Judgment of Paris (wine) explained

The Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, also known as the Judgment of Paris, was a wine competition organized in Paris on 24 May 1976 by Steven Spurrier, a British wine merchant, and his colleague, Patricia Gallagher, in which French oenophiles participated in two blind tasting comparisons: one of top-quality Chardonnays and another of red wines (Bordeaux wines from France and Cabernet Sauvignon wines from California[1] [2]). A Napa County wine rated best in each category, which caused surprise as France was generally regarded as being the foremost producer of the world's best wines. By the early 1970s, the quality of some California wines was outstanding but few took notice as the market favored French brands. Spurrier sold predominately French wine and believed the California wines would not win.[3]

The event's informal name "Judgment of Paris" is an allusion to the ancient Greek myth.

The wines

Red wines

California Cabernet SauvignonVintageBordeauxVintage
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars1973Château Mouton-Rothschild1970
Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello1971Château Montrose1970
Heitz Wine Cellars Martha's Vineyard1970Château Haut-Brion1970
Clos Du Val Winery1972Château Leoville Las Cases1971
Mayacamas Vineyards1971
Freemark Abbey Winery1969

White wines

California ChardonnayVintageBurgundiesVintage
Chateau Montelena1973Meursault Charmes Roulot1973
Chalone Vineyard1974Beaune Clos des Mouches Joseph Drouhin1973
Spring Mountain Vineyard1973Batard-Montrachet Ramonet-Prudhon1973
Freemark Abbey Winery1972Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles Domaine Leflaive1972
Veedercrest Vineyards1972
David Bruce Winery1973

The judges

The eleven judges were (in alphabetical order):

Method

Blind tasting was performed and the judges were asked to grade each wine out of 20 points. No specific grading framework was given, leaving the judges free to grade according to their own criteria.

Rankings of the wines preferred by individual judges were based on the grades they individually attributed.

An overall ranking of the wines preferred by the jury was also established in averaging the sum of each judge's individual grades (arithmetic mean). However, grades of Patricia Gallagher and Steven Spurrier were not taken into account, thus counting only grades of French judges.

The results

White wines

California Chardonnays vs. Burgundy Chardonnays

Official jury results:

RankGradeWineVintageOrigin
1.132 Chateau Montelena1973
2.126.5Meursault Charmes Roulot1973
3.121Chalone Vineyard1974
4.104Spring Mountain Vineyard1973
5.101Beaune Clos des Mouches Joseph Drouhin1973
6.100Freemark Abbey Winery1972
7.94Batard-Montrachet Ramonet-Prudhon1973
8.89Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles Domaine Leflaive1972
9.88Veedercrest Vineyards1972
10.42David Bruce Winery1973

Red wines

California Cabernet Sauvignon vs. Bordeaux

Official jury results:

RankGradeWineVintageOrigin
1.127.5Stag's Leap Wine Cellars1973
2.126Château Mouton-Rothschild1970
3.125.5Château Haut-Brion1970
4.122Château Montrose1970
5.105.5Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello1971
6.97Château Leoville Las Cases1971
7.89.5Mayacamas Vineyards1971
8.87.5Clos Du Val Winery1972
9.84.5Heitz Wine Cellars Martha's Vineyard1970
10.78Freemark Abbey Winery1969

Average Original grades: out of 20 points.

RankGradeWineVintageOrigin
1.14.14Stag's Leap Wine Cellars1973
2.14.09Château Mouton-Rothschild1970
3.13.64Château Montrose1970
4.13.23Château Haut-Brion1970
5.12.14Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello1971
6.11.18Château Leoville Las Cases1971
7.10.36Heitz Wine Cellars Martha's Vineyard1970
8.10.14Clos Du Val Winery1972
9.9.95Mayacamas Vineyards1971
10.9.45Freemark Abbey Winery1969

Breakdown by judge

The original grades (out of 20 points) are shown, in alphabetical order by judge.

Pierre BrejouxOriginal grades: out of 20 points.

RankGradeWineVintageOrigin
1.17Château Haut-Brion1970
2.16Château Mouton-Rothschild1970
3.14Stag's Leap Wine Cellars1973
3.14Clos Du Val Winery1972
5.13Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello1971
6.12Château Montrose1970
6.12Heitz Wine Cellars Martha's Vineyard1970
8.10Château Leoville Las Cases1971
9.7Mayacamas Vineyards1971
10.5Freemark Abbey Winery1969
Claude Dubois-MillotOriginal grades: out of 20 points.
RankGradeWineVintageOrigin
1.17Château Montrose1970
2.16Château Mouton-Rothschild1970
2.16Stag's Leap Wine Cellars1973
4.13.5Château Haut-Brion1970
5.11Château Leoville Las Cases1971
6.9.5Mayacamas Vineyards1971
7.9Freemark Abbey Winery1969
7.9Clos Du Val Winery1972
9.8Heitz Wine Cellars Martha's Vineyard1970
10.7Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello1971

Michel DovazOriginal grades: out of 20 points.

RankGradeWineVintageOrigin
1.15Château Mouton-Rothschild1970
1.15Freemark Abbey Winery1969
3.12Château Haut-Brion1970
3.12Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello1971
5.11Château Montrose1970
5.11Heitz Wine Cellars Martha's Vineyard1970
5.11Clos Du Val Winery1972
8.10Château Leoville Las Cases1971
8.10Stag's Leap Wine Cellars1973
10.8Mayacamas Vineyards1971

Patricia GallagherOriginal grades: out of 20 points.

RankGradeWineVintageOrigin
1.17Heitz Wine Cellars Martha's Vineyard1970
2.16Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello1971
3.15Château Mouton-Rothschild1970
3.15Freemark Abbey Winery1969
5.14Château Leoville Las Cases1971
5.14Château Montrose1970
5.14Stag's Leap Wine Cellars1973
8.13Clos Du Val Winery1972
9.12Château Haut-Brion1970
10.9Mayacamas Vineyards1971

Odette KahnOriginal grades: out of 20 points.

RankGradeWineVintageOrigin
1.15Stag's Leap Wine Cellars1973
2.13Mayacamas Vineyards1971
3.12Château Mouton-Rothschild1970
3.12Château Montrose1970
3.12Château Leoville Las Cases1971
3.12Château Haut-Brion1970
7.7Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello1971
8.5Freemark Abbey Winery1969
9.2Heitz Wine Cellars Martha's Vineyard1970
9.2Clos Du Val Winery1972

Raymond OliverOriginal grades: out of 20 points.

RankGradeWineVintageOrigin
1.14Château Montrose1970
1.14Mayacamas Vineyards1971
1.14Stag's Leap Wine Cellars1973
4.12Château Mouton-Rothschild1970
4.12Château Leoville Las Cases1971
4.12Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello1971
7.10Château Haut-Brion1970
7.10Clos Du Val Winery1972
7.10Heitz Wine Cellars Martha's Vineyard1970
10.8Freemark Abbey Winery1969

Steven SpurrierOriginal grades: out of 20 points.

RankGradeWineVintageOrigin
1.14Château Montrose1970
1.14Château Mouton-Rothschild1970
1.14Stag's Leap Wine Cellars1973
1.14Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello1971
5.13Heitz Wine Cellars Martha's Vineyard1970
5.13Freemark Abbey Winery1969
7.12Château Leoville Las Cases1971
8.11Clos Du Val Winery1972
9.9Mayacamas Vineyards1971
10.8Château Haut-Brion1970

Pierre TariOriginal grades: out of 20 points.

RankGradeWineVintageOrigin
1.17Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello1971
2.15Heitz Wine Cellars Martha's Vineyard1970
3.14Château Montrose1970
3.14Château Haut-Brion1970
3.14Freemark Abbey Winery1969
6.13Clos Du Val Winery1972
6.13Stag's Leap Wine Cellars1973
8.12Château Leoville Las Cases1971
8.12Mayacamas Vineyards1971
10.11Château Mouton-Rothschild1970

Christian VannequeOriginal grades: out of 20 points.

RankGradeWineVintageOrigin
1.17Château Haut-Brion1970
2.16.5Clos Du Val Winery1972
2.16.5Stag's Leap Wine Cellars1973
4.16Château Mouton-Rothschild1970
5.15.5Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello1971
6.11Château Montrose1970
7.10Heitz Wine Cellars Martha's Vineyard1970
8.8Château Leoville Las Cases1971
9.6Freemark Abbey Winery1969
10.3Mayacamas Vineyards1971

Aubert de VillaineOriginal grades: out of 20 points.

RankGradeWineVintageOrigin
1.16Château Montrose1970
2.15Château Haut-Brion1970
2.15Stag's Leap Wine Cellars1973
4.14Château Mouton-Rothschild1970
5.12Mayacamas Vineyards1971
6.10Château Leoville Las Cases1971
7.9Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello1971
8.7Freemark Abbey Winery1969
8.7Heitz Wine Cellars Martha's Vineyard1970
10.5Clos Du Val Winery1972

Jean-Claude VrinatOriginal grades: out of 20 points.

RankGradeWineVintageOrigin
1.15Château Montrose1970
1.15Château Haut-Brion1970
3.14Château Mouton-Rothschild1970
3.14Stag's Leap Wine Cellars1973
5.13Mayacamas Vineyards1971
6.12Château Leoville Las Cases1971
7.11Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello1971
8.9Heitz Wine Cellars Martha's Vineyard1970
9.7Freemark Abbey Winery1969
9.7Clos Du Val Winery1972

Controversies

Statistical interpretation

Orley Ashenfelter and Richard E. Quandt analyzed the results of all 11 judges instead of only nine and proposed a slightly different ranking (see below). They also stated that only the scores of the first two wines in their ranking were statistically valid, and that the seven other wines could not be differentiated statistically.[4]

  1. Stag's Leap Wine Cellars '73
  2. Montrose '70
  3. Mouton '70
  4. Haut Brion '70
  5. Ridge Monte Bello '71
  6. Heitz Martha's '70
  7. Leoville-las-cases '71
  8. Freemark Abbey '69
  9. Mayacamas '71
  10. Clos du Val '72

Tasting replications

Some critics argued that French red wines would age better than the California reds, so this was tested.[5]

San Francisco Wine Tasting of 1978

The San Francisco Wine Tasting of 1978 was conducted 20 months after the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976. Steven Spurrier flew in from Paris to participate in the evaluations, which were held at the Vintners Club.[6]

On 11 January 1978, evaluators blind-tasted the same Chardonnays tasted earlier in Paris.

  1. – 1974 Chalone Vineyard
  2. – 1973 Chateau Montelena
  3. – 1973 Spring Mountain Vineyard
  4. – 1972 Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles Domaine Leflaive.

Ranking lower were Meursault Charmes Roulot 1973, Beaune Clos des Mouches Joseph Drouhin 1973, and Batard-Montrachet Ramonet-Prudhon 1973.

On 12 January 1978, evaluators blind-tasted the same Cabernet Sauvignons tasted earlier in Paris.

  1. – 1973 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars
  2. – 1970 Heitz Wine Cellars Martha's vineyard
  3. – 1971 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello
  4. – 1970 Château Mouton Rothschild.

Ranking lower were Château Montrose 1970, Château Haut-Brion 1970, and Château Leoville Las Cases 1971.

French Culinary Institute Tasting of 1986

Two tastings were conducted by the French Culinary Institute (now called the International Culinary Center) on the tenth anniversary of the original Paris Wine Tasting. White wines were not evaluated in the belief that they were past their prime.

Steven Spurrier, who organized the original 1976 wine competition, assisted in the anniversary tasting. Eight judges blind tasted nine of the ten wines evaluated. The evaluation resulted in the following ranking:

ResultsRank Wine
  1. Clos Du Val Winery 1972
  2. Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello 1971
  3. Château Montrose 1970
  4. Château Leoville Las Cases 1971
  5. Château Mouton Rothschild 1970
  6. Stag's Leap Wine Cellars 1973
  7. Heitz Wine Cellars 1970
  8. Mayacamas Vineyards 1971
  9. Château Haut-Brion 1970

Wine Spectator Tasting of 1986

Four of the judges were experts from Wine Spectator and two were outsiders. All tasted the wines blind.

ResultsRank Wine
  1. Heitz Wine Cellars 1970
  2. Mayacamas Vineyards 1971
  3. Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello 1971
  4. Stag's Leap Wine Cellars 1973
  5. Clos Du Val Winery 1972
  6. Château Montrose 1970
  7. Château Mouton Rothschild 1970
  8. Château Leoville Las Cases 1971
  9. Freemark Abbey Winery 1969
  10. Château Haut-Brion 1970

30th anniversary

A 30th anniversary re-tasting on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean was organized by Steven Spurrier in 2006. As The Times reported "Despite the French tasters, many of whom had taken part in the original tasting, 'expecting the downfall' of the American vineyards, they had to admit that the harmony of the Californian cabernets had beaten them again. Judges on both continents gave top honors to a 1971 Ridge Monte Bello cabernet. Four Californian reds occupied the next placings before the highest-ranked Bordeaux, a 1970 Château Mouton-Rothschild, came in at sixth."[7] [8]

The Tasting that Changed the Wine World: 'The Judgment of Paris' 30th Anniversary was conducted on 24 May 2006.[9]

The pearl anniversary was held simultaneously at the museum Copia in Napa, California, and in London at Berry Bros. & Rudd, Britain's oldest wine merchant.[8]

The panel of nine wine experts at Copia consisted of Dan Berger, Anthony Dias Blue, Stephen Brook, Wilfred Jaeger, Peter Marks MW, Paul Roberts MS, Andrea Immer Robinson MS, Jean-Michel Valette MW and Christian Vanneque, one of the original judges from the 1976 tasting.[9]

The panel of nine experts at Berry Bros. & Rudd consisted of Michel Bettane, Michael Broadbent MW, Michel Dovaz, Hugh Johnson, Matthew Jukes, Jane MacQuitty, Jasper Morris MW, Jancis Robinson OBE MW and Brian St. Pierre.[9]

The results showed that additional panels of experts again preferred the California wines over their French competitors.[8]

Results
  1. Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello 1971
  2. Stag's Leap Wine Cellars 1973
  3. Mayacamas Vineyards 1971 (tie)
  4. Heitz Wine Cellars 'Martha's Vineyard' 1970 (tie)
  5. Clos Du Val Winery 1972
  6. – Château Mouton-Rothschild 1970
  7. Château Montrose 1970
  8. Château Haut-Brion 1970
  9. Château Leoville Las Cases 1971
  10. Freemark Abbey Winery 1969

Three of the Bordeaux wines in the competition were from the 1970 vintage, identified by the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB) as among the four best vintages in the past 45 years or more. The fourth Bordeaux was a 1971, described by the Conseil as "very good". Another official French authority, the Office national interprofessionnel des vins (Onivins), rates the 1971 vintage as "excellent".

The French wine producers had many years' experience making wine, whereas the California producers typically had only a few years' experience; the 1972 vintage was Clos Du Val's very first, yet it performed better than any of its French competitors.

Implications in the wine industry

Although Spurrier had invited many reporters to the original 1976 tasting, the only reporter to attend was George M. Taber from Time, who promptly revealed the results to the world.[10] The horrified and enraged leaders of the French wine industry then banned Spurrier from the nation's prestigious wine-tasting tour for a year, apparently as punishment for the damage his tasting had done to its former image of superiority.[3] The tasting was not covered by the French press, who almost ignored the story. After nearly three months, Le Figaro published an article titled "Did the War of the Cru Take Place?" describing the results as "laughable" and said they "cannot be taken seriously." Six months after the tasting, Le Monde, France's most prestigious magazine, reported the tasting where writer Lionel Raux wrote a similarly toned article titled, "Let's Not Exaggerate!"

The New York Times reported that several earlier tastings had occurred in the U.S., with American chardonnays judged ahead of their French rivals. One such tasting occurred in New York just six months before the Paris tasting, but "champions of the French wines argued that the tasters were Americans with possible bias toward American wines. What is more, they said, there was always the possibility that the Burgundies had been mistreated during the long trip from the (French) wineries." The Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 had a revolutionary impact on expanding the production and prestige of wine in the New World.[3] It also "gave the French a valuable incentive to review traditions that were sometimes more accumulations of habit and expediency, and to reexamine convictions that were little more than myths taken on trust."

In the media

See also

Further reading

30th anniversary

External links

30th anniversary tasting

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Paris Tasting. National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. 5 August 2008.
  2. News: The hidden figures behind the Judgment of Paris . 2018-10-24 . . Mobley, Esther . https://web.archive.org/web/20190214115510/https://www.sfchronicle.com/wine/article/The-hidden-figures-benind-the-Judgment-of-Paris-13333299.php. 2019-02-14 . live.
  3. News: Peterson . Thane . The Day California Wines Came of Age. Much to France's chagrin, a blind taste test 25 years ago in Paris inadvertently launched California's fine wine industry . https://web.archive.org/web/20071018051609/http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/may2001/nf2001058_228.htm . 18 October 2007 . Business Week . 8 May 2001 . 19 July 2006 .
  4. Web site: Ashenfelter, Orley . Quandt, Richard E. . 1976 . Analyzing a Wine Tasting Statistically . Liquid Asset.
  5. Web site: California wines beat the French – again Taste-off proves California wines age best, too. 15 August 2008 . Murphy. Linda. 25 May 2006. San Francisco Chronicle .
  6. Web site: Vintners Club. https://web.archive.org/web/20150210165553/http://www.vintnersclub.org/ . 10 February 2015.
  7. News: Alan . Hamilton . David . Sanderson . California reds win by a nose in tasting rematch . . 25 May 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070311012210/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article725803.ece . 2007-03-11.
  8. News: Murphy, Linda . Chronicle wine editor . California wines beat the French – again / Even after 30 years of aging, state's Cabernets still tops . San Francisco Chronicle . 25 May 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20121025095417/http://www.sfgate.com/wine/article/California-wines-beat-the-French-again-2496157.php . 2012-10-25 . live . 27 April 2012.
  9. Web site: Judgment of Paris: 1976 France v US winetasting duel to be recreated on 30th anniversary . Finfacts.com . 27 April 2012.
  10. Judgment of Paris. Time. Taber, George M.. Modern Living . 7 June 1976 . 27 April 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151108131748/http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,947719,00.html . 2015-11-08. live.
  11. Web site: Kate. Willsher. Hollywood goes nose to nose over French wine's darkest moment. The Guardian. 1 August 2007.
  12. Web site: Modern Marvels: How Wine Is Made - Full Episode (S13, E54) . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/FLCaqhZ67zI . 2021-12-21 . live. The History Channel. YouTube .
  13. Web site: Modern Marvels: Wine (S12, E49) . 2006-11-29 . History Channel.
  14. News: Mike Grgich filmed for upcoming 'Judgment of Paris' movie . The Weekly Calistogan. Napa Valley Register . 2015-09-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180322122546/https://napavalleyregister.com/calistogan/business/mike-grgich-filmed-for-upcoming-judgment-of-paris-movie/article_208437e1-b626-5d20-bf5c-810738dffd15.html . 2018-03-22 . dead.
  15. Web site: Lechmere, Adam . Judgment Movie Finally Ready to Shoot . Wine-Searcher . 21 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170526143250/https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2015/11/judgment-movie-finally-ready-to-shoot . 2017-05-26 . 2015-11-18 . live.