OAK FARM VINEYARDS AND STEELBOUND DISTILLERY TAKE TOP HONORS IN 2024 LOS ANGELES INVITATIONAL WINE & SPIRITS CHALLENGE
MARCH 6, 2024 – Winners have been announced in the third annual Los Angeles Invitational Wine & Spirits Challenge. A Barbera from Oak Farm Vineyards in Lodi, Calif., and a Bourbon from Steelbound Brewery & Distillery in Ellicotville, N.Y., topped their fields to be named Best of the Best.
The competition was established in 2022, in conjunction with Los Angeles-based beverage professionals (representing both the on- and off-premise channels), to highlight the best of the best wine and spirits producers in the world, and to introduce those producers to the largest market of consumers in the United States.
Judging took place February 26-28, 2024. Says event producer Debra Del Fiorentino of Wine & Spirits Competitions Management & Production, “The competition grew again this year to attract close to 1,100 entries, and our judges were impressed with the depth in each category. The quality of product submitted was fantastic!”
Even with the large number of entries, competition was stellar. In addition to the more than 100 Best of Class (BOC) category winners, hundreds more libations were awarded Double Gold (GG) and Gold (G) medals across the wine and spirits fields. When judging early rounds of a beverage competition, each entry is evaluated on its own merits — not comparatively — so every sample has a chance to earn a medal.
Wowing judges with its “Beautiful fruit”; “Cranberry, touch of currant, vanilla”; and “Toasty caramel,” the Oak Farm Vineyards 2020 Barbera was voted Best of the Best in the wine category, earning 98 points and a Double Gold rating.
“It may sound cliché, but [this wine] does truly start in our estate Barbera vineyard, which was planted in 2014,” says Dan Panella, Oak Farm co-owner and director of winemaking. “We spend a tremendous amount of time thinning fruit so the vine is balanced and then we are able to bring the fruit into the winery where my winemaker, Marilia Nimis-Schrader, can really get that juice to shine. You have to be patient with Barbera, though, it takes a bit to develop, so we typically age it for about 20 months in barrel.”
Steelbound Brewery and Distillery marched to the top of the spirits sweepstakes entries to take Best of the Best honors for its Bourbon, which judges called out as “Intriguing and complex,” with “campfire smoke” and “savory tea.”
“I believe what makes our Bourbon stand out is our proprietary process of filtering our water prior to mashing in, and also the process in which we distill, pulling heads and tails to taste, revealing the hearts of the run that go in the barrel,” says Steelbound’s Bill Bursee. “Once in the barrel, our weather does the rest. We have super hot summers and super cold winters, allowing the product to expand in and out of the barrel, leaving an amazing vanilla caramel finish with an undeniable mouthfeel.”
Bursee describes the bourbon as, “A meticulously crafted New York bourbon, aged to perfection in virgin oak barrels, evoking the rich heritage and tradition of bourbon craftsmanship.”
The Los Angeles Times, which is media sponsor of the competition, will publish its own notification of the event and results in a future edition. Additionally, winning producers will be featured in a robust LA Times promotional campaign targeting wine, spirits and food enthusiasts. Next year’s competition will take place in early March 2025.
Below is a list of Best of Show winners. For a full list of Best of Class and medal winners, go to these links: Wine results; Spirits results.
2024 Los Angeles Invitational Wine & Spirits Challenge
Best of Show Winners
— Wine —
Best of the Best and Best Red Wine
Oak Farm Vineyards 2020 Barbera (BOC, GG, 98 pts.)
Judges: “Beautiful fruit”; “Cranberry, touch of currant, vanilla”; “Toasty caramel.”
Best White Wine
Turkovich Family Vineyards 2023 Albariño (BOC, GG, 97)
Judges: “Orange oil”; “Ocean air.”
Best Rosé Wine
Navarro Vineyards 2023 Rosé of Sangiovese (BOC, G, 93)
Judges: “Red fruit”; “Bright cranberry with a long finish.”
Best Sparkling Wine
Roederer Estate Brut Multi Vintage Traditional Method (BOC, GG, 98)
Judges: “Classic across the board!” “Cherry, perfect acid balance”; “Brioche, well made.”
Best Dessert/Late Harvest
Navarro Vineyards 2023 Late Harvest Gewürztraminer (BOC, GG, 99)
Judges: “Candied green apple and perfectly ripe peach juice with a touch of ginger and orange blossom honey”; “Has a prima ballerina personality: graceful, delicate and captivating.”
Best Cider
2 Towns Ciderhouse NV Raspberry Cosmic Crisp (BOC, G, 94)
Judges: “Great aromatics”; “Pomegranate, Jolly Rancher”; “Porch pounder, fun.”
— Spirits —
Best of the Best Spirits, Best Whiskey and Best Straight Bourbon
Steelbound Brewery and Distillery Straight Bourbon (BOC, GG, 97 pts.)
Judges: “Savory”; “Campfire smoke”; “Very intriguing and complex”; “Extremely well integrated.”
Best Small Batch Bourbon
Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey (BOC, GG, 97)
Judges: “Creme Brulee, tea”; “Elegant, complex.”
Best Flavored Bourbon
Devils River Distillery Coffee Bourbon (BOC, GG, 95)
Judges: “Coffee field”; “Balanced, nutty, savory.”
Best Barrel Finished Bourbon
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished In French Oak (BOC, GG, 95)
Judges: “Brown sugar oats”; “Very easy to drink and savor.”
Best Canadian Whiskey
Pendleton Midnight (BOC, GG, 95)
Judges: “Nutty spice”; “Rich, complex, candied nuts.”
Best Coffee Liqueur
Vincenzi Espresso Coffee Liqueur (BOC, G, 92)
Judges: “Thick”; “Rich”; “Bold”; Classy.”
Best Japanese Whiskey
Single Malt KANOSUKE (BOC, GG, 98)
Judges: “Perfect”; “The Grace Kelly of Japanese whiskey.”
Best Tennessee Whiskey
Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition – Batch 032 (BOC, G, 91)
Judges: “Root Beer, butter”; “Delicious”; “Clean and multi-layered.”
Best American Whiskey 10 years >
Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon (BOC, GG, 97)
Judges: “Elegant”; “Roasted nuts, peaches”: “Wonderful full mouth with lingering finish.”
Best Rye Whiskey
Devils River Distillery Rye Whiskey (BOC, GG, 98)
Judges: “Caramel and butterscotch”; “Elegant sipper.”
Best Cognac
Courvoisier XO Royal (BOC, GG, 97)
Judges: “French pastry shop”; “Brown sugar, cinnamon and sugar”; “Roasted coffee, wood smoke”; “Very delectable”; “Very, very, beautiful color”; “This blew us away.”
Best Gin
Highclere Castle Gin (BOC, GG, 97)
Judges: “Nice spices, balanced and soft finish”; “Elegant”; “A step above.”
Best Dry Gin
The Falls Distilling River Gin (BOC, G, 93)
Judges: “Subtle juniper.”
Best Liqueur
Absinthia Absinthe Bleue (BOC, GG, 98)
Judges: “Lingering anise finish”; “Chases the blues away.”
Best Mezcal
400 Conejos Tobala (BOC, G, 91)
Judges: “Smoky, old school”; “Satin, smooth.”
Best Rum
94 Proof Kraken Black Spiced Rum (BOC, GG, 97)
Judges: “Candy with caramel”; “Super well made.”
Best Soju
Golden Beaver Distillery Biba Soju (BOC, G, 90)
Judges: “Bright and clean.”
Best Ready to Drink (RTD)
Rancho La Gloria Espresso Martini (BOC, GG, 97)
Judges: “Balanced flavor”; “Layers of smoked sweetness.”
Best Tequila Reposado
Gran Centenario Reposado (BOC, GG, 95)
Judges: “Outstanding”; “Lovely, delicate, approachable”; “Nice color.”
Best Tequila Añejo
Gran Centenario Anejo (BOC, GG, 97)
Judges: “Interesting complexity”; “Very smooth.”
Best Tequila Blanco
Cierto Reserve Collection, Blanco (BOC, G, 94)
Judges: “Rich, round, full”; “Very smooth.”
Best Tequila Extra Añejo
1800 Milenio (BOC, G, 93)
Judges: “Bold, smooth, rich”; “Impressive.”
Best Flavored Tequila
1800 Coconut (BOC, G, 92)
Judges: “Crisp and clear”; “Tastes like the tropics.”
Best Vodka
Great Women Spirits The Countess Walewska Vodka (BOC, GG, 98)
Judges: “Classical, balanced, elegant.”
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