This time it’s Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards’ 2016 Sauvignon Blanc… “Best of Class” and Double Gold Medal winner at the Cascadia Wine Competition, held in Hood River, Oregon. Owner/Winemaker, Stephen M. Reustle is having a good month, fresh off a huge win at Monterey and being named 2017 Northwest Winery of the Year by Wine Press Northwest, his wines continue to show well in competition.
Not limited to one varietal, Reustle’s wines are showing up as “Best in Class” in almost every competition he enters. Last week it was his 2015 Grüner Veltliner – Smaragd that earned “Best Grüner Veltliner” at Monterey. This week his 2015 Grüner Veltliner earned a Double Gold Medal as well.
Focusing on the northwest (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and British Columbia) Cascadia Wine Competition is one of the Northwest’s fastest growing events drawing 21 judges from across the United States, including Master of Wine Shari Morano and Ellen Landis, International Wine Judge and Certified Sommelier.
While Reustle’s highest honors were reserved for his Grüner Veltliner and Sauvignon Blanc, Reustle earned ten additional medals with other varietals, continuing to demonstrate his wine-making ability across the spectrum of wine.
Reflecting on this year’s competition, Reustle stated, “Cascadia is always a tough competition. The Lord blesses the Pacific Northwest as a perfect location to produce world-class wines and its winemakers are among the best I have seen. I was pleased to see our 2016 Sauvignon Blanc do so well… Cascadia was its first competition and I enjoyed seeing how well it was received by the judges. We try to craft our wines to be true to varietal, vintage, and terroir. I am excited about this early indicator of our 2016 vintage and look forward to seeing how it progresses with a little bottle age.”
Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards, Winepress NW’s 2017 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year, 2015 Six Nations Wine Challenge Top Syrah producer, 2015 Terroir Award Recipient & Riverside Int’l Wine Competition’s 2010 Small Winery of the Year, is 100% estate grown and produced from 40 acres of steep, hillside vineyards in Southern Oregon’s Umpqua Valley. Family owned and operated since 2001, Reustle – Prayer Rock Vineyards produces approximately 8,000 cases annually.
