Californian Chardonnay

Drink Californian Chardonnay before you die! Why? 

Californian Chardonnay, along with Californian Cabernet (and the help of a wee English fella) changed the wine world forever ... and for the better.

Up until the late 70s, the world of fine wine meant Europe, the Old World, with France at the apex. This was all changed by an English wine merchant—the late Stephen Spurrier. He’d heard there were good wines coming out of California, so he went to see for himself. More than pleased with what he tasted, he brought back a selection of Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays to taste blind against some of France’s best offerings.  

The tasting became known as The Judgement of Paris (it was held in Paris ... you can read more about it here.). Needless to say, the Californian wines triumphed, and the world of fine wines opened up to include more than just Europe. Chateau Montelena (a Californian producer despite its French sounding name) came out on top for the Chardonnay. So, grab yourself a bottle of that if you can. If not, try Chalone Vineyard, which came third or Spring Mountain Vineyard which came in fourth.

A bottle of the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay triumphant at the 1976
Judgement of Paris | © Chateau Montelena

Time Magazine’s George M Taber was stationed in Paris at the time and reported on the event. The resulting four paragraphs published in Time Magazine in June 1976 are sometimes said to be the most significant news story ever written about wine.  Taber went on to write a book about the event, Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine, which is a very interesting read. 

There’s a movie too! Going by the name of Bottle Shock with Alan Rickman playing Steven Spurrier. It’s good but does take more than a bit of poetic license and is not as historically accurate as the book but an entertaining and easy watch even for the wine novice.  

Bottle Shock: watch while drinking a Californian Chardonnay!