Here Come the Judges

The fourth annual Winemaker Challenge is expected to attract entries from more than a dozen countries, making it one of the most important international wine competitions in the United States. In the Winemaker Challenge format, judges are divided into panels of three and taste their assigned wines "blind," meaning they have no information that would tip them as to the producer and possibly influence any awards they might consider.

This year’s cast:

Michael Beaulac
Pine Ridge Winery
Napa Valley, California

If you like smooth, supple Cabernet with extraordinary depth and complexity, and exquisitely balanced Chardonnay, then you would love the fruits of Michael Beaulac’s labor at Pine Ridge, where he is general manager and director of winemaking. Michael started his career in the Alexander Valley as an assistant to Chris Benz at Murphy-Goode, before skipping over the Mayacamas to make wine in the Napa Valley, first at Markham and later St. Supery before taking the reins at Pine Ridge.

Amy Butler
Ranchero Cellars
Paso Robles, California

Amy is a specialist in the Rhone grape varieties that are so successful and popular in California’s Central Coast, particularly the Paso Robles region. Amy first caught our attention as the winemaker for Edward Sellers in Paso, and she judged at our debut Winemaker Challenge in 2010. Amy now makes wine under her own brand, Ranchero Cellars.

Morgan Clendenen
Cold Heaven Cellars
Santa Barbara County, California

Morgan has a strong commitment to well-balanced wines that exhibit structure, wines with elegance and backbone. She makes food friendly wines with good levels of acidity, without sacrificing flavor or complexity. Morgan represents the rugged individualism of the Santa Barbara County winemaking culture.

Ken Deis
Winemaking Consultant
Napa Valley, California

Ken is a veteran Napa Valley winemaker with a long string of exceptional vintages to his credit. That’s because he spent more than a quarter-century at Flora Springs, where he made outstanding Bordeaux-style blends (Trilogy) as well as top-notch Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Ken now has his own winemaking consulting business and most recently judged for us at the 2012 San Diego International Wine Competition.

Gary Eberle
Eberle Winery
Paso Robles, California

He is quite simply the Godfather of Paso Robles wine. Gary was the genius who introduced syrah to Paso while making wine at the family winery, Estrella River, in the early 1970s. Since starting his own winery more than 25 years ago he’s introduced viognier and a red rhone blend, too. But it’s the Paso cabernet that nearly brings a tear to the big man’s eye. Gary believes passionately that cabernet sauvignon from Paso Robles is as good as any being made. Visit the winery sometime and talk him out of a bottle of one of the older Eberle Estate cabs and, we promise you, the case will be closed!

Sara Fowler
Peju Province
Napa Valley, California

Sara will be making her debut as a judge at Winemaker Challenge IV, and we think her appearance is long overdue! Sara was Associate Winemaker for seven years at Mt. Veeder and Franciscan, also in the Napa Valley, before joining Peju to direct the winemaking team there in 2006. She’s a specialist of the first order in Bordeaux-inspired varietal wines and blends.

Daryl Groom
Groom Wines
Barossa Valley, Australia

Daryl is a star winemaker among a galaxy of star winemakers. He was once the chief winemaker for Penfolds Grange, Australia’s most sought-after and honored red wine, and now makes a line of wines under his own Groom banner. Splitting his time between Australia and California, Daryl also produces the acclaimed Colby Red, a beautiful $12 red wine that was inspired by his son Colby, with a portion of the profits going to heart research.

Joe Hart
Hart Winery
Temecula, California

Joe has been making wine in Temecula close to 30 years now and he’s a distinguished veteran of the California wine competition circuit. Joe is best known for his Syrah, but he’s really a man for all seasons, so you never know what you might find in those barrels when you visit his small Temecula winery.

David Hopkins
Bridlewood Winery
Santa Ynez Valley, California

I’ve seen a number of references to David as "the mad scientist" and I’m scratching my head trying to figure out why. There’s nothing mad that I can detect about this 30-year veteran of winemaking along the Central Coast of California. David has a deft touch with Syrah, Chardonnay and Cabernet, and his wines are always balanced and sane. So maybe it’s the hair!

Vernon Kindred
Fallbrook Winery
Fallbrook, California

Vernon is now in his fourth year Fallbrook Winery, which may well be the finest in Southern California. Fallbrook’s Bordeaux blend, BDX, was voted top Bordeaux blend at the 2011 Winemaker Challenge, and its Sauvignon Blanc has been a consistent medal-winner at all of the Challenge competitions.

Craig Kritzer
Frogtown Cellars
Lumpkin County, Georgia

Craig is a native of Atlanta who went west into the hills of Lumpkin County, Georgia, to find a spot where he could craft world-class wines. His Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhone-inspired wines have been consistent winners in the Challenge series of wine competitions, so it seemed only natural that we would invite this talented winemaker to join us for the Winemaker Challenge.

Adam LaZarre
Villa San-Juliette
Paso Robles, California

No California winemaker has done more in the arena of value over the past decade than Adam. He was on board when Monterey County’s Hahn Estates affected a huge turnaround, making superb red and white wines in the $12 to $18 price range. Wines so good that they often took Best of Show awards at top wine competitions throughout the state, including the highest honors in Los Angeles, San Diego and Monterey. Adam has moved on to Villa San-Juliette in Paso Robles, where he’s making a dynamite merlot and a killer red Bordeaux blend, among other things. Adam is now consulting on a white wine project in Spain’s Rueda district — in his spare time. He also makes wine under his own label, LaZarre.

Susan Lueker
Simi Winery
Healdsburg, California

Susan is Director of Winemaking at Simi, long considered one of California’s benchmark wineries. Situated in the heart of Sonoma County wine country, surrounded by the Alexander Vallley, Russian River Valley and Dry Creek Valley, Susan is expert at making top-notch Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, and she’s a welcome addition to our team of judges.

Maureen Martin
Clos du Bois Winery
Geyserville, California

Maureen is a 20-year veteran of the Sonoma County wine industry, the first 10 years at Chateau Souverain and the past 10 at Clos du Bois, where Chardonnay and Merlot are king! This will be Maureen’s second Winemaker Challenge.

Jon McPherson
South Coast Winery
Temecula Valley, California

Jon hails from Texas but he’s been making wine in the Temecula Valley of California for nearly three decades. He started at the Culbertson Winery, which later became Thornton, before moving on to South Coast, where he has enjoyed his greatest success, twice seeing South Coast named Winery of the Year at the California State Fair wine competition. John is well known for his Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah, but he also makes perhaps southern California’s finest sparkling wines, too.

Kim McPherson
McPherson Wines
Lubbock, Texas

Kim, the brother of Jon, is a legend in Texas winemaking so it’s about time we rounded him up for the Winemaker Challenge. Prior to opening his own winery under the family name, Kim made wines at arguably Texas’ most renowned winery, Llano Estacado.

Marcus Notaro
Col Solare
Columbia Valley, Washington

Marcus has been involved in winemaking in the Columbia Valley since 1995 and is currently winemaker at one of the most exciting properties in the Pacific Northwest — Col Solare, the joing venture between Piero Antinori and Chateau Ste. Michelle. Marcus’ most recent Col Solare, the 2007 vintage, earned a Platinum award at the 2011 Sommelier Challenge.

Aaron Pott
Pott Wines
Napa Valley, California

Yes, Aaron has his own brand under his own name, where he crafts wines his way from Napa Valley fruit. Oh, by the way, he also has a degree from Universite de Bourgogne in Dijon, France, was chief winemaker at two top-notch Bordeaux estates in Saint-Emilion — Chateau Troplong Mondot and Chateau La Tour Figeac — before taking on the role as chief international winemaker for Napa’s Beringer Wine Estates, and he ran Quintessa in the Napa Valley for a time. These days, besides his own label, Aaron is one of the most sought-after winemaking consultants in the Napa Valley. This will be his first stint as a judge at Winemaker Challenge.

Andy Reagan
Jefferson Vineyards
Monticello, Virginia

We’ve been bound and determined to get Andy out from the East Coast to judge at Winemaker Challenge, and now we’ve done it two years in a row. We wanted Andy because we’ve been so impressed with his wines, which are grown and produced within a mile or two of the site of the original Thomas Jefferson vineyard at the Jefferson estate in Monticello, just outside of Charlottesville, Virginia. Andy makes a wonderful Meritage, a gorgeous Petit Verdot, fabulous Cab Franc and some of the finest Viognier this side of Condrieu..

Mike Richmond
Bouchaine Vineyards
Carneros, California

Mike was among the first to pioneer Pinot Noir in California when he was involved with the startup of Acacia Vineyards in the Carneros District of the Napa Valley a quarter-century ago. He’s now at Bouchaine and making some of the most delicious and well-balanced Pinots and Chardonnays in all of California. This will be Mike’s third appearance as a judge at Winemaker Challenge.

Ed Sbragia
Sbragia Family Wines
Healdsburg, California

Big Ed was the chief winemaker at Beringer Vineyards for more than a quarter-century. While at Berginer he twice earned Wine of the Year recognition from The Wine Spectator, making him the only winemaker to have captured that honor twice. Ed has since moved on and opened his own winery in Sonoma County, where he specializes in vineyard-designate Cabernet Sauvignons and barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc.

David Stevens
Davon International
Napa Valley, California

David is an international winemaking consultant who trots the globe helping make better wine. In another life he was winemaker at Napa’s Bouchaine Vineyards, and before that worked closely with Dawnine Dyer as a winemaker at the Napa sparkling wine producer Domaine Chandon. He also worked in the cellars at Freemark Abbey winery in St. Helena. Dave is a regular at the annual San Diego international wine competition, where he frequently heads up the sparkling wine panel.