Lot 159
2008 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay

The 2010 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition awards the following medals to Cameron Hughes Wine: Double Gold Lot 116, 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Lot 143, 2007 Howell Mountain Cabernet Gold The Flying Winemaker, 2008 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay Silver Lot 121, 2006 Spring Mountain District Cabernet Lot 140, 2007 Sonoma County Cabernet

San Diego International Wine Competition Cameron Hughes Medal Winners Platinum 2008 Chardonnay, Lot 159 Santa Barbara Gold 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 116 Napa Valley Gold 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 164 Rutherford Silver 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 136 Napa Valley Silver 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 138 Santa Barbara Silver 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 149 Napa Valley Silver 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 157 Yountville Silver 2007 Zinfandel, Lot 114 Sonoma County Silver 2008 Zinfandel, Lot 163 Lodi Silver 2007 Chardonnay, Lot 130 Russian River Valley Silver 2008 Chardonnay, Lot 145 Santa Barbara

Cameron Hughes 2007 Lot 157 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is awarded Best of Class and a Gold Medal at the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition! Silver Award winners include: - Lot 164 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007 - Lot 165 Los Carneros Pinot Noir, 2008 - The Flying Winemaker, Malbec, Mendoza Argentina, 2008 - The Flying Winemaker, Santa Barbara County Chardonnay, 2008 - The Flying Winemaker, Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipo Valley, Chile, 2007

Cameron Hughes wins big at the 2010 California State Fair Wine Competition! Gold Medals: - Lot 165 Los Carneros Pinot Noir, 2008 (Best of Class, 94 points) - Lot 157 Napa Cabernet, 2007 (94 points) Silver Medals: - Lot 167 Napa Valley Petite Syrah, 2007 (Best of Class) - Lot 152 Alexander Valley Cabernet, 2007 - Lot 169 Napa Valley Merlot, 2007 - Lot 158 Santa Barbara Chardonnay, 2008 - Lot 172 Atlas Peak Cabernet, 2007 - The Flying Winemaker Santa Barbara Chardonnay, 2008

Fly across the Potomac to taste these value wines If you’ve been shopping at Giant Food stores in Northern Virginia this month, you may have had a chance to taste one of our new favorite value labels, The Flying Winemaker by Cameron Hughes. Giant in Virginia has picked up virtually the entire line of Flying Winemaker wines, and there have been free tastings at various stores all month long. In addition to the 2008 Flying Winemaker Tempranillo from Spain and the 2007 Zinfandel from Lodi, California (our favorite), both of which we tasted last month at the Circle Wine & Spirits Chillin' and Grillin' Summerfest, Giant is carrying the 2008 Malbec from Mendoza in Argentina, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon from Maipo Valley in Chile and the 2008 Chardonnay from Santa Barbara. Unlike the “Lot Series” wines from Cameron Hughes, which are one-off bottlings of excess wine from high-end winemakers sold under the Cameron Hughes label for a fraction of its typical price, the Flying Winemaker wines are sourced from vineyards on an ongoing basis, so they can be made each year from one vintage to the next. (The 2008 Tempranillo is the second vintage of that wine from the Campo de Borja region of Spain.) For more detail on Cameron Hughes, see last month’s “These ‘bulk’ wines are fine wines, great values.” All of the Flying Winemaker varieties have won at least one Gold, Silver or Bronze medal at the various West Coast wine competitions, including the 2010 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition and the San Diego International Wine Competition. The Santa Barbara chardonnay and Chilean cabernet, both new to the area and only available in Northern Virginia for now, are the most highly decorated after the 2007 Flying Winemaker Zinfandel, which took Gold at the Critics Challenge 2009 International Wine Competition and the Denver International Wine Competition, plus Silver in the Dallas Morning News Wine Competition and the San Diego International Wine Competition. And as we noted before, you can listen to Hugh Sisson and Al Spoler rave about the Flying Winemaker Zinfandel, along with other Cameron Hughes wines, on Baltimore NPR affiliate WYPR’s Cellar Notes show. These are wines worth seeking out and trying for yourself. And even if you don't live in Virginia convenient to Oakton or Clifton, it might be worth a trip across the Potomac for the chance to take all five of these wines side by side. Cheers!

MY READERS RESPOND..TRY CAMERON HUGHES WINE!" Part of the joy in writing this blog is learning from others responses. Although the audience is small, the general wine knowledge is pretty impressive. I've had a number of readers ask me if I have tried any of the Cameron Hughes wines and to be honest, I've never heard of him. However, as I've learned from my days working on the exchange floor of the Chicago Board of Trade, if you hear something from more than one person, its worth checking out! This month I'll review three reds and one white from Cameron Hughes. Given that the last few years have been a struggle for many wine producers, the Hughes model has worked to perfection. The only risk is that he has no control over his sources and if times change, he may be forced to pay higher prices for his fruit or maybe not even get it at all. Another drawback is that the number of cases of a particular wine may be limited. Remember, most of the time he is buying grapes that a grower or winemaker believes he can’t sell, and in some cases, the seller is taking an economic loss selling his excess to Hughes. At any rate, the wines are available at Costco or from their website. I purchased mine off of the website and it was at my doorstep the next day. Overall, I was impressed with his product and the price. It’s worth taking a look at his website www.chwine.com for additional information. Lot 125-2007 Carneros Pinot Noir: This was by far the most surprising find. To be fair, Pinot Noir to me is like tabasco sauce; I like it around the house but I don’t drink it all the time. This award winning wine offered good depth and balance. Once it opened up, I picked up hints of plum and strawberry along with a vanilla oak like finish. At $19.00 a bottle, lot 125 is a steal. Lot 172-2007 Atlas Peak Napa Valley Cabernet: This double gold medal winner at the San Francisco International Wine Competition was simply delicious. At $22 bucks a bottle, it is a stand up triple. Alcohol level was 14.9 % and like the two wines above, decanting made a difference in the taste. Lot 172 is the classic Napa Cab; rich dark color, delicate, yet enough punch to get you excited. I picked up a touch of vanilla bean on the bouquet and ripe berry on the finish. Although 4000 cases were produced, it won’t last long. Lot 159-2008 Santa Barbara Chardonnay: This wine offers good balance structure and is well worth the $14.00 price tag. Rich tropical fruit was noticed and although it was not overpowering, I did detect a creamy oak like flavor. Although it’s hard for me to get too excited about Chardonnay, I would say it’s a great everyday wine and good enough to bring to friend.

Itinerant winemakers create some high-flying vintages By Heather Stober Fleming Grape Expectations September 16, 2010 12:00 AM I am going to take a guess that if "flying winemaker" was one of the careers listed on the "What do you want to do when you grow up?" survey we took back in high school, it would have been a popular option. The flying winemaker is both a concept and a brand. As a concept, flying winemakers are consultants and winemakers who work with growers and winery owners in different regions, countries, and sometimes even continents. Often, when starting a career, a winemaker takes jobs in several regions to build up a winemaking resume and expand their network. It can also make economic sense for winemakers to share their expertise of a region with another area that is looking to make similar wines. This occurred when French Champagne companies started opening wineries in California and they employed French Champagne winemakers to share their knowledge with California winemakers. Other flying winemakers want the freedom to make wines from various regions of the world without the overhead or commitment of owning property. The Flying Winemaker brand is part of the Cameron Hughes wine company which began in 2001 when Hughes bought 500 cases of already made Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, added his own label, and sold it to local retailers, grocery chains and price clubs. This was called the Lot Series and it comprised small batches of many different wines from various wine growing regions. As he explored this business model, Hughes discovered great wineries, and winemakers from all over the world who were producing great wines but for various reasons did not always want to label the wine under their own brand. Hughes saw a huge opportunity to expand his portfolio and created The Flying Winemaker. He has become a hugely successful negociant who is committed to providing the consumer with premium quality wines from some of the best wine regions in the world at an affordable price. The following wines are currently available in Massachusetts. Flying Winemaker Chardonnay, Santa Barbara, Calif., $14.99 — Bold fruit flavors of pear and melon are nicely balanced with a clean and crisp acidity. There is a hint of honey-like texture on the palate that gives the wine a soft texture. A refreshing style of California Chardonnay! Flying Winemaker Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina, $14.99 — Malbec has been long known as one of the five grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine, but during the past decade, Argentina has put Malbec on the map as a single-varietal wine. The climate in Argentina has proven to be perfect for this thin-skinned grape that needs a lot of sun and heat to reach perfect ripeness, with the end result being full-bodied and luscious red wine. The cooler climate in Bordeaux produces an earthier style of Malbec which is best when blended with the other Bordeaux varietals. The Flying Winemaker Malbec has intense aromas of plum and black cherries, which also show on the palate. It is well structured, concentrated with soft tannins for a long, luscious finish. Flying Winemaker Zinfandel, Lodi, Calif., $14.99 — Lodi is quickly becoming known as one of the best places in California for Zinfandel. The grapes thrive in the Mediterranean-like climate and the appellation brings in more than $300 million each year, which is more than both Napa and Sonoma combined. This wine comes from a vineyard that has more than 100-year-old plants that produce low yields but excellent quality fruit. The flavors of intense berry and dark fruit are very typical for Zinfandel from this region. A hint of sweetness on the palate softens the richness. This would be a great match with barbecue flavors. Flying Winemaker Tempranillo, Campo de Borja, Spain, $14.99 — Tempanillo is one of the most widely planted red grapes in the Campo de Borja region of Spain. Oftentimes, Tempranillo-based wines are earthy with subtle fruit flavors that tend to require food. Although the Flying Winemaker Tempranillo has hints of earth, the fruit-forward style gives the wine a flavor profile that would work for both sipping and as a food wine. Flying Winemaker Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipo, Chile, $14.99 — This area of Chile is nestled between the Andes and the coastal mountains and has warm days and cool nights, which are ideal conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a luscious Cabernet with hints of eucalyptus on the finish. Chile has a reputation of producing wines that offer a lot of bang for the buck and this wine is no exception. Delicious and affordable!

FIVE CHW wines make the list of the best value wines from the second half of 2010, based on Spirit of Wine specific criteria for determining "best value". Lot 159 Santa Barbara Chardonnay; Lot 175 Napa Merlot; Lot 177 Napa Syrah; Lot 151, Columbia Valley Riesling/Chenin Blanc; and Lot 95 Chilean Meritage.

Cameron Hughes Lot 159 Santa Barbara Chardonnay chosen as a 5-Star Selection in Beverage Dynamics Magazine. Rated 92 points!