As I write this, I'm just getting back from the wine competition where we sipped-spit and scored 1500 wines from all over the world.  Thirty percent were California, 20 percent Pacific Northwest and 7 percent were New York wines. We started our day with pinot gris/grigio and sauvignon blanc wines.  We then went to sparkling wines, and finished with Pinot Noir and then Syrah. At the end of three days I was overjoyed to find my "favorite" Pinot Noir at the competition won a gold medal.  2010 Laetitia  Estate Pinot Noir, Arroyo, California.

 The Best of Show Sparkling was also my choice and came from the same winery: Laetitia  NV Estate Brut Cuvee.  You can find these great wines (look for the Harvest Moon Ranch label) at select ABC stores.

Marie Griffin, Wine Supervisor West Coast