Daniel Gehrs Wines Announces

         

     Two Daniel Gehrs white wines scored among the "Top 10 White Wines" in the $20 and Under category at the recently concluded World Value Wine Challenge which was conducted under rigorous, professional controls at the prestigious Beverage Testing Institute's Chicago offices.

     The newly released 2010 Oak Free Chardonnay received a score of 92 Points (Exceptional) and a Gold Medal. The 2010 Chenin Blanc earned a score of 93 Points (Exceptional) along with a

"Best Buy" recommendation and its own Gold Medal.

     BTI's website, Tastings.com, states: "The 2011 World Value Wine Challenge is the nation's most comprehensive competition for wines $20 and under - a focused search for wines that give the most value to the consumer." The organizers add: "Simply put, value wines are not cheap wines, but wines that offer more flavor and quality at a better price than wines at the same or higher price points....value conscious consumers are searching for the best wines for their budget."

     BTI had this to say about our seductive, new-era Chardonnay:

     Winemaker Daniel Gehrs has been in the vanguard of the no-oak Chardonnay wave that began hitting the market nearly a decade ago and which is becoming the growth driver in the vast Chardonnay segment. His early efforts with an "unwooded" Virgin Chardonnay from the 2001 vintage led successively to an "unoaked" moniker in 2005 and then into the current "Oak Free" designation ("a more positive vibe" says Dan) beginning with the 2008 vintage. This is believed to be the first and original use of this upbeat descriptor on a wine label. From the beginning, Dan's overriding goal and desire has been to bring "the fresh taste of the grape on the day of harvest to the bottle" for consumers enjoyment. While other wineries have veered in the direction of "steely", "austere" Chardonnays Dan has always remained firmly focused on ripe fruit with a keen sense of style and complexity. Such dedication has earned this latest, as well as many other, awards over the past few years. The grapes were grown in the deep, rocky-sandy soils of the cool, breezy, Arroyo Seco district in Monterey County and were entirely fermented and aged in chilled, temperature controlled stainless steel. Dan reports that Oak Free Chardonnay ranks among his very best selling wines as consumers, especially those in the vital "under 40" age demographic, are now actively embracing this vibrant new Chardonnay style, focused on the varietal fruit instead of settling for the increasingly tiresome, "oaky-buttery" standards of the past.

         Tied for 2nd Place overall 

     This is what BTI's judges had to say about this latest vintage of Daniel Gehrs Chenin Blanc:

     This dry, Savenierres/Loire-style dry Chenin Blanc is a tradition at Daniel Gehrs Wines, the 2008 vintage having won the "Top White Wine Under $20" honors at this competition 2 years ago. The tradition really goes back all the way to 1977 when Dan produced his first dry Chenin Blanc in a single barrel ("sweet was not an option" Dan says) from grapes grown in Sonoma's Dry Creek Valley with memorable results that have reverberated down to the present day. After producing Chenin Blanc for many years from a now extinct planting near the Chalone district in Monterey County a new source was needed for the 2010 vintage. Dan found exactly what he was looking for nearby in Santa Barbara County in the extensive White Hills Vineyard south of the city of Santa Maria. Once planted there in the low hundreds of acres on this decidedly cool and sandy site the Chenin Blanc planting today has been pared down by new owners to the best 50 acres on a sloping, southern exposure, planted on their own roots in the early 1980's. The wine was entirely cold fermented in stainless steel and was bottled in the spring of 2011.

About the Company  

      Daniel Gehrs Wines was founded in Santa Cruz County in 1990 and is celebrating its 21st year in business in 2011. Owners Daniel and Robin Gehrs moved together with their children, Jennifer and Jeremy, to the quaint Danish village of Solvang in the Santa Ynez Valley in 1993 after Dan accepted the challenging position of Winemaker at Zaca Mesa Winery near Los Olivos. Over the next 15 years Dan operated his own business at local, guest wineries while working full time as Winemaker and Consultant for numerous Santa Barbara County brands. After 2008 Dan relinquished other responsibilities in order to focus on his own, namesake brand down to the present time. Current production is 14,000 cases and growing. The wines are currently distributed in 12 states and the District of Columbia as well as in Canada and Mexico. The Daniel Gehrs Wines Tasting Room is located in Los Olivos and is open every day from 11a.m. to 5 p.m. (6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays).