Judgment of Paris
Below is the superbly written article written by George M. Taber that was published in Time magazine on Monday June 7th 1976. The short pithy prose is a delight to read. And, the very Gallic comments captured by Taber cause a reflexive smile on ones dial.
It's interesting to note, Taber commented that the top 4 Californian Chardonnay's were little known even to Californian wine lovers because they were in short supply and also because, at $6 plus, they were rather expensive. According to dollartimes.com $6 in 1976 is equivalent to $33.16 in 2024 dollars. I wonder if many wine lovers today would consider $33 expensive for a really good bottle? Sure it's not cheap. But, would $33 be a barrier to your average wine lover?
Taber went on to write a book about the event titled: Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine. The book was later turned into a movie, starring Alan Rickman, called Bottle Shock that took probably a bit too much poetic license with actual events with no seeming benefit to the story.
Time
Modern Living: Judgment of Paris
Americans abroad have been boasting for years about California wines, only to be greeted in most cases by polite disbelief—or worse. Among the few fervent and respected admirers of le vin de Californie in France is a transplanted Englishman, Steven Spurrier, 34, who owns the Cave de la Madeleine wine shop, one of the best in Paris, and the Academic du Vin, a wine school whose six-week courses are attended by the French Restaurant Association's chefs and sommeliers. Last week in Paris, at a formal wine tasting organized by Spurrier, the unthinkable happened: California defeated all Gaul.
The contest was as strictly controlled as the production of a Chateau Lafite. The nine French judges, drawn from an oenophile's Who's Who, included such high priests as Pierre Tari, secretary-general of the Association des Grands Cms Classes, and Raymond Oliver, owner of Le Grand Vefour restaurant and doyen of French culinary writers. The wines tasted were transatlantic cousins—four white Burgundies against six California Pinot Chardonnays and four Grands Crus Chateaux reds from Bordeaux against six California Cabernet Sauvignons.
Gallic Gems. As they swirled, sniffed, sipped and spat, some judges were instantly able to separate an imported upstart from an aristocrat. More often, the panel was confused. "Ah, back to France!" exclaimed Oliver after sipping a 1972 Chardonnay from the Napa Valley. "That is definitely California. It has no nose," said another judge—after downing a Batard Montrachet '73. Other comments included such Gallic gems as "this is nervous and agreeable," "a good nose but not too much in the mouth," and "this soars out of the ordinary."
When the ballots were cast, the top-soaring red was Stag's Leap Wine Cellars' '72 from the Napa Valley, followed by Mouton-Rothschild '70, Haut-Brion '70 and Montrose '70. The four winning whites were, in order, Chateau Mont-helena '73 from Napa, French Meursault-Charmes '73 and two other Californians, Chalone '74 from Monterey County and Napa's Spring Mountain '73. The U.S. winners are little known to wine lovers, since they are in short supply even in California and rather expensive ($6 plus). Jim Barrett, Monthelena's general manager and part owner, said: "Not bad for kids from the sticks."