​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