Missouri's 2016 Best of Class Winners
- Updated
Meet the seven wines that took home top honors in 2016.
The Governor’s Cup is reserved for the top wine among all the Best of Class winners, while The C.V. Riley Award is only open to Nortons that were awarded gold medals earlier in the competition.
Semi-Dry White
- Hilary Hedges
- Updated
2015 Vignoles from St. James Winery in St. James, Missouri
★ Governor's Cup Award Winner
The Best of Class award was only one highlight of the competition for St. James Winery in St. James, Missouri: Its Vignoles also received the competition’s highest honor – the Governor’s Cup – for the second consecutive year.
“We are ecstatic for our vineyard and winery,” says executive winemaker Andrew Meggitt. “The team works very hard to ensure the grapes and wine are the best that they can be. This honor is the result of great teamwork.”
St. James Winery is in the Ozark Highlands American Viticultural Area, and the grapes in the 2015 vintage were grown on two different vineyards within the estate. One site is slightly warmer than the other, resulting in subtle differences in the flavor of the fruit. The grapes are pressed separately and fermented slowly for 23 days in stainless steel before blending and bottling. The result is a fruit-forward wine with floral aromas, flavors of pineapple and stone fruit and a crisp, clean finish. The winery says the combination of weather, soil and care of the grapes contributed to a unique vintage.
The Vignoles has also been recognized at competitions across the globe, including the Indy International Wine Competition and the International Eastern Wine Competition.
540 State Route B, stjameswinery.com
Dry White
- Hilary Hedges
- Updated
2014 Vidal Blanc from Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, Missouri
Stone Hill Winery senior winemaker Dave Johnson says the 2014 Vidal Blanc is a vintage where all of the vineyard and winemaking decisions combined to produce an exceptional wine. Stone Hill is in the Hermann American Viticultural Area and used estate-grown Vidal Blanc grapes in this award-winning wine.
“While we have won 26 Best of Class awards since 2008 at the Missouri Wine Competition, it is especially gratifying to win Best Dry White with such a value-priced wine,” Johnson says.
Stone Hill’s Vidal Blanc is rich and complex, a result of the fermentation and aging process. Only the free-run juice is used, which is retrieved during processing prior to being pressed.
The 2014 Vidal Blanc was aged sur-lie, primarily in tank, with about 10 percent aged sur-lie in barrels; this means it’s left on top of the yeast for an extended amount of time. Doing so adds texture, depth and hints of oak to the wine.
It has flavors and aromas of apple and melon with a hint of spice.
1110 Stone Hill Hwy., stonehillwinery.com
Rosé
- Hilary Hedges
- Updated
Twilight from Edg-Clif Farms & Vineyard in Potosi, Missouri
Sixty-five miles southwest of St. Louis sits Edg-Clif Farms & Vineyard in Potosi, Missouri. What was originally a cattle ranch founded in 1936 is now a 2,500-vine vineyard and winery.
Winemaker and co-owner Cyndy Keesee created Twilight, the wine recognized as Best of Class in the rosé category. The wine was made with very ripe Chambourcin grapes that were allowed short contact time with the skins. It was fermented with French yeast and aged in stainless steel, resulting in an aromatic wine with strawberry, kiwi and peach flavors, with a bit of grapefruit and a lush mouthfeel. “We call it a sweet white Chambourcin,” Keesee says.
“This is a tremendous honor that we as a vineyard and winery are striving to achieve in all our wines,” Keesee says. “The hand-harvested, handcrafted and singular attention to each batch and each bottle is what makes ours and other Missouri wines unique and consistent.”
10035 Edg-Clif Drive, edg-clif.com
Dry Red
- Hilary Hedges
- Updated
2014 Norton from Noboleis Vineyards in Augusta, Missouri
★ C.V. Riley Award Winner
Noboleis Vineyards has bragging rights as the best Norton in the state after winning the prestigious C.V. Riley award, which recognizes the top wine made from Missouri’s state grape.
When owners Bob and Lou Ann Nolan planted the vineyard in 2005, the Norton vines were placed on the north slope of the property “because they have a longer growing season and tend to struggle more on a north-facing slope.” The goal was to achieve the right balance of nourishment, ultimately creating a higher-quality grape.
The 2014 vintage saw a long and cold winter; the Nolans delayed harvest as long as possible to allow the smaller-than-normal crop to ripen. The result was quality over quantity: The low yield led to grapes with more concentrated flavors.
Winemaker Brandon Dixon then aged the wine in small oak barrels and one large Hungarian oak barrel for about seven months. “To me, winemaking is artistry in a bottle,” Dixon says. “Each year the goal is the same: take what Mother Nature has given us and coax out the best flavors and aromas in the grape.” The Norton is full-bodied with flavors of cherry, black currant and spice, with smooth tannins on the finish.
100 Hemsath Road, noboleisvineyards.com
Sparkling Wine
- Hilary Hedges
- Updated
Effervescent Mead from Pirtle Winery in Weston, Missouri
Pirtle Winery has been making mead since it was established in 1978. Since there is a year-round supply of honey, it made sense to Pirtle co-owner and winemaker Scott Pirtle to ferment it. It’s also delicious, he says, and one of his best-selling wines. (Mead is often referred to as the oldest fermented beverage in the world. The English tradition of a bride and groom drinking mead from “moon to moon” led to the term “honeymoon.”)
Orange-blossom honey is used to make the winery’s sparkling Effervescent, as well as its traditional, blackberry and raspberry meads; Pirtle says the honey is lighter than other varieties and leads to better flavor. The sparkling wine has a beautiful, rich golden tone and a light effervescence that offers a nice balance to the sweetness of the honey. Pirtle says the Effervescent and the traditional mead age nicely and gain more complexity over time.
Pirtle is the only winery on the west side of the state to land on the 2016 Best of Class list and takes pride in being recognized. “It’s nice to win competitions,” Pirtle says. “It further validates our commitment to making excellent wines.”
The Effervescent mead has also received international acclaim. It took home a gold medal from the Mazer Cup, the biggest mead competition in the world.
502 Spring St., pirtlewinery.com
Distilled Product
- Hilary Hedges
- Updated
Grappa from Montelle Winery in Augusta, Missouri
Montelle Winery winemaker and owner Tony Kooyumjian decided to make grappa to reduce waste at his winery. He uses a combination of red grape skins and juice from the last round of grape pressing. Normally, those skins would be spread across the vineyard to add important nutrients to the soil. And while most of the leftovers from his other wines end up in the vineyard, he reserves the grapes with higher sugar levels to make grappa.
The skins and juice are fermented together at 55ºF. Kooyumjian says his process for making grappa is different because he uses more juice than other wineries, adding additional aroma, flavor and mouthfeel. After fermentation, the wine is extracted and distilled.
The grappa is aged in stainless steel tanks for at least six months and bottle-aged for a month before release. The result is smooth and balanced with aromas of anise and citrus; it will warm you up from the first sip.
“It’s always satisfying to win awards for our products,” Kooyumjian says. “The Best of Class award is very prestigious, and it’s an honor to receive this recognition.”
201 Montelle Drive, montelle.com
Dessert/Fortified Wine
- Hilary Hedges
- Updated
Cream Sherry from Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, Missouri
Stone Hill Winery started making cream sherry in 1998 because, at the time, no other Missouri winery had produced one post-Prohibition. It’s a blend of Concord, Catawba and Traminette that’s fortified with grape brandy to raise the alcohol content.
Stone Hill’s cream sherry is an oloroso style, meaning that it’s full-bodied with a dark-golden to deep-brown color obtained by maderization, an oxidation process that exposes the wine to oxygen and heat. The sherry is then aged in barrels with a modified solera system technique, which uses a blend of different vintages that have aged together over time. Stone Hill currently has barrels containing a combination of sherries as old as 16 years. This process gives the sherry complexity and depth.
The cream sherry is rich and full-bodied with nutty aromas and bold flavors of caramel and vanilla. It pairs well with dessert or can be enjoyed by itself, either at room temperature or slightly chilled.
Cream sherry is less common among fortified wines, especially among winemakers in the Midwest. “Given that port is the much more recognized fortified dessert wine, it’s nice to see this special wine, into which we put so much effort, named Best of Class,” says senior winemaker Dave Johnson.
1110 Stone Hill Hwy., stonehillwinery.com
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Semi-Dry White
- Hilary Hedges
2015 Vignoles from St. James Winery in St. James, Missouri
★ Governor's Cup Award Winner
The Best of Class award was only one highlight of the competition for St. James Winery in St. James, Missouri: Its Vignoles also received the competition’s highest honor – the Governor’s Cup – for the second consecutive year.
“We are ecstatic for our vineyard and winery,” says executive winemaker Andrew Meggitt. “The team works very hard to ensure the grapes and wine are the best that they can be. This honor is the result of great teamwork.”
St. James Winery is in the Ozark Highlands American Viticultural Area, and the grapes in the 2015 vintage were grown on two different vineyards within the estate. One site is slightly warmer than the other, resulting in subtle differences in the flavor of the fruit. The grapes are pressed separately and fermented slowly for 23 days in stainless steel before blending and bottling. The result is a fruit-forward wine with floral aromas, flavors of pineapple and stone fruit and a crisp, clean finish. The winery says the combination of weather, soil and care of the grapes contributed to a unique vintage.
The Vignoles has also been recognized at competitions across the globe, including the Indy International Wine Competition and the International Eastern Wine Competition.
540 State Route B, stjameswinery.com
Dry White
- Hilary Hedges
2014 Vidal Blanc from Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, Missouri
Stone Hill Winery senior winemaker Dave Johnson says the 2014 Vidal Blanc is a vintage where all of the vineyard and winemaking decisions combined to produce an exceptional wine. Stone Hill is in the Hermann American Viticultural Area and used estate-grown Vidal Blanc grapes in this award-winning wine.
“While we have won 26 Best of Class awards since 2008 at the Missouri Wine Competition, it is especially gratifying to win Best Dry White with such a value-priced wine,” Johnson says.
Stone Hill’s Vidal Blanc is rich and complex, a result of the fermentation and aging process. Only the free-run juice is used, which is retrieved during processing prior to being pressed.
The 2014 Vidal Blanc was aged sur-lie, primarily in tank, with about 10 percent aged sur-lie in barrels; this means it’s left on top of the yeast for an extended amount of time. Doing so adds texture, depth and hints of oak to the wine.
It has flavors and aromas of apple and melon with a hint of spice.
1110 Stone Hill Hwy., stonehillwinery.com
Rosé
- Hilary Hedges
Twilight from Edg-Clif Farms & Vineyard in Potosi, Missouri
Sixty-five miles southwest of St. Louis sits Edg-Clif Farms & Vineyard in Potosi, Missouri. What was originally a cattle ranch founded in 1936 is now a 2,500-vine vineyard and winery.
Winemaker and co-owner Cyndy Keesee created Twilight, the wine recognized as Best of Class in the rosé category. The wine was made with very ripe Chambourcin grapes that were allowed short contact time with the skins. It was fermented with French yeast and aged in stainless steel, resulting in an aromatic wine with strawberry, kiwi and peach flavors, with a bit of grapefruit and a lush mouthfeel. “We call it a sweet white Chambourcin,” Keesee says.
“This is a tremendous honor that we as a vineyard and winery are striving to achieve in all our wines,” Keesee says. “The hand-harvested, handcrafted and singular attention to each batch and each bottle is what makes ours and other Missouri wines unique and consistent.”
10035 Edg-Clif Drive, edg-clif.com
Dry Red
- Hilary Hedges
2014 Norton from Noboleis Vineyards in Augusta, Missouri
★ C.V. Riley Award Winner
Noboleis Vineyards has bragging rights as the best Norton in the state after winning the prestigious C.V. Riley award, which recognizes the top wine made from Missouri’s state grape.
When owners Bob and Lou Ann Nolan planted the vineyard in 2005, the Norton vines were placed on the north slope of the property “because they have a longer growing season and tend to struggle more on a north-facing slope.” The goal was to achieve the right balance of nourishment, ultimately creating a higher-quality grape.
The 2014 vintage saw a long and cold winter; the Nolans delayed harvest as long as possible to allow the smaller-than-normal crop to ripen. The result was quality over quantity: The low yield led to grapes with more concentrated flavors.
Winemaker Brandon Dixon then aged the wine in small oak barrels and one large Hungarian oak barrel for about seven months. “To me, winemaking is artistry in a bottle,” Dixon says. “Each year the goal is the same: take what Mother Nature has given us and coax out the best flavors and aromas in the grape.” The Norton is full-bodied with flavors of cherry, black currant and spice, with smooth tannins on the finish.
100 Hemsath Road, noboleisvineyards.com
Sparkling Wine
- Hilary Hedges
Effervescent Mead from Pirtle Winery in Weston, Missouri
Pirtle Winery has been making mead since it was established in 1978. Since there is a year-round supply of honey, it made sense to Pirtle co-owner and winemaker Scott Pirtle to ferment it. It’s also delicious, he says, and one of his best-selling wines. (Mead is often referred to as the oldest fermented beverage in the world. The English tradition of a bride and groom drinking mead from “moon to moon” led to the term “honeymoon.”)
Orange-blossom honey is used to make the winery’s sparkling Effervescent, as well as its traditional, blackberry and raspberry meads; Pirtle says the honey is lighter than other varieties and leads to better flavor. The sparkling wine has a beautiful, rich golden tone and a light effervescence that offers a nice balance to the sweetness of the honey. Pirtle says the Effervescent and the traditional mead age nicely and gain more complexity over time.
Pirtle is the only winery on the west side of the state to land on the 2016 Best of Class list and takes pride in being recognized. “It’s nice to win competitions,” Pirtle says. “It further validates our commitment to making excellent wines.”
The Effervescent mead has also received international acclaim. It took home a gold medal from the Mazer Cup, the biggest mead competition in the world.
502 Spring St., pirtlewinery.com
Distilled Product
- Hilary Hedges
Grappa from Montelle Winery in Augusta, Missouri
Montelle Winery winemaker and owner Tony Kooyumjian decided to make grappa to reduce waste at his winery. He uses a combination of red grape skins and juice from the last round of grape pressing. Normally, those skins would be spread across the vineyard to add important nutrients to the soil. And while most of the leftovers from his other wines end up in the vineyard, he reserves the grapes with higher sugar levels to make grappa.
The skins and juice are fermented together at 55ºF. Kooyumjian says his process for making grappa is different because he uses more juice than other wineries, adding additional aroma, flavor and mouthfeel. After fermentation, the wine is extracted and distilled.
The grappa is aged in stainless steel tanks for at least six months and bottle-aged for a month before release. The result is smooth and balanced with aromas of anise and citrus; it will warm you up from the first sip.
“It’s always satisfying to win awards for our products,” Kooyumjian says. “The Best of Class award is very prestigious, and it’s an honor to receive this recognition.”
201 Montelle Drive, montelle.com
Dessert/Fortified Wine
- Hilary Hedges
Cream Sherry from Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, Missouri
Stone Hill Winery started making cream sherry in 1998 because, at the time, no other Missouri winery had produced one post-Prohibition. It’s a blend of Concord, Catawba and Traminette that’s fortified with grape brandy to raise the alcohol content.
Stone Hill’s cream sherry is an oloroso style, meaning that it’s full-bodied with a dark-golden to deep-brown color obtained by maderization, an oxidation process that exposes the wine to oxygen and heat. The sherry is then aged in barrels with a modified solera system technique, which uses a blend of different vintages that have aged together over time. Stone Hill currently has barrels containing a combination of sherries as old as 16 years. This process gives the sherry complexity and depth.
The cream sherry is rich and full-bodied with nutty aromas and bold flavors of caramel and vanilla. It pairs well with dessert or can be enjoyed by itself, either at room temperature or slightly chilled.
Cream sherry is less common among fortified wines, especially among winemakers in the Midwest. “Given that port is the much more recognized fortified dessert wine, it’s nice to see this special wine, into which we put so much effort, named Best of Class,” says senior winemaker Dave Johnson.
1110 Stone Hill Hwy., stonehillwinery.com
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Nine judges from across the U.S. blind-taste local wines to name the best of the best.
The state's oldest winery won the top honor for its 2015 Norton.