Awarded by San Diego International, one of the oldest and most revered competitions in the United States.
V. Sattui was named 2020 “Domestic Winery of the Year” after earning a remarkable 26 medals, including 10 that were awarded Platinum and 12 awarded Gold at the 38th annual San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge. The Napa Valley winery, specializing in vineyard-designate bottlings, produced a tie for “Wine of the Year” with their 2016 Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon ($92) and 2016 Vangone Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($140), each dazzled with a score of 98 points out of 100. V. Sattui’s Bordeaux-style blend, the 2016 Paradiso ($95), narrowly missed a three-way tie with a score of 97 points.
Seven more V. Sattui wines scored Platinum, including their 2017 Napa Valley Malbec ($46) with 95 points and 2015 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($52) with 96 points. Their Estate Vittorio’s Vineyard produced two more Platinum winners: 2017 Petit Verdot ($47) and Cabernet Sauvignon ($78), both earning 94 points. Additional 94 point wines included V. Sattui’s 2018 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($48), 2018 Los Carneros Pinot Noir ($39), and 2017 Napa Valley Syrah ($42) – further displaying the winery’s broad range of quality wine varietals.
The venerable San Diego International is one of the oldest and most revered competitions in the United States. Founded by award-winning wine columnist Dan Berger and Bob Foster and wine rep Dick Colangelo in 1982, the competition has been under the guidance of nationally syndicated wine columnist Robert Whitley for the past 17 years.
Whitley has assembled a remarkable team of dedicated wine enthusiasts, including Director Rich Cook and Chief Judges Michael Franz (Wine) and Maurice DiMarino (Spirits), to oversee planning and production of this important annual deep dive into wine & spirits evaluation. The San Diego International chooses its judges carefully, always with an eye toward giving each wine and spirit entered a fair shot on a level playing field. This year’s panel of judges included a prestigious list of winemakers, wine writers, and sommeliers.
“American and foreign wine competitions can be, and often are, unpredictable. It’s not unusual for an unknown to show up and claim a top award. But some things never change. One of those would be the inevitability of V. Sattui Winery, one of Napa Valley’s finest,” stated Whitley. Speaking to V. Sattui’s richly flavored 2018 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, “Notes of black cherry, ripe strawberry, fall spice and gentle oak toast entice on the nose and please on the palate, with a supple texture and a long, fully integrated finish keep you coming back for more. Wines like this are why Pinot Noir is so popular.” he added.
“I am very proud and happy for our vineyard and winemaking teams; they work so hard and deserve all the credit for this amazing recognition of our wines. To be Voted Best Winery and tie with ourselves for Best Wine of the competition is a tremendous feat,” says Winery President, Tom Davies.
About V. Sattui Winery:
V. Sattui Winery is a family-owned winery located in the heart of Napa Valley, that was founded in 1885 and makes more than 60 different wines with dozens of 90+ point rated wines among its current vintages. V. Sattui wines are only sold direct to consumer and the winery features three beautiful tasting rooms where customers can find and purchase their favorites. It is a stunning, must-see Napa Valley destination for an authentic wine country experience offerings tastings, wine and food pairings, picnics, weddings and events, and an impressively robust Cheese Shop with more than 200 selections and house-made artisan foods prepared daily. V. Sattui also makes house-cured meats from its own Salumeria, and gelato and sorbetto from its own Gelateria. The sprawling estate includes two-dozen picnic tables nestled beneath ancient Valley Oak trees and tri-level terraces that overlook lush manicured gardens and estate vineyards.
V. Sattui Director of Winemaking, Brooks Painter, has been recognized as “Winemaker of the Year” in 2015 by the American Fine Wine Competition. He was previously awarded “Winemaker of the Year” at the San Francisco International Wine Competition in June of 2013. The winery was named “Winery of the Year” at the 2019 Sommelier Challenge and now twice in 2020 at the Monterey Wine Competition and San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge.
V. Sattui wines are sustainably farmed and sourced mostly from their own vineyard estates, yielding a wide range of terroir and varietals that produce a long portfolio of award-winning wines. V. Sattui wines are sold exclusively from the winery, direct to consumer. V. Sattui Winery is located on a 38-acre vineyard in the center of the Napa Valley, along Highway 29 (at White Lane) in St. Helena. The winery normally welcomes visitors daily for wine tastings, as well as barbeque on weekends in the warmer months of the year. Current hours of operation and information for V. Sattui Winery is available on the website www.vsattui.com or 707-963-7774.
