 2022 Lake Chelan Estate Sangiovese | This wine could be the shutters of an old and venerated Italian estate, which when thrown open at dawn reveal an inviting Tuscan landscape, its morning mist withdrawing from an ancient vineyard affectionately tended for generations. Such is the transporting power of this Washington state Sangiovese, a dark, fragrant, strapping take on the varietal, packed with lush cherry/berry fruit, generous with oak, mellow in tannins. | |
| Barbera - $40.00 and Over |  * Red Sweeps Winner * - Val du Vino Winery 2022 Calaveras County Barbera | California's Sierra Foothills are identified most closely with Zinfandel, though Syrah, Grenache and most notably Barbera are challening Zinfandel's standing as the region's signature wine. That said, not much Barbera is grown in Calaveras County near the southern reaches of the foothills. That could change foillowing the showing of the Val du Vino Barbera at the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, where it tied for best red wine with a Grenache from Lodi. The Val du Vino Barbera stood out for the balance and clarity of the variety's telltale juicy cherry and berry fruit, insinuation of just enough oak to provide flirting diversion, a winking flash of anise, bashful tannins, chirpy acidity, and thin thread of sweetness. Yes, a more-than-usually complex Barbera, fitting for all the textures and flavors of a classic BLT. | |
| Dolcetto; Sagrantino; and Nebbiolo |  Fletcher Bay Winery 2021 Yakima Valley Sagrantino | At the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the class devoted to Dolcetto, Sagrantino, and Nebbiolo is one of the more difficult to evaluate, given the wide range of expression that can be found in any one of these grapes so closely identified with Italy. Despite that challenge, judges declared the best of class to be this Sagrantino, a black grape indigenous to Italy's Umbria region, but clearly at home in Washington state's Yakima Valley. It's inky and substantial, but with luscious texture, subdued tannins, uplifting acidity, and a fruitiness coming down on the Bing end of the cherry spectrum. Where would it fit in at the American table? Ring the dinner bell when black-bean chili, grilled eggplant or whole-wheat pasta with a mild sausage are on the menu, and then open a bottle. | |
| Graciano; Aglianico; and Touriga Nacional |  Trevor Grace 2023 El Dorado Estate Touriga | A zip line of a wine, soaring across a Sierra Foothill canyon with dazzling red fruit, a scream of minerality, and a blast of uplifting acidity. An echo of anise rings over the canyon. Tannins are left back on the launch pad. A platter of lingine tossed with olive oil, clams, and bacon better be waiting at the landing port. | |
| Montepulciano; Carignane; and Alicante Bouschet | Sunce 2021 San Francisco Bay Old Vines Carignane | The value of old vines is reaffirmed in the concentration and clarity of this Carignane, all sleek red fruit, suspended tannins and refreshing acidity. | |
| Syrah/Shiraz - Up to - $37.99 |  Carmelo Vineyards 2022 Monterey Syrah | Carmello Vineyards occupies a former dude ranch in Carmel Valley, a lingering footprint of which is the subtle horseshoe on the label. That 1930s-era dude ranch also echos in this glorious Syrah, from the saddle-up alertness of its fruity aroma through its suggestions of bacon fat sizzling in a cast-iron skillet. It is more tenderfoot than hardened cowboy, however, in its gentle tannins, plush fruit and massaging finish. The menu at the dude ranch probably didn't include portobello-mushroom burgers, but if it did this would be the Syrah to join it at the chuckwagon, with or without Gorgonzola. | |
| Petite Sirah - Up to - $35.99 | Macchia 2022 California Petite Sirah | A Petite Sirah of unusual pep, evoking visions of a refreshing cherry cola, spiced up with dashes of pepper. It is deeply colored, but not at all foreboding, its tannins in retreat, its alcohol tempered, though high (15.1 percent). | |
| Petite Sirah - $45.00 and Over | William Robert 2021 Paso Robles Split Rock Ranch Petite Sirah | Petite Sirah customarily is broad-shouldered and weighty, but the William Robert is an uncommonly graceful take on the variety, capturing the grape's floral, fruity and spicy elements and delivering them seamlessly and refreshingly. That said, it will benefit with a couple of more years in the cellar to temper even more its stringent tannins. | |
| Mourvedre |  Sea Shell Cellars 2021 Paso Robles Estate Mourvedre | Mourvedre rarely is a charming wine, but it can have its own distinct appeal, tending to be more meaty than fruity, with suggestions of pork belly and truffles more than fruit. The Sea Shell strikes a happy balance between the blustery and the more mannerly takes of Mourvedre. It is light in color for a Mourvedre, but that is misleading for anyone wanting a representative of the varietal deep and enveloping. It is muscular and warm (15 percent alcohol), with ample fruit, so plan to serve it alongside a slab of succulent ribeye. | |
| Grenache - Up to - $39.99 |  * Red Sweeps Winner * - Rippey Family Vineyards 2023 Lodi Abba Vineyard Grenache | Husky with oak and sunny with fresh fruit suggestive of strawberries and pomegranates, the Rippey would be a crowd pleaser from the moment the cork is pulled for its exuberance, tenacity and flexibility at the table. One crowd it pleased was the judges of the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, where it tied with a Barbera for best red wine. And judges did that without pairing the wine with an Alice Waters pizza that includes onion confit and walnuts, for which it would be a gold-medal combination. | |
| Grenache - $40.00 and Over |  V. Sattui Winery 2021 Napa Valley Grenache | Grenache is gaining traction on the American wine scene - at the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition 51 were entered in this class alone, priced at least $40. Another class of Grenaches priced up to $40 drew 37 entries. Grenache can be interpreted in a wide range of expressions, from dense and weighty to lean and sublime, the latter being the camp where the V. Sattui dwells, providing consumers with a represenative of the varietal vibrant with suggestions of roses and pomegranates. Tannins are supple, the acidity zippy enough for the wine easily to accompany chicken thighs grilled with summer corn. | |
| Merlot - Up to - $24.99 | Tanist 2021 Sierra Foothills Indian Springs Merlot | Tanist 2021 Sierra Foothills Indian Springs Merlot: Juicy fruit and a firm oak backbone add up to a party-friendly Merlot, accessible and sweet enough to be enjoyed on its own at tailgate party but also with the structure and power to accompany a black-bean and sweet-potato burrito. | |
| Merlot - $25.00 - $32.99 |  McNab Family Reserve 2022 Mendocino Countdy Damiano Merlot | Plump plums with a flinty side, at once both juicy and minerally, just the ticket for short-rib ravioli. | |
| Merlot - 43.00 and Over | Sunce Winery & Vineyard 2021 Dry Creek Valley Alan Foppiano Vineyard Merlot | Sonoma County's Dry Creek Valley, so closely identified with Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon, also can turn out Merlots of moxie and style, as proven by this Sunce, a splashy parade of fruit - blackberries, cherries, plums - all set off against gentle tannins and a thread of licorice, all of which enhance its drinkability. | |
| Cab Sauv - Up to - $16.99 |  Collier Creek 2022 Lodi "Big Rooster" Cabernet Sauvignon | In addition to its best-of-class at the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, this "Big Rooster" has a lot to crow about - sweet fresh fruit, supple tannins, and an enduring balance that makes it fitting for tailgate parties with nachos and hot dogs on the menu. | |
| Cab Sauv - $17.00 - $22.99 |  St. Francis 2021 Sonoma County St. Francis Cabernet Sauvignon | In France, it's called garrigue, a dry shrubby setting; in California, it's called chaparral, a dry shrubby setting. The wines from either reflect a hardy, Mediterranean climate in the sparse purity of their developed fruit, layered complexity, electrifying core, and sustaining dryness. That's this St. Francis Cabernet Sauvigon, which also carries a tantalizing thread of mint. Serve with short-rib ravioli or a fry-up of fresh sausages and sweet pepper. | |
| Cab Sauv - $23.00 - $28.99 |  Shed Horn Cellars 2022 Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon | After a day of hunting for elk antlers, especially after a day that is cold, foggy, and wet, nothing would be more welcome back at the camp shack than a wine this comforting. It is all sweet berry fruit with enough spice to keep a tired party rejoicing deep into the night, regardless of whether they found any antlers. | |
| Cab Sauv - $47.00 - $52.99 |  Trestle Glen Vineyards 2021 Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon | A refreshingly complex Cabernet Sauvignon out of Sonoma Valley, capturing the full expression of the grape, from Bing cherry to mint. The structure is firm but yielding, tannins evident but unintimidating, acidity razor-sharp. Don't hesitate to serve with seared hanger steak topped with an herbal butter. | |
| Cab Sauv - $79.00 - $89.99 | Mission Peak Vineyards 2021 San Francisco Bay Cabernet Sauvignon | A celebration of pure cherry fruit accented with Cabernet Sauvignon's inherent herbalness. Polished, lean and dry, this is one elegant Cabernet Sauvignon, all brilliant sunshine above San Francisco Bay fog. | |
| Cab Franc - Up to - $34.99 |  Tanist 2022 Sierra Foothills Indian Springs Vineyard Cabernet Franc | In Scottish lore, the tanist was the heir apparent, entrusted with extending the family legacy by embracing risk and adventure. In California lore, that would be the Bogle family in the Sacramento/San Joaquin River Delta just south of Sacramento. Their winemaking chops were earned by tackling the uncertain (Chenin Blanc, Petite Sirah) and then delivering the results with consistent quality at high-value pricing. Tanist is one of their newer labels, Cabernet Franc one of their newer adventures. It's a Cabernet Franc confident and striding, delivering with alacrity cheery suggestions of juicy red-fleshed plums, plump blueberries, and tiny wild strawberries. Tannins are shy, acid is pointed, the structure limber. Roasted Cornish game hens not too heavy with Thai spices would be a fitting complement. | |
| Cab Franc - $35.00 - $49.99 | Philip Carter 2023 Virginia Nomini Hall Cabernet Franc | Each year, some wine region of North America seems to gain recognition for a disproportionate share of high awards at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. In 2025, it was Virginia, racking up major wins first with Sauvignon Blanc and here with Cabernet Franc. In a highly competitive class - 58 entries - the Nomini Hall emerged as best of class on the strength of its exquisite balance, suggestions of persimmons and leafy herbs just a little dried, reinforcing tannins that should round out with another year in the cellar, and uplifting acidity. Pair it with something traditional and stout, like prime rib, more on the rare side. | |
| Cab Franc - $50.00 and Over | Donati 2021 Paso Robles Estrella District Family Reserve Cabernet Franc | Grace and steel combine for a Cabernet Franc that leans into the cherry end of the varietal's flavor spectrum. The wine's balance, subtle complexity, forgiving tannins and stimulating acidity puts the Donati at the head of the table when fettuccine with wild mushrooms and pancetta is on the menu. | |
| Malbec - Up to - $38.99 |  Amelia Wynn 2021 Yakima Valley Verhay Vineyard Malbec | Inky in the tradition of Cahors, bursting with blackberry fruit, tantalizing with herbal notes, and firm with a tannic backbone, the Amelia Wynn is one grandiose interpretation of Malbec, with the muscle and drive to flatter crispy roast duck with a peppercorn sauce. | |
| Petit Verdot - $46.00 and Over | Fallbrook Winery 2021 South Coast 33 Degrees North Winemaker's Vineyard Collection #17 Estate Petit Verdot | A minor player in Bordeaux-inspired blends, Petit Verdot shows here that it has the spunk to shine quite well on its own, thank you. It's a wine of fresh, long-lingering berry fruit with supple tannins and sustaining acidity. | |
| Tannat and Carmenere |  Starfield 2022 El Dorado Estate Tannat | Tannat has a reputation for being brooding and rigid, but more and more examples are being turned out that run counter to that intimidating perspective. At the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle wine competition, the Starfield led the pack in shattering earlier perceptions by being a Tannat possessed of agility and decorum, its graceful berry fruit interwoven with beguiling suggestions of licorice and bacon. | |
| Tempranillo - Up to - $39.99 |  Jeff Runquist 2022 Amador County Shake Ridge Ranch Tempranillo | Ann Kraemer's Shake Ridge Ranch is high in the Sierra foothills of Amador County, a veritable golf course of vineyard greens surrounded by pine, oak, and manzanita. It is a shrubby, woodsy, rocky terrain seized in the wine's dark glistening color, oaky framework, and deep, resonating cherry/berry fruit. The wine may not be on the list of the Berkeley restaurant Chez Panisse, whose calzone of prosciutto, goat cheese and assorted herbs would be a joyous fit, so make it at home and settle in for a happy romp in the Mother Lode. | |
| Tempranillo - $40.00 and Over | Sunce 2022 Sierra Foothills Saureel Vineyard Gold Hill Tempranillo | Where is Tempranillo's Mother Lode? Must be California's Sierra Foothills. Out of 103 Tempranillos in the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, both best-of-class champions were from the central Mother Lode, including this fragrant, toasty, and leathery Sunce out of El Dorado County. (The other was the Runquist 2022 Amador County Shake Ridge Ranch Tempranillo.) | |
| Charbono and Teroldego |  Portalupi 2022 Mendocino County L. Venturi Vineyard Charbono | Deep in color, deep in fragrance, and deep in minty, brushy, fruity flavor, the Portalupi celebrates with aplomb and refinement a revered if rare California classic. | |
| Red Natives/Hybrid Varietals |  Sovereign Estate 2024 Minnesota Nouveau Marquette | Minnesota may be known for its frigid winters, but it also is gaining respect for its warm embrace of novel grape varieties, many of them bred at the University of Minnesota with the intent to both withstand icy winters and then deliver exceptionally sunny fruit in the summer. This Sovereign Estate Marquette - one of the cold-climate varieties developed at the University of Minnesota - has the pungency, fruit, build, sweetness and acid to accompany a platter of assorted brats. | |
| All Other Red Varietals | Alapay 2023 San Luis Obispo County Valdiguie | "All other red varietals" forms one of the more difficult yet exhilarating classes at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. It consists largely of entries made by winemakers with a deep affection for grapes historic, mysterious, eccentric - and with virtually no demand in the United States. Grapes, in short, appealing to winemakers of gumption, love and hope. A remarkable 56 of these unconventional varieties competed in this class at the 2025 competition. The Alapay Valdiguie shot to the top on the strength of its balanced dark fruit and accenting spice. | |
| Red Blend: Cab Sauv leading blend - Up to - $29.99 |  A Ghost of a Chance NV Napa Valley Usurper | What is Usurper usurping? The perception that a Bordeaux-inspired blend from Napa Valley has to be priced $100 or so if it is to be satisfying. Against that view comes Usurper, which for $28 delivers radiant and complex suggestions of cherries, chocolate and chalk underscored with a beguiling thread of Cabernet Sauvignon's traditional herbal notes. It has power, but it is from fruit, not tannin, alcohol, oak or over-ripeness. | |
| Red Blend: Merlot leading blend - Up to - $39.99 |  Sean Minor 2023 North Coast Nicole Marie Red Blend | A seamless and smart blend of mostly Merlot followed by Zinfandel and Petite Sirah, Nicole Marie succeeds on the strength of its sustaining and juicy cherry/plummy fruit, mannerly tannins, subtle complexity, and enduring balance. | |
| Red Blend: Syrah leading blend - Up to - $35.99 |  Michael David Winery Freakshow 2022 Lodi The Untamed and Refined Red Wine | Not at all as intimidating as its label, promotional material and blend suggests - Syrah, Petite Sirah, Souzao, Tannat - this Freakshow red is more refined than untamed, riveting with raspberry fruit, a fine dusting of peppery spice, and gently receding tannins. High in alcohol (15 percent), but neither hot nor sweet on the palate, its freshness, audacity and lilting balance would be at home with pork chile verde. | |
| Red Blend: Zinfandel leading blend |  Opaque 2020 Paso Robles Darkness | "Opaque" and "Darkness" suggest a wine dense, rich, strong and complex, and the blend reinforces that sense - Zinfandel, Primitivo, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot - all forceful and firm, just what you should epect when the varieties are grown in rugged and sizzling Paso Robles. Yet, "Darkness" isn't at all fearsome. Quite the contrary, as each of its potent principals were brought together with a sense of equilibrium and complement, resulting in a wine vigorous, joyous and spicy in its presentation of bright red fruit. Tannins are more flexible than stiff, the alcohol heady yet not imposing (14.9 percent), and the acidity reinforcing its place at the table, especially when the table includes a long simmered pot roast. | |
| Red Blend: Petite Sirah leading blend | Husch 2023 Mendocino Garzini Ranch Estate Old Vines Heritage | "Heritage" is a fitting name for this Petite Sirah-based blend, gathering in the glass an exquisitely executed watercolor of Mendocino's alluring landscape - redwood forest, morning fog, apple orchard, and, most of all, vineyards recognized for producing much of the more coherent Petite Sirah on the planet. | |
| Red Blend: Mourvedre leading blend | Pedernales Cellars 2021 Texas GSM Melange | This wine's crimson, orange, and blue tones suggest nothing less than a brilliant sunset over the Pedernales River in the Texas High Plains, followed by an equally brilliant blend of mostly Mourvèdre, complemented with Grenache and Syrah. The end result mimics the classic wines of France's Rhone Valley with beckoning fragrance, a diverting thread of gaminess, a suggestion of sagebrush, and most of all a bounty of sweet red fruits. | |
| Red Blend: Carignane; Graziano; Barbera; or Tannat leading blend | Ecluse 2022 Paso Robles Improv Carignane | The name "Improv" suggests carefully considered spontaneity, though in this case carefully consider spontaneity, given that the folks at Ecluse combined five grape varieties not often merged into one wine - Carignane, Merlot, Zinfandel, Tannat, and Syrah. Why not? Fear, maybe, that one would fight with the other. Here, however, the results are cohesive and smooth, the wine's texture silken, its fruit friendly with brightness and verve, its structure solid but not unyielding, especially if Cantonese moo goo gai pan - chicken, mushrooms, water chestnuts, snap peas, ginger - also was on the table. | |
| All Other Red Blends; Up to $34.99 | Bella Grace Vineyards 2020 Amador County Montagnaro | A blend of equal parts Zinfandel and Barbera, Montagnaro draws upon the berry fruit of the former and the crisp acid of the latter to provide the table with a steady, zesty red-fruit wine splendid for accompanying a long-simmered Irish stew. | |
| All Other Red Blends: $35.00 and Over | Amador Cellars 2019 Amador County Shenandoah Valley Miscela Italiana Family Reserve | Nearly all of Amador County's rambunctious Italian family - Primitivo, Aglianico, Barbera, Teroldego - is gathered joyfully in this tightly knit aria that sings reflectively of dusty granite soil, cooling summer evenings, and a gathering of pals under an oak circulating a platter of smoked pancetta as they pour one more glass. | |
| White Dessert/Late Harvest - RS >3.5 |  * Specialty Sweeps Winner * - Castello di Amorosa 2023 Mendocino County Anderson Valley Late Harvest Gewurztraminer | As rich, sweet and concentrated as this late-harvest Gewurztraminer may be, it streaks across the palate with vitality, thanks in large part to its high-pitched acidity. The fruit is all curling and flashing grapefruit, apple and lemon, concentrated to their essence by the "noble rot" botrytis cinerea. In the final sweepstakes round at the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the Castello di Amorosa was elected best specialty wine. | |
| Red Dessert - RS >3.5 |  Parallel 44 Vineyard & Winery Red Frosting Sweet Red | "Red Frosting" is made with the hybrid grape Frontenac, developed at the University of Minnesota to stand up to the Midwest's biting winters. In that respect, it is doing just fine, withstanding temperature dips as low as -35 degrees Fahrenheit. Thus, it should be right at home in Wisconsin, and apparently is, given that that is where Parallel 44 is based (Kewaunee). Balanced, nimble and festive, "Red Frosting" suggests nothing so much as a fresh baked raspberry cobbler, its sweetness respectful of the fruit, its acidity priming the palate for one more sip, and one more after that. | |
| Port - Up to - $35.99 |  New Clairvaux Vineyard California Vina Vino Dolce | A blueberry and boysenberry buckle baked by a loving grandmother who knows that if you fortified it up to 19.9 percent alcohol her guests would be delighted even if it was served without a scoop of vanilla ice cream. For the record, the wine was made with Petite Sirah and Syrah at Gov. Leland Stanford's old spread in Tehama County at the northern reaches of California's Sacramento Valley. | |
| Port - $36.00 and Over |  Villa Bellezza Upper Mississippi River Valley Itasca White Wine | Itasca, a relatively new cultivar developed by grape breeders at the University of Minnesota to weather the upper Midwest's brutal winters, Itasca produces here an exquisitely balanced, refreshingly sweet, and honeyed dessert wine that amounts to a bowl of mixed fruits - apple, quince, honeydew melon - in a Renaissance still life. Itasca is named after Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi River in northwestern Minnesota. Villa Bellezza is in Pepin, Wisconsin. | |
| Distilled/Fortified |  Llano Estacado Mad Ira's Verdelho Dessert Wine | Out of the Texas High Plains rides this buckskin-hued fortified dessert wine, its bracing complexity suggestive of a finely tooled saddle - thick leather, solid stitching, a caramel patina more than skin deep, and cute carvings suggestive of apples, apricots, hazelnuts, cashews and pecans. | |
| Wood Aged Cider |  Gowan's Heirloom Cider Anderson Valley Rosé Cider | Organically cultivated heirloom apples and oak-aged Pinot Noir, all grown in Mendocino's Anderson Valley, combine in this rare cider, a pink study of spice and snap, the distinctiveness of its airy apple flavor evoking the image of an old New England farmhouse flanked by a stately and affectionately tended orchard. A faint flourish of smoke rises from the farmhouse's chimney. | |
| All Other Cider | Gowan's Spiced Apple Cider | All sunshine and ripe apples, peeled, cored, spiced and ready to be mounded into a pie shell for holiday baking. | |
| Traditional Mead | Chaucer's Mead | Honeyed in color, texture and flavor, Chaucer's Mead long has set the standard for Renaissance Faire meads, all trumpets blaring, banners flying, and knights fencing. You get the idea - a mead of animation, rooted deep in a tradition of color, richness and assertiveness. | |
| Mixed Category Mead |  McGee's Mead Co. Earl Grey's Kumquats | A bounce house of a mead, each element springing up and down in perfect harmony - wildflower honey, kumquats, oranges and Earl Grey tea. Each contribution shines on its own, but they also work in tandem to produce a beverage floral, spicy, fruity and refreshing. | |
| Natural/Organic Wines |  Rumpelstiltskin 2023 Russian River Valley Trousseau Gris | For an introduction to the world of "natural wine," Rumpelstiltskin provides clarity, candied fruit, vigor and stability. It is lean and dry, ideal for fish and chips. | |
| Zero/Non Alcoholic Wines |  Fre California Moscato | Wines with their alcohol removed form a fast-growing class at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Of the 28 at the 2025 roundup, the Fre Moscato rose to the top of the class on the strength of its blooming floral bouquet and rich and refreshing bowl of pineapple, mango, peach, and apple flavors. |
