A Toast to the Leading Vintages in Our Annual Savor Virginia Wine Classic

For the 13th year, we invited a panel of expert judges to taste and rate wines submitted from around Virginia for our annual Savor Virginia Wine Classic Awards.

With approximately 300 wineries and thousands of wines coming from vineyards around the Commonwealth, Virginia vinos are thriving—even in challenging times. While the state’s wineries began to reopen gradually for public events this summer, winemakers never stopped pursuing their passion, working the land and crafting vintages befitting our 400-year wine history as well as a modern wine movement that has put the state on the map among oenophiles.

To arrive at our results for 2020, our judging panel converged in early summer at River Stone Chophouse in Suffolk, known for its sophisticated wine program, refined setting and menu of custom-cut steaks, seafood and raw bar. The judges evaluated dozens of wines produced across the state, each based on its individual merit.

Tasting was conducted in double-blind flights, each judge recording their findings on sheets printed with a grid of the UC Davis (University of California at Davis) 20 Point System. The Davis system assigns a certain number of points to each of its 10 categories ranging from bouquet to color to taste to aftertaste.

We present our results on the following pages. Congratulations to all of our honorees.

Savor Wine Classic 2020

Platinum Level Winners

Delfosse Winery
2015 Joie De Vivre Sparkling Chardonnay

Maggie Malick Wine Caves
2019 Albarino

Veramar Winery
Bogati Bodega Fat Ass Red

Bluestone Vineyard
2014 Estate Grown Cadenza

Narmada Winery
2017 Yash-Vir

Narmada Winery
2017 Melange

Gold Level Winners

Casanel Vineyards & Winery
2017 Red Spark

Narmada Winery
2019 MOM

Twin Oaks Tavern Winery
2017 Vidal Blanc

Gray Ghost Vineyards
2019 Seyval Blanc

Lake Anna Winery
2019 Seyval Blanc

Gray Ghost Vineyards
2019 Riesling

Veramar Vineyard
2019 Justin Bogaty Viognier

Narmada Winery
2019 Viognier

Potomac Point Vineyard & Winery
2019 Richland Reserve Viognier

Phillip Carter Winery
2019 Sabine Hall Viognier

Bluestone Vineyard
2018 Petit Manseng

Maggie Malick Wine Caves
2019 Petit Manseng

Bluestone Vineyard
2018 Estate Grown Stainless Steel Chardonnay

Ingleside Vineyards
Coastal White

Ingleside Vineyards
Blue Crab Blanc

Ingleside Vineyards
2018 Chardonnay Reserve

Casanel Vineyards & Winery
2018 Chardonnay Reserve

Good Luck Cellars
2017 Chardonel

Good Luck Cellars
2017 Traminette

Narmada Winery
2018 Chardonel Reserve

Revalation Vineyards
2017 Pinot Gris

Ingleside Vineyards
2019 Pinot Grigio

Ingleside Vineyards
2019 Albarino

Casanel Vineyards & Winery
2019 Ellianna Pinot Gris

Veramar Winery
2019 Justin Bogaty Rosé

Ingleside Vineyards
2019 Rosato di Sangiovese

Casanel Vineyards & Winery
2019 José Rosé 

Bluestone Vineyards
2015 Estate Grown Blue Ice

Honey & Hops Brew Works
2020 Blueberry Meade

Honey & Hops Brew Works
2020 Hopped Blood Orange Meade

Cunningham Creek
2016 Petit Verdot (Estate)

Maggie Malick Wine Caves
2017 Petit Verdot

Ingleside Vineyards
2015 Petit Verdot

Lake Anna Winery
2017 Petit Verdot

Casanel Vineyards & Winery
2017 Petit Verdot

Narmada Winery
2017 Reflection

Delfosse Winery
2015 Merlot

Revalation Vineyards
2017 Mélange à Quatre

Twin Oaks Tavern Winery
2017 Merlot

Potomac Point Winery
2019 Norton

Narmada Winery
2017 Cabernet Franc Reserve

Narmada Winery
2017 Cabernet Franc Premium

Gray Ghost Vineyards
2019 Cabernet Franc

Gray Ghost Vineyards
2018 Cabernet Sauvignon

Gray Ghost Vineyards
2017 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Veramar Vineyards
2018 Bogati Bodega Malbec

New Kent Winery
Meritage

Cunningham Creek
2016 Meritage

Cunningham Creek
2016 Rivanna Red

Maggie Malick Wine Caves
2017 Captain’s Cuvee

Maggie Malick Wine Caves
2017 Fortissimo

Delfosse Winery
2016 Grinning Fox

Potomac Point Winery
2017 Richland Reserve Heritage

Gray Ghost Vineyards
2018 Ranger Reserve

Ingleside Vineyards
2018 Left Bank

Casanel Vineyards and Winery
2017 K2 Red Blend

Casanel Vineyards and Winery
2017 Carménère

Stanburn Winery
2017 Big A Red

Silver Award Winners

New Kent Winery
2017 Vidal Blanc

Stanburn Winery
2018 Vidal Blanc

Good Luck Cellars
2018 Seyval Blanc

Cunningham Creek
2018 Viognier

Ingleside Vineyards
2018 Viognier

Phillip Carter Winery
2018 Sabine Hall Viognier

Potomac Point Winery
2019 Petit Manseng

Veramar Vineyard
2019 Justin Bogaty Chardonnay

Bluestone Vineyard
2017 Estate Grown Oaked Chardonnay

New Kent Winery
2017 Chardonnay

Twin Oaks Tavern Winery
2017 Chardonnay

Lake Anna Winery
2019 Barrel Select Chardonnay

Good Luck Cellars
2018 Baleen Beauty

Gray Ghost Vineyards
2019 Gewürztraminer

Stanburn Winery
2017 Highfly

Good Luck Cellars
2017 Rip Rap Rosé

Narmada Winery
2019 Gulabi

New Kent Winery
2018 White Merlot

Maggie Malick Wine Caves
2019 Rosé

Cunningham Creek
2017 Sweet Home

Gray Ghost Vineyards
2019 Adieu Late Harvest

Honey & Hops Brew Works
2020 Blueberry Lime Session Meade

Gray Ghost Vineyards
2018 Petit Verdot

Good Luck Cellars
2016 Chambourcin

Narmada Winery
2017 Midnight

Stanburn Winery
2017 Chambourcin

Maggie Malick Wine Caves
2017 Merlot

Lake Anna Winery
2017 Morgan Merlot

New Kent Winery
2017 Cabernet Franc

Casanel Vineyard & Winery
2017 Cabernet Sauvignon

Good Luck Cellars
2015 Inheritage

Maggie Malick Wine Caves
2017 Malbec

Maggie Malick Wine Caves
2017 Kaleidoscope

Maggie Malick Wine Caves
2017 Tannat

Delfosse Winery
2015 Malbec

Revalation Winery
2018 Tannat

Ingleside Vineyards
2018 Right Bank

Stanburn Winery
2018 Barbera

Bronze Award Winners

Good Luck Cellars
2016 Vidal Blanc

Delfosse Winery
2017 Sauvignon Blanc

Revalation Vineyards
2016 Quatre Blancs

Good Luck Cellars
2017 Unoaked Chardonnay

Gray Ghost Vineyards
2018 Chardonnay

Phillip Carter Winery
2016 Shirley Chardonnay

Potomac Point Winery
2019 La Bella Vie Rosé

Honey & Hops Brew Works
2020 Hopped Strawberry Session Meade

Honey & Hops Brew Works
2020 Ginger Session Meade

Good Luck Cellars
2017 Norton

Twin Oaks Tavern Winery
2017 Raven Rocks Red

Phillip Carter Winery
2016 Cleve

Phillip Carter Winery
2017 Ten Vines Red

The Criteria

The UC Davis 20 Point System evaluates wine on its own merits, looking at the following criteria and assigning the following points value:

Clarity – 2 points

Color – 2 points

Bouquet – 4 points

Total Acidity – 1 point

Sweetness – 1 point

Body/Texture – 2 points

Flavor/Taste – 2 points

Bitterness – 1 point

Finish – 1 point

Quality – 4 points

We tallied each judge’s evaluation sheet, came up with an average and placed each in one of four categories:

Platinum
80% or higher

Gold
65–79%

Silver
50–64%

Bronze
49% or lower

The Critics

Josh Fisher – Manager, Yianni’s Wine Shop in Virginia Beach

Lisa Hamaker – Owner, Taste Virginia culinary, winery, brewery and spirits tours

Chris Hill – Chef, author and speaker

Matt LaBarge – Beverage director, Four Eleven York in Norfolk

Bethany Morris – Certified sommelier; general manager and wine director, Heirloom Restaurant in Virginia Beach

Charles Rizzo – Certified sommelier, River Stone Chophouse in Suffolk

Marc Sauter – Certified sommelier, Zoës Steak & Seafood in Virginia Beach

Written By

Savor Virginia