La Mesa Scores Gold at 2026 San Francisco International
Oct 13, 2026
La Mesa Vineyards has earned more acclaim at the newly announced 2026 San Francisco International Wine Competition. As one of the world's most prestigious wine events, San Francisco International featured over 1,100 entries from more than 30 countries — including Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, and the Czech Republic—alongside a strong showing from across California.
La Mesa took home two Gold Medals at the event:
La Mesa 2022 Petite Sirah – Gold, 91 Points
La Mesa 2023 Zinfandel – Gold, 91 Points
Owner and winemaker Côme Laguë shared his excitement about their debut at the competition:
"This was our very first time entering at San Francisco International, and these awards are the result of years of dedication. The award-winning 2023 Zinfandel was actually only our second attempt at the varietal. Zinfandel is a signature style here in Amador County. We crafted ours using our unique winemaking techniques, including Flextank technology, low sulfites, and low tannins. The result is a wine that is ready to enjoy today but will also age beautifully for years to come."
"Our 2022 Petite Sirah represents a long journey of patience and hard work. We planted these hillside vines back in 2013, waiting five years for full production before our first estate release in 2019. This is a quintessential Sierra Foothills Petite Sirah, boasting a rich, powerful flavour and an intensely dark colour. While Petite Sirah is frequently used as a blending grape to elevate lighter wines, our pure expression stands strong on its own. It features complex notes of dark chocolate, roasted coffee, black cherries, and spice on the nose, transitioning to black tea and red cherries on the palate, all framed by subtle French oak. As a relatively young winery, it is an absolute thrill to see our wines ranked among the very best."
The complete list of winners is available on the Tasting Alliance website.
We also want to extend a warm congratulations to our fellow Amador County wineries who took home notable awards. We are proud to share this recognition with our incredible neighbours!
