TRADE/MEDIA
Accolades & Awards (Recent)

Please find the most recent accolades and awards listed below, for a complete list of accolades and awards for previous vintages please download the PDF below.

Previous Vintages - Download

___________________________________________________________________ 2002 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Silver	2006 California State Fair
Silver	2006 Orange County Fair
Gold	2006 Los Angeles County Fair
Silver	2006 San Francisco Wine Competition
Silver	Dallas Morning News
3 Stars	Decanter
Silver	2006 California State Fair
Silver	Dallas Morning News
3 Stars	Decanter
Bronze	2006 Los Angeles County Fair
Bronze	2005 California State Fair
Bronze	2006 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
Panel Pick	Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignons from 2001, 2002 and 2003. SF Chronicle, September 1, 2005   Comments: Nose of dusty earth, ripe black currant, blueberry and cassis; toasty oak, mushroom, blackberry and raspberry on palate; lush and opulent, then firm tannins.
3 Stars	Decanter (January 06) 12/7/05 – Panel Review of 2002 California Cabernet
Gold	2005 Sonoma County Harvest Fair
___________________________________________________________________ 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County
Silver	2006 Orange County Fair Wine Competition
Silver	2005 Orange County Fair Wine Competition
Silver	2005 Sonoma County Harvest Fair
___________________________________________________________________ 2004 Chardonnay, Los Carneros
Bronze	2006 California State Fair
Bronze	2006 Los Angeles County Fair
Silver	2005 Sonoma County Harvest Fair
Silver	Dallas Morning News
___________________________________________________________________ 2003 Chardonnay, Ricci Vineyard
Silver	2005 Sonoma County Harvest Fair
___________________________________________________________________ 2004 Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma Mountain
90 Points	Wine & Spirits October 2005 “The firm, mountain-grown power of this wine concentrates flavors of lemongrass, mint and orange water with bracing acidity.  Give it six months to a year in bottle, then serve with Cantonese whole fish in ginger and scallion. This is the first vintage certified as Biodynamic by Demeter.”
91 Points	Wine Enthusiast – December 1, 2005 – Benziger 2004 Paradiso de Maria Sauvignon Blanc (Sonoma Mountain) 91 POINTS!  “This is a very fine Sauvignon Blanc that has great elegance and finesse as well as power.  To begin with, it’s delicately structured, with a steely minerality and fine acidity, and is fully dry.  The flavors are a mélange of lime, alfalfa, honeydew melon, fig and white pepper.  Editor’s Choice!”
Review	“a glowingly grassy style, with classic Sauvignon Blanc lemongrass aromas and flavors, plus a long, cleansing aftertaste that sprinkles citrus into the mix.” Thom Elkjer
Review	Robert Whitley, July 5, 2005, “In France He Finds Gold”  “I was honored recently to be invited to participate on the Jury Decouvertes 2005 at Vinexpo, the world's most important wine fair.  Staged every two years in Bordeaux, Vinexpo brings together wineries from throughout the world to present their wines to the trade, journalists and consumers over five days in June – all under one roof at the vast exposition grounds on the outskirts of  the city.  So when I got down to business, my top discovery turned out to be the 2004 Sonoma Mountain Sauvignon Blanc ($19) from Benziger, a family-run winery in Glen Ellen in the  Sonoma Valley.”
91 Points	February 2006 issue of Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine: Sonoma Mountain. Here is the exceptional Sauvignon Blanc that captures lots of very deep and juicy fruit while retaining the varietal's distinctive grassiness, and it succeeds further in finding an especially fine balance between its ready ripeness and lively acids. It hints at a bit of toasty complexity and should gain with a year or two of age, but, for those who are short on patience, it is wholly delicious right now.
Review	Narsai David – KCBS Radio ON AIR DATE: 10/7/2005 “Herbs and wildflowers with a deep, seductive hit of rhubarb lead to one of the most delicious Sauvignon Blancs I have tasted. WAIT... Sorry, it's already sold out as they only made 337 cases, but I had to talk about it. It is not an excessively grassy or tart wine. The balance is perfect. Each sip demands a mouth-watering encore. I'm marking my calendar for next year's release. The first Demeter certified biodynamic wines from Napa or Sonoma (the highest form of organic farming in the world).”
___________________________________________________________________ 2004 Sauvignon Blanc, North Coast
Silver	2006 Orange County Fair
Bronze	2006 Los Angeles County Fair
Silver	2006 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
Silver	2006 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
___________________________________________________________________ 2002 Merlot, Sonoma County
Bronze	2006 California State Fair
Gold	2006 Los Angeles County Fair
Bronze	Dallas Morning News
Silver	2005 Sonoma County Harvest Fair
___________________________________________________________________ 2002 Syrah, California
Silver	2006 California State Fair
Silver	2006 Orange County Fair
Silver	2006 Los Angeles County Fair
___________________________________________________________________ 2003 Pinot Noir, Ricci Vyd 777
Silver	2005 Sonoma County Harvest Fair
___________________________________________________________________ 2002 Pinot Noir, Sonoma County
Silver	2005 Sonoma County Harvest Fair
Silver	2005 Orange County Fair Wine Competition
___________________________________________________________________ 2003 Port, Sonoma Valley
Bronze	2005 Orange County Wine Competition
___________________________________________________________________ 2004 Port, Sonoma Valley
Gold	2005 Sonoma County Harvest Fair “Grower Recognition for Designated Vineyards”
___________________________________________________________________ 2002 Reserve Merlot
Silver	2005 Sonoma County Harvest Fair
___________________________________________________________________ 2002 Tribute
92  POINTS	Unfiltered garnet hue. Powerful aromas of black cherry, mint, cedar chest and orange rind. Edgy flavors of plum, cherry and baker’s chocolate with rough-hewn tannins marking finish. This is a wine with power and grip that is presently showing it’s youthfulness; needs time to turn the corner. $65, The Wine News, June/July 2005
91 POINTS	“Good full ruby. Aromas of cassis, licorice, bitter chocolate, mint, mocha, tobacco and dried flowers. Silky and lively in the mouth, with juicy, nicely delineated flavors of red berries, flowers and spices. Finishes with firm tannins and lovely length. An elegantly styled Bordeaux blend made with the consulting assistance of David Ramey.” Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, May/June 2005
93 POINTS	“Benziger’s 2002 Tribute is a great follow-up to their breakthrough effort in 2001.  From the same biodynamically run vineyard, with David Ramey doing consulting work, this effort reveals exuberant, extroverted notes of crème de cassis, graphite, smoke, and earth.  Full-bodied and opulently-textured, with loads of concentration, this is a brilliant red to drink young or cellar for 10-15 years.” Robert Parker, Jr., February 2005
94 Points	Wine Enthusiast December 1, 2005 “Benziger pulls out all the stops on this estate Cabernet-based Bordeaux blend from their hilly vineyard above Glen Ellen.  It’s a beautiful effort.  The flavors are very close to Napa Cab, namely deliciously sweet casis, roasted coffee and cocoa, but there’s a tannin and acid structure that in some respects outclasses even Napa’s most prestigious chateau.  This is a great red wine.  Editor’s Choice!
96 POINTS.	“The second release of the fully certified biodynamic Tribute may be even better than the fine inaugural 2001.  Year Two appears to have a fine tannin structure and is a slightly softer demeanor – perhaps it is the increase in merlot from the 11 to 21 per cent.  The aromas mix licorice, black olive and cassis with flecks of milk chocolate and tobacco.  The entry is silky, the tannins soft and the flavour is packed with black cherries, earth, chocolate and tobacco.  Tribute is aged for 19 months in French oak (35 percent new barrels) and spends about one year in bottle before release.  It is unfiltered and unfined.  The blend is 51, 21, 21, 7 cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc and petit Verdot.  Let this one lie away for a decade.”  Wine Access, October 2005 (Canada’s Wine & Food Magazine)