Texas appellation wines walked away with a cool 158 medals last week at the prestigious 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. That included an unprecedented seven "Best of Class" awards, seven double-golds and 14 single golds, plus a slew of silvers and bronzes. And to think, only five years ago, we were excited when the state got its first double-gold.

Brennan Vineyards Reserve Viognier

"This year, Texas wineries using Texas grapes won more medals — including some of the top awards — than ever before," said Bob Fraser, SFCWC executive director.

"It is not surprising to me, as I recently visited the Texas wine country and was completely impressed with the quality of their wines."

The take-away punctuates what Texas wine-watchers already know: Our grape growers and winemakers are fast figuring out what makes not just the best wines in Texas, but some of the best wines, period.

The linchpin: Texas has become a second home for grape varietals that flourish in countries edging the Mediterranean, from Spain's tempranillo to Italy's dolcetto and vermentino, with lots of love lavished on grapes in between, such as viognier, roussanne and mourvedre.

But wait: Of course, there's an outlier, and that's blanc du bois, an American hybrid developed in Florida that thrives in our coastal zone. It's currently being planted with a frenzy in the central and northern parts of the state, too.

The SFCWC drew nearly 7,000 entries from 28 states this year. All entries are tasted blind by wine experts from around the country. Yes, California dominates, but the competition's wide-open. Among the seven sweepstakes awards — an echelon Texas has yet to crack — was Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant Vidal Blanc American Ice Wine. From Illinois.

Here are the Texas appellation wines that placed in the top medal categories.

Specializing in Italian wines, Duchman offers a beautiful facility to visit in the Hill Country. ((Duchman Family Winery))

Top Texas wines in the 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

Brennan Vineyards Reserve Viognier

Best of Class

Best of Class means the wine was deemed the best across one of the 100-plus judging categories. These are often divided further by price, especially for popular varietals. Texas winners included:

Viognier: Brennan Vineyards 2015 Reserve Viognier, Comanche County, Newburg Vineyard

White blends: Wedding Oak Winery 2015 Sweet Alyssum, Texas High Plains, Wildseed Farms Vineyard

Dry Rosé/Blush: Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards non-vintage Texas Sweet Blush

Dolcetto: Perissos Vineyards and Winery 2015 Dolcetto, Texas High Plains, Diamante Doble Vineyards

Merlot: Messina Hof Winery & Resort, 2015 Merlot, Texas

Tempranillo: Haak Vineyards & Winery 2015 Tempranillo, Texas High Plains, Reddy Vineyards

Malbec: Trilogy Cellars 2015 Malbec, Texas High Plains, Amanecer Vineyards, Bolen Vineyards, Krick Hill Vineyards

Double-Gold

Double-gold means a panel of judges all awarded the wine first place. Winners included:

Viognier: Grape Creek Vineyards 2015 Viognier, Texas

White blends: Grape Creek Vineyards 2015 Cuvee Blanc, Texas; and Perissos Vineyard and Winery 2015 Serendipity, Texas High Plains, Farmhouse Vineyards and Oswald Vineyard

Red dessert: Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards Besitos de Chocolate NV, Texas

Other white varietals: Perissos Vineyard and Winery 2015 Roussanne, Texas High Plains, Oswald Vineyard

Sangiovese: Flat Creek Estate 2014 Super Texan, Texas

Tempranillo: Yates Winery 2014 Tempranillo, Texas High Plains, Bayer Family Vineyards

Brennan Vineyards Roussanne 2015

Gold

Texas appellation wines awarded gold medals:

Muscat/Albarino/Chenin Blanc: Fall Creek Vineyards 2015 Headwaters Chenin Blanc, Texas

White Native American/Hybrid: Haak Vineyards & Winery 2016 Blanc du Bois, Texas

Viognier: Lost Draw Cellars 2015 Viognier, Texas High Plains

White Blends: Lost Oak Winery 2015 Saku White, Texas High Plains, Diamante Doble Vineyard

Other White Varietals: Brennan Vineyards 2015 Roussanne, Texas High Plains, Reddy Vineyards; and Duchman Family Winery 2015 Vermentino, Texas High Plains, Bingham Family Vineyards; and Lost Oak Winery 2015 Blanc du Bois, Texas

Distilled/Fortified: Haak Vineyards & Winery 2014 Blanc du Bois Amnesia, Texas

Spicewood Vineyards 2014 Tempranillo

Tempranillo: Brennan Vineyards 2014 Tempranillo, Texas; and Spicewood Vineyards 2014 Tempranillo, Texas Hill Country

Red Bordeaux: Fall Creek Vineyards 2013 Meritus, Texas Hill Country

Mourvedre: Lost Draw Cellars 2014 Mourvedre, Texas High Plains; and Rancho Ponte Vineyard 2015 Mourvedre, New Mexico/Texas

All other red blends: Solaro Estate Winery 2014 Miscela, Texas Hill Country

Kim Pierce is a Dallas freelance writer