JACKSONVILLE, Ore. — Herb Quady used his passion for Rhône varieties and tapped into Southern Oregon’s inherent flair with Tempranillo as he and his Barrel 42 Custom Winecraft team swept the superlatives at the 2018 Oregon Wine Competition.
The Quady North 2017 GSM Rosé captured best of show in the specialty category while the Old Ninety Nine Cellars 2014 Tempranillo earned the award for best red wine and the Awen Winecraft 2017 Viognier won the vote for best white wine of the judging. Those latter two wines were collaborative efforts with clients of his young custom-crush facility.
“It’s difficult enough just to get a single best-of-show award, therefore it is incredibly remarkable to have a single producer create a red wine, a white wine and rosé all worthy of a best-of-show award,” Bruce Nicholson, chairman of the Oregon Wine Competition, wrote in an email to Great Northwest Wine.
Sean Hopkins and Tom Homeward work on their young Awen Winecraft project at Barrel 42, and Quady’s crew joined forces with Sam DeSimone of Old Ninety Nine Cellars on the Tempranillo — a bold red from the first vintage of wine produced in the former SOS Pear Plant along Highway 99 in Medford.
The judging was staged Aug. 4-5, but the results and final fundraising figures weren’t formally released until Sept. 7.
Masters of Wine award 45 gold medals
The Oregon Wine Competition has quickly grown to become the largest judging of Oregon wine staged in the Beaver State, and the signature event within the Asante Foundation’s month-long Oregon Wine Experience led to $1.3 million in funding for the Asante Children’s Miracle Network. Officials pointed out that it signaled a 25 percent increase from 2017 and the second straight year the event has topped $1 million. While many of the events for the Oregon Wine Experience are staged at historic Bigham Knoll in Jacksonville, the judging was held at the Ashland Hills Hotel & Suites.
Roots of the Oregon Wine Competition stretch back to Southern Oregon’s World of Wine. Its founders recruited Masters of Wine from throughout the U.S. to serve as judges, and the Asante Foundation continues that policy. This year, they brought four MWs to the Rogue Valley – Joel Butler, Redmond, Wash.; Tim Hanni of Bend, Ore,; Ashley Hausman Vaughters, Denver, Colo., and Nigel Sneyd, London.
They combined to award 16 double gold medals – signifying a panel’s unanimous vote for gold – and 29 gold medals within the field of 349 entries from 98 wineries throughout Oregon. That included a gold medal for TERO Estates in the Walla Walla Valley community of Milton-Freewater.
Abacela in Roseburg received three gold medals, a showing led by the double gold for its 2017 Estate Albariño. Recently revived Trium Wines was awarded three gold medals, which included recognition for its Viognier.
Spangler Vineyards, which Wine Press Northwest magazine named this spring as its 2018 Oregon Winery of the Year, grabbed a pair of double golds with its 2015 Carménère and 2015 Dolcetto.
Barrel 42 also helped young Coventina Vineyards earn a gold medal for its 2015 Tempranillo. And there was a gold medal for the Quady North 2014 Cabernet Franc, which showcases Quady’s winemaking and vineyard work with the Loire Valley variety that helped gain acclaim for Portland vintner Leah Jorgensen.
Quady burnishes reputation as grower, producer
A second-generation winemaker from a decorated family in California’s San Joaquin Valley, Quady served as an associate winemaker at famed Bonny Doon Vineyards for iconoclast Randall Grahm prior to moving to Southern Oregon in 2003 and launching Quady North as part of Quady Family Wines. Headquartered in historic Jacksonville, Quady North soon became one of the state’s cult brands. Wine Press Northwest named Quady North as its 2012 Oregon Winery to Watch.
Two years later, he and fellow winemaker Brian Gruber both left Troon Vineyards to start Barrel 42, their custom winemaking business in Medford. They subsequently brought on erstwhile attorney Nichole Schulte as an assistant winemaker and partner. Combined, they produce more than 32,000 cases.
“I do a lot of work in the vineyards and make those critical decisions,” Quady told Great Northwest Wine. “I trained Brian and Nichole, so they know what we’re trying to accomplish, and they bring me in for every blending session and key decisions about the cooperage and sign-off tastings.
“But over the last several years, they have been the ones behind the winemaking and making large improvements in quality,” Quady added. “I got this thing started, but I wouldn’t be anywhere without them.”
Quady has been ahead of the curve with his rosé program, and he’s viewed one of Oregon’s leaders for non-Pinot Noir rosé, a campaign that he’s dubbed as “Surrender to the Pink!” with a portfolio that recently added a méthode Champenoise of estate-grown Cabernet Franc.
His breadbasket for Grenache-based rosés is his family’s Mae’s Vineyard, a planting at 1,500 feet elevation in the Applegate Valley. He bottles a Grenache rosé ($17.50) in addition to the GSM rosé ($16) and 2017 Rosé of Counoise ($19). The best of show 2017 pink GSM also is available in a three-pack of 250-milliliter cans within its production of nearly 1,100 cases and 200 kegs. The brand’s total production of rosé has pushed north of 2,000 cases.
“One reason why we make really nice rosé is because I like rosé so much and was so serious about it that we took really good sites and said, ‘We’re farming this for rose,’ ” Quady said. “We can do really good stuff (at Mae’s Vineyard), but I decided to put Grenache on its own roots because I thought it would be good for rosé — nice, cool and along the river.”
His harvest targets for the Quady North rosé program involving Grenache are ripeness of 21 Brix and pH from 3.1 to 3.2.
“There are a lot of green berries on the Grenache when we pick, and because we’re whole-cluster pressing, it doesn’t really matter,” he said. “Grenache is typically not fully colored yet when we’re picking for the rosé.”
2018 Oregon Wine Competition results
Best of show
Specialty
Quady North 2017 GSM Rosé, Rogue Valley
Red
Old Ninety Nine Cellars 2014 Tempranillo, Rogue Valley
White
Awen Winecraft 2017 Viognier, Rogue Valley
Double gold
Abacela 2017 Estate Albariño, Umpqua Valley
Anchor Valley 2017 Pinot Gris, Rogue Valley
Authentique Wine Cellars 2016 Eola Springs Vineyard Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills
Authentique Wine Cellars 2016 Keeler Estate Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills
Awen Winecraft 2017 Grenache Blanc, Rogue Valley
Dancin Vineyards 2016 Ecarte Pinot Noir, Rogue Valley
Guzzo Family Vineyard 2015 Tempranillo, Applegate Valley
RoxyAnn 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Rogue Valley
Schmidt Family Vineyards 2017 Albariño, Applegate Valley
South Stage Cellars 2014 Carménère, Rogue Valley
Spangler Vineyards 2015 Carménère, Umpqua Valley
Spangler Vineyards 2015 Dolcetto, Umpqua Valley
Stave & Stone Wine Estates 2017 Pinot Noir Blanc, Columbia Gorge
Gold
Abacela 2015 Estate Malbec, Umpqua Valley
Abacela 2017 Estate Grenache Rosé, Umpqua Valley
Bluebird Hill Cellars 2016 Chardonnay, Willamette Valley
Brandborg 2016 Sauvignon Blanc, Elkton Oregon
Coventina Vineyards 2015 Tempranillo, Rogue Valley
Cuckoo’s Nest Cellars 2017 Pinot Gris, Rogue Valley
Daisy Creek 2016 Petit Verdot, Rogue Valley
Daisy Creek 2017 Double Pay, Rogue Valley
Edenvale 2013 Petite Sirah, Rogue Valley
Firesteed Cellars 2016 Riesling, Eola-Amity Hills
Foris 2017 Pinot Blanc, Rogue Valley
J Wrigley 2016 Estate Pinot Noir, McMinnville
JAXON 2017 Viognier, Rogue Valley
MaisonJussiaume 2015 Blanc de Blancs, Rogue Valley
Parkhurst Wine Cellars 2016 Pinot Noir, Rogue Valley
Quady North 2014 Cabernet Franc, Rogue Valley
Red Lily 2017 Stargazer Lily Verdejo, Umpqua Valley
Schmidt Family Vineyards 2014 Touriga Naçional, Applegate Valley
Schultz 2014 Blessed Merlot, Applegate Valley
Season Cellars 2015 Grenache, Umpqua Valley
Silvan Ridge 2014 Elizabeth’s Red, Willamette Valley
Stave & Stone Wine Estates 2016 Zinfandel, Columbia Gorge
Stone Griffon Vineyard 2016 Dragons Blood Maréchal Foch, Yamhill-Carlton
TERO Estates 2014 Herb’s Block Merlot, Walla Walla Valley
Trium Wines 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Rogue Valley
Trium Wines 2017 Chardonnay, Rogue Valley
Trium Wines 2017 Viognier, Rogue Valley
Valcan Cellars 2015 Petite Sirah, Willamette Valley
Weisinger 2017 Rosé of Grenache, Rogue Valley
Silver medal
2Hawk Winery 2016 Malbec, Rogue Valley
2Hawk Winery 2016 Pinot Noir, Rogue Valley
2Hawk Winery 2016 Viognier, Rogue Valley
2Hawk Winery 2017 Grenache Rosé, Rogue Valley
A Blooming Hill Vineyard 2016 Trouble, Chehalem Mountains
Abacela 2015 Estate Garnacha, Umpqua Valley
Agate Ridge Vineyard 2015 Petite Sirah, Rogue Valley
Augustino 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Applegate Valley
Augustino 2016 Celebration Semi-Sparkling White Wine, Applegate Valley
Aurora Vines 2016 Pinot Noir, Rogue Valley
Aurora Vines 2016 Viognier, Rogue Valley
Awen Winecraft 2016 Grenache Blanc, Rogue Valley
Awen Winecraft 2017 Inspiration Blend, Rogue Valley
Awen Winecraft 2017 Vermentino, Rogue Valley
Bayer Family Estate 2017 Chardonnay, Rogue Valley
Bayer Family Estate 2017 Rosé, Rogue Valley
Beaton Farm Vineyard & Winery 2016 Tempranillo, Applegate Valley
Belle Fiore 2014 Siderio, Rogue Valley
Belle Fiore 2016 Sauvignon Blanc, Rogue Valley
Bluebird Hill Cellars 2017 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley
Brigadoon 2015 Lylee Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
Brigadoon 2015 Taproot Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
Carlton Cellars 2015 Estate Pinot Noir, Yamhill-Carlton
Carlton Cellars 2017 Auxerrois, Yamhill-Carlton
Cathedral Ridge Winery 2015 The Daughter’s Rhône Reserve, Columbia Gorge
Chris James Cellars 2016 Pinot Noir Reserve, Yamhill-Carlton
Coeur de Terre Vineyard 2015 Estate Heritage Reserve Pinot Noir, McMinnville
Coeur de Terre Vineyard 2015 Oregon Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
Coopers Hall 2016 Müller-Thurgau, Willamette Valley
Coventina Vineyards 2015 Tempranillo Reserve, Rogue Valley
Coventina Vineyards 2016 Reserve Pinot Noir, Rogue Valley
Coventina Vineyards 2016 Pinot Noir, Rogue Valley
Cuckoo’s Nest Cellars 2016 Chardonnay, Rogue Valley
Cuckoo’s Nest Cellars 2016 Pinot Noir, Rogue Valley
Daisy Creek 2016 Lyon Red, Rogue Valley
Dancin Vineyards 2016 Danseur, Rogue Valley
Dancin Vineyards 2016 Tribute, Rogue Valley
Del Rio Vineyards 2017 Estate Grenache Rosé, Rogue Valley
Diamondback Vineyards 2012 Bella Forte, Rogue Valley
Diamondback Vineyards 2017 Sauvignon Blanc, Rogue Valley
Dominio IV 2013 Tempranillo, Yamhill-Carlton
Dominio IV 2015 Chardonnay, Yamhill-Carlton
Earth Song Vineyards 2016 Pinot Gris, Rogue Valley
Eliana 2017 Rosé, Rogue Valley
Eola Hills Wine Cellars 2016 Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills
Eola Hills Wine Cellars 2016 Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills
Eola Hills Wine Cellars 2017 Sauvignon Blanc, Eola-Amity Hills
Fences 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Rogue Valley
Firesteed 2015 Firesteed, Eola-Amity Hills
Foris 2016 Dry Gewürztraminer, Rogue Valley
Freed Estate 2014 Cabernet Sauvigion,Umpqua Valley
Freed Estate 2014 Syrah, Umpqua Valley
Goldback Wines 2016 Cuveé, Rogue Valley
Goldback Wines 2017 Rosé of Grenache, Rogue Valley
Grizzly Peak 2014 Cabernet Franc, Rogue Valley
Grizzly Peak 2014 Tempranillo, Rogue Valley
Guzzo Family Vineyard 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, Applegate Valley
Harry & David Vineyards 2017 Rosé, Rogue Valley
Harry & David Vineyards 2015 Reserve Pinot Noir, Rogue Valley
Huett Raylee Wines 2014 Syn Red Blend, Yamhill-Carlton
Huett Raylee Wines 2016 Raylee Pinot Noir, Yamhill-Carlton
Huett Raylee Wines 2017 Raylee Pinot Gris, Yamhill-Carlton
Iris Vineyards 2015 Arete Chardonnay, Willamette Valley
Irontree 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Rogue Valley
Irontree 2014 Merlot, Rogue Valley
Irvine & Roberts Vineyards 2015 Irvine & Roberts Vineyards Reserve Chardonnay, Rogue Valley
Irvine & Roberts Vineyards 2016 Pinot Meunier, Rogue Valley
Irvine & Roberts Vineyards 2017 Rosé of Pinot Noir, Rogue Valley
JAXON 2015 Grenache, Rogue Valley
JAXON 2015 Mistral, Rogue Valley
Kriselle Cellars 2017 Sauvignon Blanc, Rogue Valley
Kriselle Cellars 2017 Viognier, Rogue Valley
Ledger David Cellars 2015 Malbec, Rogue Valley
Ledger David Cellars 2015 Sangiovese, Rogue Valley
Ledger David Cellars 2017 Primoris Chenin Blanc, Rogue Valley
Ledger David Cellars 2017 Viognier, Rogue Valley
Left Coast 2015 Truffle Hill Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills
MarshAnne Landing 2013 Southern Cross, Umpqua Valley
Misty Oaks Vineyard 2013 Cab Franc, Umpqua Valley
Oak Knoll Winery 2015 Pinot Gris, Chehalem Mountains
Old Ninety Nine Cellars 2015 Primitivo, Rogue Valley
Old Ninety Nine Cellars 2016 Packing Shed Red, Rogue Valley
Old Ninety Nine Cellars 2017 Rosé of Primitivo, Rogue Valley
Parkhurst Wine Cellars 2016 Chardonnay, Rogue Valley
Pebblestone Cellars 2014 Cabernet Franc, Rogue Valley
Pebblestone Cellars 2017 Viognier, Rogue Valley
Pike Road Wines 2015 Pinot Noir, Yamhill-Carlton
Pike Road Wines 2017 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley
Plaisance Ranch 2015 Estate Carménère, Applegate Valley
Plaisance Ranch 2015 Estate Mondeuse, Applegate Valley
Plaisance Ranch 2015 Estate Petit Verdot, Applegate Valley
Plaisance Ranch 2015 Estate Syrah, Applegate Valley
Quady North 2014 Flagship, Rogue Valley
Quady North 2017 Pistoleta, Rogue Valley
Red Lily 2014 Tempranillo, Applegate Valley
Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards 2015 Tempranillo, Umpqua Valley
Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards 2016 Grüner Veltliner, Umpqua Valley
RoxyAnn 2014 Claret, Rogue Valley
RoxyAnn 2014 Merlot, Rogue Valley
Ryan Rose 2015 Cabernet Franc, Rogue Valley
Ryan Rose 2015 Pinot Noir, Rogue Valley
Ryan Rose 2016 Chardonnay, Rogue Valley
Schmidt Family Vineyards 2017 Riesling, Applegate Valley
Silvan Ridge 2013 Portage, Willamette Valley
Simple Machine 2017 Leverage, Rogue Valley
Simple Machine 2017 Viognier, Rogue Valley
Soloro 2013 Binary Stars Syrah and Grenache Blend, Applegate Valley
South Stage Cellars 2013 Cabernet Franc, Rogue Valley
South Stage Cellars 2013 Dolcetto, Rogue Valley
Spangler Vineyards 2014 Cabernet Franc, Umpqua Valley
Stave & Stone Wine Estates 2016 Pinot Noir, Columbia Gorge
Stone Griffon Vineyard 2015 Tropasti, Yamhill-Carlton
Talent Cellars 2014 Nuf Sed Red, Rogue Valley
Talent Cellars 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, Rogue Valley
Talent Cellars 2017 Easy Valley Chardonnay, Rogue Valley
TERO Estates 2012 Old Block Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley
TERO Estates 2012 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley
TERO Estates 2014 Petit Verdot, Walla Walla Valley
Trium Wines 2012 Grower’s Cuvee, Rogue Valley
Trium Wines 2017 Grenache Rosé, Rogue Valley
Troon Vineyard 2016 Tempranillo, Applegate Valley
Troon Vineyard 2017 Whole Grape Ferment, Applegate Valley
Upper Five Vineyard 2015 Grenache, Rogue Valley
Valcan Cellars 2015 Melange de Vin, Willamette Valley
Valley View 2009 Port, Applegate Valley
Valley View 2015 Merlot, Applegate Valley
VIDON Vineyard 2015 3-Clones, Chehalem Mountains
Weisinger 2015 Malbec, Rogue Valley
Weisinger 2017 Viognier, Rogue Valley
Whitetail Ridge Vineyard 2016 Viognier, Umpqua Valley
Whitetail Ridge Vineyard 2017 Riesling, Umpqua Valley
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