Chateau Montelena: On Retelling the 1976 Paris Wine Tasting
Results Placed Napa Valley on the World Wine Map
I recently revisited Chateau Montelena in Napa Valley, California for my eight time. It’s a wonderful winery in a spectacular setting in Calistoga. This winery has a unique place in Napa Valley wine history (The 1976 Judgement of Paris Wine Tasting) that is also worth revisiting each decade. It is impressive to taste the currently available Chateau Montelena wines and realize that the wines still continue to impress critical judges and consumers alike. 48 years ago, they were a somewhat unknown winery except to the early (and smart) Napa Valley wine lovers. I was greeted warmly by Dominic Pape and Mark Rettig, hospitality and management, and served both vintage and current Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Chateau Montelena is a “must-see” for any visit to Napa Valley. Enjoy the tasting experiences offered and note the 1976 Paris Wine Tasting and movie memorabilia displayed.
Visiting Chateau Montelena
Chateau Montelena has a 14-decade legacy for making great, ageable wines that express the land and superior wine crafting. The rich history can be experienced inside and outside its magnificent property. Both private and public library tastings are available. Perhaps choose to work with Chef Anne-Marie as she presents three cool and refreshing soup shooter recipes alongside a flight of Montelena wines. Or, enjoy a patio gourmet lunch on the private residence nestled between the vines. Experiences range from $95-$700 per person. Curated and Group Experiences are available.
Note New Poll Below.
Retelling the 1976 Paris Wine Tasting Story
Organized by Steven Spurrier, an English wine merchant with a nod to the 1976 American Bicentennial, the May 1976 tasting involved a panel of nine experienced French judges. They compared a select group of wines from France and California without benefit of knowing which was which. The judges were taken aback when they realized they had awarded first prize to an American Chardonnay (1973 Chateau Montelena) in the white category. When they also scored a California red (1973 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon) higher than any of the French contenders in the same competition, the rest of the wine world took notice. The winemakers responsible for this unexpected international victory were Mike Grgich who made the Chateau Montelena Chardonnay for owner, Jim Barrett, and Warren Winiarski, founder and winemaker of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. Initially unaware of the victory, when asked about the results Jim Barrett told the reporter, “Not bad for kids from the sticks.” The story continues to generate interest. For the 40-year anniversary Time Magazine reprinted an article about the event, May 24, 2016, “How America Kicked France in the Pants And Changed the World of Wine Forever.”
Fun Fact: the majority of the grapes used for the winning Ch. Montelena Chardonnay came from a Sonoma Valley, Russian River vineyard, Bacigalupi Vineyard, not Napa Valley. The vineyard is now renamed the “Paris Block.” This grower sells to a variety of wineries like Gary Farrell Winery. See the Liz Thach, MW, story for Forbes Magazine, Aug. 2022, “The Untold Story of Helen Bacigalupi’s Wild Drive Over the Mountain to Deliver Sonoma Chardonnay to Chateau Montelena.”
A note to subscribers: Warren Winiarski, celebrated Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars founder, recently passed. I think that Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible, gave him a wonderful tribute.
“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 Châteaux reds from Bordeaux against six California Cabernet Sauvignons.” – Time Magazine, June 7, 1976
Fortunately for the Americans, George Tabor, a journalist for Time Magazine, was covering the 1976 event. The result was such a huge news item that he subsequently wrote a book including the backstory, titled: The Judgment of Paris, The Historic 1976 Tasting that Revolutionized Wine. This book became one of the sources for a popular 2008 movie starring Alan Rickman, Chris Pine, Bill Pullman, BottleShock.
The Impact
The "Judgment of Paris" had a huge impact on the California and U.S. wine industry. It crushed the widely held belief that only the French could make premium wine and inspired American vintners to expand their operations. The aftermath of the tasting played out most vigorously in California, where, between 1975 and 2023, the number of wineries grew from 330 to 2,843. By 2024, California accounted for a major portion of the $1.22 billion in annual U.S. wine exports.
Even the Smithsonian museum celebrates the 1976 Paris Wine tasting results with exhibited winner bottles in the National Museum of American History and with the article in May 3, 2016, Smithsonian Magazine: “That Revolutionary May Day in 1976 When California Wines Bested France’s Finest”
Re-Enactments and Results of Subsequent Competitions
People continued to ask if the results of the tasting would hold. Actually many reenactments have taken place, and the results showed that both American and French wines have wonderful qualities. However for the 30-year reenactment (reds only) Vinography, May 24, 2006, reported “The Red-Judgement of Paris Results in a California Landslide,” with the highest scores going to Ridge, Stag’s Leap, and Heitz Cellars. French competitors included Chateau Latour, Chateau Haut Brion, and Ch. Leoville Las Cases. Decanter Magazine, May 25, 2016 wrote: “California Trounces France 30 Years On.”
Recommended Chateau Montelena Wines
2021 Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay, $75
Decanter Magazine, 93 Points
2018 Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, $200
Robert Parker, 95 Points
2023 Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, $50
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Reminder: Zoom informational meetings:
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Hi Kevin, Yes! Great competition. Thank you for bringing that up. Cheers, Tricia
Did you know they did a 25th anniversary of Judgment of Paris, too? And California won that, also. The winning winery was from Mountain View of all places: 1970 Gemello Cab took first on 14 of 16 judges scorecards.
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/mario-gemello-pioneering-winemaker-2561964.php