Bluestone Vineyard Awarded a Total of 3 Gold Medals

Bridgewater, VA- Bluestone Vineyard’s 2019 Petit Manseng wins a gold medal and is included in the Governor’s Case at the 2021 Virginia Governor’s Cup Wine Competition. This marks the third time in his career, Bluestone’s winemaker, Lee Hartman has had a wine included in the coveted Governor’s Case. In the 2021 competition, 16 world-class judges sampled 544 of the best Virginia wines from over 100 Virginia wineries. The highest 12 ranking red and white wines become the Governor's Cup Case.

That makes the 2019 Petit Manseng among the top 12 wines of the entire competition. Fermented in oak and aged on the lees for 10 months, this wine's weight is offset by its acid and punchy aromatics.  Orange blossom, honey and baking spices on the nose head to grilled pineapple and honeysuckle on the palate. The finish is long and mouthwatering like citrus, with a minerality that stays.

“I am very proud that the judges included me in the company of some of my favorite winemakers and mentors in Virginia Wine Industry. It is exciting to be a part of showing how Virginia is world-class wine industry that is producing outstanding wines especially in the Shenandoah Valley,” said Hartman.

The Virginia Governor's Cup, one of the most stringent competitions in the US, is hosted by the Virginia Wineries Association, in partnership with the Virginia Wine Board and the Virginia Vineyards Association. Judges evaluate the wines based on appearance, aroma, flavor, overall quality, and commercial suitability giving each wine a score up to 100. Wines that score between 90 and 100 points are awarded gold and considered to be outstanding wines.

Estate grown 2017 Chardonnay earned a gold medal rating. These particular grapes came from the first harvest from the newer vines on the property to the east of the main estate. After fermentation, the wine stayed on the heavy lees (finished yeast) for 10 months, with monthly stirring of the French oak barrels. This resulted in a wonderful, creamy Chardonnay. The acidity helps focus this wine and gives it structure and an appealing framework.  The 2017 Chardonnay now has a total of 13 medals from various wine competitions including 4 golds.

2014 Merlot also landed in the top tier of wines with a gold medal. This medium-bodied wine starts off with big fruit, black cherry notes on the nose and palate and finishes dry. It was aged for 22 months in 50% new French oak barrels. This wine pairs great with lamb and hearty pasta dishes.

“I'm honored to have received three gold medals in this year's Virginia Governor's Cup, the competition that we at Bluestone put the most stock in.  Our three wines come across three different vintages, and I've loved these wines since the grapes came in from the field, and I'm humbled that the judges felt the same,” said Hartman.
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Full list of medals won by Bluestone Vineyard includes:

• Gold and the Governor’s Case: 2019 Petit Manseng
• Gold: 2017 Chardonnay and 2014 Merlot
• Silver: 2019 Vidal Blanc, 2017 Valley Red, 2017 The Steep Face, 2017 Petit Verdot, 2019 Stainless Steel Chardonnay, 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2017 Cabernet Franc, and 2016 Blue Ice
• Bronze: 2017 Viognier and 2019 Bridgewater Gold 

Winemaker, Lee Hartman brings home Five Golds for Two Competitions
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Bridgewater, VA- Bluestone Vineyard earned two double gold medals along with two Best in Class awards at the 2021 International Eastern Wine Competition (East Meets West) that was held in Windsor, California on February 23 and 24 involving 24 judges who determine the best wines based on flavor, smell, color, and overall quality. 2015 Blue Ice and 2017 Houndstooth add to the gold medal count at the 2021 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition that was completed on March 5 in San Francisco, California. 

Earning 96 points out of 100, the 2019 Petit Manseng was awarded a double gold and best in class.  This fruit comes from Lovingston Vineyard and Silver Creek Vineyards both in Virginia. It was fermented in oak and aged on the lees for 10 months. It has notes of orange blossom, honey, and baking spices on the nose that head to grilled pineapple and honeysuckle on the palate. 

2019 The Steep Face scored 95 points and earned a double gold and best in class. Grown on one of the steepest vineyard slopes in the Commonwealth (hence the name, The Steep Face), this 100% Chambourcin wine is dry and concentrated. The 2019 vintage is a richer, rounder style wine. Fermented with 40% whole clusters gives the wine additional structure and tannins that one doesn’t often find in Chambourcin. Currently, this vintage is only available for Bluestone Vineyard Press Club members and will be released to the public once previous vintages are sold out. 

​The high honor of Double Gold is only awarded when all judges on the panel agree on a gold on the first round, without any discussion of moving one (or more) judge's Silver up to a Gold. 

​2019 Bridgewater Gold, a blend of 84% Petit Manseng and 16% Vidal Blanc, earned 92 points and a gold medal as well at the International Eastern Wine Competition. Bridgewater Gold is a wine made in collaboration with Bridgewater College. The blend is all barrel fermented mostly in acacia barrels. 

Moving to the 2021 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, gold medal winning, 2015 Blue Ice, is Bluestone’s ice-style, dessert wine made from frozen Traminette grapes. This wine has 8.1% residual sugar. Blue Ice has done historical well at wine competitions as the previous 2014 vintage won 10 medals including 4 golds. 

2017 Houndstooth, grouped in the Merlot leading blend category, won gold. An estate grown, red blend, the 2017 Houndstooth was the first vintage utilizing our vineyard expansion from 2015.  That year Bluestone doubled the size of the farm and the blend now includes Cabernet Franc and Merlot on top of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.  
“2017 was an amazing harvest, and the wines show why the Shenandoah Valley is one of the best places to grow wine on the East Coast,” said winemaker, Lee Hartman.  2017 and 2019 both produced quantity and quality of fruit. 

Full list of medals for both competitions includes:  

2021 International Eastern Wine Competition (East Meets West)
• Double Gold & Best of Class: 2019 Petit Manseng (96 points) and 2019 The Steep Face (95 Points)
• Gold: 2019 Bridgewater Gold (92 points) 
• Silver: 2017 Chardonnay, 2017 Houndstooth, 2020 Vidal Blanc, 2019 Viognier 
• Bronze: 2015 Blue Ice, 2017 Cabernet Franc, 2019 Stainless Steel

2021 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition 
• Gold: 2015 Blue Ice, 2017 Houndstooth
• Silver: 2019 Stainless Steel Chardonnay, 2019 Petit Manseng, 2017 Chardonnay
• Bronze: 2017 The Steep Face, 2017 Cabernet Franc

SAN FRANCISCO, Ca— For the 2020 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (SFCWC), Bluestone Vineyard earned  gold medals for the 2018 Estate Grown Stainless Steel Chardonnay and the 2018 Petit Manseng. The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition is the largest competition of American wines. This year there were sixty-five judges, representing various North American wine regions, evaluating nearly 6,700 wines from over 1,000 wineries.

Bluestone Vineyard is very pleased with the results of this year’s competition especially since 2018 was not considered a great harvest year as very wet weather conditions hindered the crop. Bluestone’s 2018 Estate Grown Stainless Steel Chardonnay is kept clean with a cold fermentation and natural yeast. It is kept in stainless steel tanks instead of oak barrels that give it a more refreshing taste. Bluestone considers it a vineyard highlight from grapes grown on the estate.

“Bluestone has hung its hat on our Chardonnay for many years, traditionally with our barrel fermented bottles, but I think the site we work with here in southern Rockingham makes great stuff in stainless steel too.  Standing at the top of the block you can see the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains, and it's just perfect for Chardonnay,” said winemaker, Lee Hartman, about the results of the 2018 Stainless Chardonnay.

Bluestone’s 2018 Petit Manseng had another strong showing in a west coast competition, having just achieved a gold medal at this year’s San Francisco International Wine Competition scoring a 93 out of 100 points. The 2018 vintage was 100% barrel fermented dry in French oak barrels. The wine is creamy and rich with enough acid and fruit to keep it focused.

“We started working with Petit Manseng in 2015 and have been fortunate to work with some of the best growers around.  Petit Manseng has built a reputation in the commonwealth for its distinct tropical aroma with richness and zippy acid,” said Hartman about the success of the Petit Manseng varietal.

Bluestone also won silver medals for 2017 Estate Grown Steep Face and 2017 Estate Grown Chardonnay. The list of wines awarded bronze medals include 2015 Blue Ice, 2017 Cabernet Franc, 2013 Petit Verdot, and 2016 Viognier. Each of the wines entered did win an award.
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For more information about Bluestone Vineyard and the wines, please visit www.bluestonevineyard.com, call 540-828-0099 or contact winemaker Lee Hartman at lee@bluestonevineyard.com. ​

​SAN FRANCISCO, Ca— It has been two years since Bluestone Vineyard has sent an Estate Grown Chardonnay to competition, and at this year’s San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (SFCWC) it did not disappoint. The 2017 Estate Grown Chardonnay won a gold medal and the 2016 Estate Grown Steep Face achieved silver.

2017 was a phenomenal harvest season for Virginia wine growers, as it saw near perfect conditions. Bluestone’s 2017 Estate Grown Chardonnay is a testament to the once in a decade harvest, and it is the first vintage from the newest block of Chardonnay, grown half a mile from the winery.

Winemaker Lee Hartman commented on the success of Bluestone’s Chardonnay, “Our Chardonnay program has continued to be one of our greatest strengths in recent years. We continue to take care of it from the vines to the cork, but I’m happy to see a Shenandoah Valley Chardonnay standing up so well right next door to Napa and Sonoma. It’s time people see the Valley for what it is: an up and coming wine region with some serious wines coming out of it.”   

Bluestone’s 2016 Estate Grown Steep Face had another strong showing in California competition, having just achieved a gold medal at this year’s San Francisco International Wine Competition. Made with 100% Chambourcin, its unique name comes from where it is planted on the property: one of the steepest vineyards in the Commonwealth. 

The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition is the largest competition of American wines, and this year there were 6, 800 entries from 1,132 wineries.  For the past 19 years, it has set the standard for wine by having a judging panel of over 60 wine experts. 
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Bluestone also won a silver medal for the 2016 Viognier and bronze medals for the 2017 Estate Grown Quartz Hill Red, 2015 Blue Ice, and 2013 Petit Verdot.

San Francisco— Bluestone Vineyard brings home eight medals from the 38th Annual San Francisco Wine Competition (SFIWC), the largest international wine competition in the United States. Having each wine entered come home with a medal is no easy task.

The SFIWC is also the world’s longest running international wine competition, attracting over 4,500 entries this year. A panel of wine experts from around the globe conduct blind tastings and award points to determine if a wine is worthy of a medal.

Bluestone's 2016 The Steep Face was the big winner this year, as it scored 90 points out of 100 to merit a gold medal. This wine, made with 100% estate grown Chambourcin, represents the high-quality fruit that the Shenandoah Valley can produce. Its unique name comes from where it is planted on the property: one of the steepest hillsides in the Commonwealth.

Winemaker Lee Hartman is grateful to be growing and producing wine in Rockingham County. "After winning gold medals in California for the last several years, I humbly say it has always been with fruit that we grow right here on the property. My team and I work with some amazing farmers with other sites in the Commonwealth, but the common thread in every win we've had is that the wine comes from dirt in southern Rockingham County," stated Hartman.

The 2017 Chardonnay and 2017 Quartz Hill Red are grown on the property and finished strong with both being awarded silver medals. These wines are the first vintages to be harvested from the vineyard’s newest property located less than a mile from the winery.

In total, Bluestone brought home one gold, three silver and four bronze medals.
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These wines, along with others, are available for taste and purchase in Bluestone Vineyard’s Tasting Room. For a full list of wines available and their prices, please visit bluestonevineyard.com for more information.

The results are in from this year's Virginia Governor's Cup, and we are proud of our winemaker, Lee Hartman, on his wins! This year his wines brought home a grand 
total of 13 medals, two of which were gold! The 2016 Petit Manseng won gold and was one of five Petit Mansengs to receive this medal. 2014 Cadenza was also awarded a gold medal at this year's competition in the Bordeaux category.

The official press release of the competition stated, "The gold medalists from this year’s Governor’s Cup were selected from 442 entries of both red and white wines, from 100 different Virginia wineries. Ninety-nine of the wines scored a 90 or higher on a 100-point score range." 

Congratulations to Lee on his wins at this year's competition! The rest of the results can be found below: 

Nine wines were awarded silver medals:

• 2015 Local Chop and Grill Trifecta
• 2015 Chardonnay
• 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2014 Blue Ice
• 2014 Petit Verdot
• 2013 Houndsthooth
• 2016 Vidal Blanc
• 2014 Merlot

Two wines were awarded bronze medals:

• ​2016 The Steep Face
• 2014 Dry Dock