It’s an honor just to be nominated for this competition, but this year we succeeded with Gold Medals for both our 2017 Estate Pinot Noir and our 2018 Pinot Noir Rosé.

This year’s competition was a good year for Pinot Noir:

Oregon Pinot Noir, a phrase that resonates around the world, had a remarkable yet predictable showing at this year’s Great Northwest Invitational. There were 79 entries, making it the second-largest category in the judging, 15 gold medals were awarded to Pinot Noir from Oregon producers… The Campbell family’s, which used Pinot Noir to win the rosé sweepstakes, also added a gold medal with their 2017 Estate Pinot Noir ($29).

About the Competition:

Perhaps no wine judging in the Pacific Northwest requires as much of its judges as the Great Northwest Invite, but many of the region’s most influential wine buyers return each year to taste at the historic Columbia Gorge Hotel in Hood River, Ore.

This judging traditionally recruits sommeliers, wine merchants and buyers for some of the Northwest’s largest and best-known restaurants and retailers. Each judge nominates 100+ entries – most of them made by top wineries – knowing they will evaluate them under blind conditions. That means the judges only know the style of wine and that it was made with fruit from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho.

A record number of 756 wines were entered in the event organized by Great Northwest Wine in partnership with the Columbia Gorge Hotel. Larry Stone, the Bay Area Master Sommelier who is part-owner and the driving force behind acclaimed Lingua Franca in Oregon’s Eola-Amity Hills, wrote to Great Northwest Wine, “The list of judges is impressive.”

Learn more about this year’s results at greatnorthwestwines.com