De Négoce has been named “Wine Company of the Year” at the 18th Annual Critics Challenge International Wine & Spirits Competition. The company also received 53 total medals, 35 of which were platinum or gold with 90 to 94-point scores for wines priced from $12 to $29.
“New company de Négoce, the brainchild of well-known negociant Cameron Hughes, is deserving of major kudos for delivering amazing value in bottlings from up and down the American West Coast and featuring famed appellations like Atlas Peak, Diamond Mountain District, Carneros and others,” said Rich Cook, director of Critics Challenge.
The platinum award winners were the OG N.41 2018 St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon ($29), OG N.89 2018 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon ($18), and OG N.132 2018 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon ($25). Each received 94 points. Additionally, the winner of Best Cabernet Franc was de Négoce’s 2018 OG N.85 Cabernet Franc from Walla Walla Valley, while Best Petite Sirah went to their 2018 OG N.58 Petite Sirah from McDowell Valley. Both wines received gold medals and 91-point scores and are sold for $16 and $14, respectively.
Founded by wine critic Robert Whitley in 2003, Critics Challenge is one of the most respected wine and spirits competitions in the world. Entries are judged blind by noted wine and spirits journalists, bloggers and critics. With an unprecedented level of transparency, Critics Challenge publishes the comments and scores from the individual judges on the competition results page for all award-winning entries.
“We are thrilled to have received such accolades and high scores from this prestigious competition,” says Cameron Hughes, founder of de Négoce. “We want people to know that we are not selling discount wine. We are offering amazing value and access to high-end, award-winning luxury wines that would normally sell for 4 to 8 times the price. There is a big difference!”
Since launching last spring, de Négoce has shipped over 200 unique wines and over 100,000 cases. More than 80 new wines have shipped in 2021 alone, with 80+ in the pipeline for the remainder of the year. For more information head over to de Négoce’s official website.
For a complete list of results, head over to the Critics Challenge official website.