The Williamsburg Winery’s 2010 Trianon has won both a platinum award and the Best Cabernet Franc at the 2014 International Winemaker Challenge.
The challenge is a competition that takes place in January. It is hosted by industry experts, with winemakers left to judge the more than 700 entries this year. Of those entries, 28 received platinum awards and 17 received Best in show awards. The winery’s 2010 Adagio received a gold medal and its 2012 A Midsummer Night’s Wine received a silver medal.
“Cabernet Franc expreses its true varietal character in Virginia,” said Matthew Meyer, the winemaker at Williamsburg Winery. “Cabernet Franc has grown beyond the shadow of its bigger brother Cabernet Sauvignon. In Virginia you have to be more specific when you just simply say Cabernet.”
Meyer said in a news release announcing the win that 2010 was a great year for growing grapes. Because of that, the winery was able to secure a complex, balanced wine with many layers of fruit and earthy tones, according to the release.
“It’s truly an honor to receive Best Cabernet Franc from this competition because the judges are fellow winemakers,” Meyer said. “For another winemaker to taste my wine and say ‘this is the best Cabernet Franc’ — it’s very humbling, and it means a lot.”
According to the Williamsburg Winery’s website, the Trianon gets its name from the Trianon de Porcelaine at Versailles, a French palace which has an entryway shaped similar to the state of Virginia. The winery produced 248 cases of the Trianon.
The Trianon features dark fruit flavors which are complimented by the earthy quality of Virginia Cabernet Franc, according to the release.
Cabernet Franc is a black grape often used in Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
