According to Sam Puzzo, the first Mini-Tasting was 35 years ago this month. The 2024 Gold Medal Mini-Tasting is the largest one we’ve had, with 11 sites (member’s homes) across the county, and nearly 170 people enjoying 10 wines in a blind tasting. The attendees each contributed a dish, and each site voted for their favorite dish and the chef was awarded a bottle of wine as “Chef of the Evening.”
The Gold Medal Mini-Tasting is unique in that there were 10 different varietals represented, but all were very highly rated by the judges at our commercial competition. The wines were served in five blind flights of two wines each and the attendees judged each wine, voted for their favorites, and tried to determine the varietal. With such a wide range of wine varietals, the favorites across the 11 sites were pretty varied. Nine of the wines were the 1st place choice at one or more of the sites. The Dolcetto was the only one that didn’t finish as a top choice at any of the sites.
The wines included familiar varietals along with a few that were less familiar to many of our members (Charbono, Dolcetto, and Teroldego). The Charbono and Teroldego tied for fourth place overall across the eleven sites.
The overall winner was Cordon of Santa Barbara’s GSM. It got first place at one site, second place at three sites and third at additional sites. Second place overall was the Peirano Estate Red Blend from Lodi. It got first place at two sites and second at one. Third overall was Sycamore Ranch’s Petite Sirah from Paso Robles with one first place, two second place finishes, and two third place finishes.
The three favorite wines across the seven host sites:
| Place | Wine & Winery | YR | PRICE | DESCRIPTION |
| 1st | Cordon of Santa Barbara GSM Santa Ynez Valley, Ca 93 points Double Gold | 2020 | $38.00 | Rich and deep with spice and black raspberry. Smooth, balanced, and long. Tagged “246” in honor of Highway 246 that runs the course of the Santa Ynez Valley. |
| 2nd | Peirano Estate Red Blend Lodi, Ca. Malbec, Cab. Sauv., Merlot, and Tempranillo. 93 points Double Gold | 2022 | $18.00 | Aromas of dark, rich plum, raspberry and cranberry fill the nose with a hint of sweet blood orange behind the plum. The palate is bright plum, perhaps satsuma plum, with a raspberry and cranberry medley. |
| 3rd | Sycamore Ranch Petite Sirah Paso Robles, Ca. 94 points Double Gold (2023) | 2021 | $50.00 | The wine opens in the glass with bright floral aromas, caramel, and chocolate followed by touches of black fig, blueberry, cherry, and raspberry, with a pretty cherry liqueur and licorice quality to the nose. The palate follows with soft ripe fruits, cherry, black fig, and blueberry, with undertones of blood orange, a rocky minerality, and cocoa nibs throughout. |