“The judging gigs help me hone my tasting chops, while the four international competitions, where most of my efforts are behind the scenes, keep me abreast of ever-changing trends, such as the emergence of prosecco in recent years and the explosion of interest in dry rose.

But more than that, I get to see in real time who the major players are in terms of quality and consistency. For example, when I look back at the first half of 2019, I can state with utter confidence that V. Sattui remains a pillar of excellence in the Napa Valley.

This unique winery shuns traditional distribution channels and sells its wines only at the winery or online. V. Sattui wines are stunning across the board, although the winery is best known for its vineyard-designate cabernet sauvignons. V. Sattui entered 40 wines in my 10th annual Winemaker Challenge in January and collected 36 medals, including four best-of-class awards. It really doesn’t get much better than that. So, V. Sattui walked off with the directors’ award for domestic winery of the year. No surprise there. What might surprise is that it was the third consecutive year V. Sattui has taken that honor.” – Robert Whitley

Ready to SAVE 20% -25%? Check out BOUNTIFUL BLENDS & SPRING SPECIALS!