The Wine Tasting That Changed Everything 50 Years On; Revisiting The Judgement Of Paris' American Californian Wines

 

America today has no shortage of cult wines for which a several-year wait on a mailing list to buy a case of wine is not out of the ordinary. And French wines themselves have done remarkably - as perhaps has always been expected of them - commanding fierce competition for allocations, and are placed ever so highly on wine lists the world over, with every record for highest price ever sold for a bottle of wine on auction going to them. In fact, the New World as a whole have found embrace from wine lovers the world over, with numerous icons and starlets standing tall in their representing of their home countries alongside those of the Old World. All of this - all of the wine world as we know it today - can arguably be traced to a single moment, a single choice in fact, that took place in a nondescript private room at the InterContinental Paris Le Grand Hotel one afternoon in 1976. The date was 24th May, 1976, to be exact. This was of course the most consequential wine tasting of all time, an event that would later be christened The Judgement of Paris.

 

Pictured in the center, Patricia Gallagher and Steven Spurrier (to her right) had a deep love for French wines and had thus sought to bring the public closer to great wines through their work in Paris.

 

What Happened At The Judgement Of Paris

Organised by Paris-based British wine merchant Steven Spurrier and American wine educator Patricia Gallagher, the wine tasting - where a set of burgeoning American wines were to be tasted alongside a line-up of well established French wines, across both categories of white and red wines - was conceived as a simple event of discovery, surprise and delight in celebration of the American bi-centennial (or America's 200th anniversary). This included wines such as Domaine Roulot's Meursault Charmes, Domaine Leflaive's Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles, Chateau Mouton-Rothschild and Chateau Haut-Brion representing the French side, which were to be tasted together with American names such as Chateau Montelena, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Ridge Vineyards, Heitz Wine Cellars and Mayacamas Vineyards amongst others. Whilst many of these American wineries are today highly celebrated, this couldn't be further from the way they were perceived back in the 1970's, with American wines then largely thought of as being far too nascent (after all Chateau Montelena and Clos Du Val had literally only established themselves the very vintage that was showcased for the tasting), rough and unpolished, and most certainly no comparison for the historic and prestigious estates that were selected to represent France. Yet as Gallagher had then just spent some time the previous year visiting the wineries of Napa Valley, California, and had found herself rather impressed with what she had found, would convince Spurrier to himself visit some of these addresses to taste them for himself. Spurrier would thus fly back to Paris with bottles of these American wines stowed away in his luggage, which he and Gallagher had thus sought to introduce to the French wine community, as was befitting of the theme of America's landmark 200th anniversary of its independence.

 

The American Cabernets that lit the fuse at the 1976 Judgement of Paris tasting.

 

A line-up of highly regarded French judges were invited to participate in the tasting, featuring everyone from Pierre Brejoux, the inspector general of the Appellation d'Origine Controlee Board (the AOC), to Claude Dubois-Millot of the widely read Le Nouveau Guide, and all the way to Odette Kahn who helmed the La Revue du vin de France, the famous wine publication in France, as well as those in the trade including Christian Vanneque, sommelier of the famed La Tour d'Argent restaurant, and a young Aubert de Villaine, who was a journalist at the time and who would later become the legendary co-director of Domaine de la Romanee Conti, one of the world's most sought after wines. This was of course made possible because of Spurrier and Gallagher's standing in the Parisian wine community, having themselves collaborated to establish the wine shop Les Caves de la Madeleine, as well as the wine school L'Academie du Vin, both of which were founded to promote French wines, with the duo themselves having fallen in love with French wines and had thus moved to Paris.

And so with six Californian Chardonnay's and six Californian Cabernet Sauvignon's, alongside four white Burgundies and four red Bordeaux, which were to be tasted by a panel of nine French judges together with Spurrier and Gallagher - now, what could possibly happen? A lot, as it turns out.

 

Scenes from the Judgement of Paris tasting.

 

Whilst wine tastings had of course always been a feature of the wine community - Spurrier and Gallagher themselves had even previously hosted tastings of American wines, although typically supplied by the American embassy as part of standard 4th of July American Independence Day celebrations - what made the Judgement of Paris tasting so different, and also so consequentially important, was but just a last minute call by Spurrier to serve the wines blind and with the French and American wines commingled together in no particular order aside from separating the whites from the reds. Every other tasting up till then would often allow tasters or judges to know which bottles were being tasted, or would be arranged in a manner where judges would taste entirely American wines first and then French wines separately, allowing for judges to distinguish whose wines belonged to whom. And so served blind and commingled, the judging panel were thus instructed to rate each wine on a scale of up to a maximum of 20 points, with no requirement of a fixed scoring criteria, and also Spurrier and Gallagher's scores being excluded from the final count. Despite several invites sent out to various news outlets, only one journalist, a young George Taber from TIME Magazine, would show up, and as he would later admit, only because it was a slow news day and on account of his having taken a wine class once in college.

 

Many of the winemakers in America had really only just started out, and yet proved that their ingenuity was a match for centuries of French heritage. Warren Winiarski (Left) and Mike Grgich (Right) of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars and Chateau Montelena respectively, whose wines would win the red and white categories.

  

As the event began, the first category of wines - the white Chardonnay's from both France and America - was served, blind and in random order, with all eleven judges scoring the 10 white wines with numerical grades, which were then tabulated by Spurrier using a simple summation of all the scores except his own and that of Gallagher's. Once the rank order of the wines were tallied and confirmed, Spurrier would then announce that Chateau Montelena - only in its debut vintage - would score highest. That was not all, the American Chalone Vineyard and Spring Mountain Vineyard too would take third and fourth place respectively, with the legendary Domaine Roulot placing second, whilst its fellow French brethren would go on to place fifth, seventh and eighth out of the full line-up of ten. As Taber would later report, there was audible shock and even horror palpable in the room. The all-French judging panel had just moments ago stated with total certainty that surely they could tell which wines were American, and that the quality of which would pale be incomparable to the French giants, and yet here they had just awarded top scores to a then completely unknown American winery out in Calistoga, California, a neck of the woods that likely none of the panelists had even known existed till seconds ago. Even more shockingly, they would grade highly several other American wines, which taken in unison would imply that some of the most respected of the French literati had just testified to the outstanding quality of America's white Chardonnay's, the very varietal whose birthplace was Burgundy, France. Whilst in the heat of the moment, it was unlikely that the greatly followed French judges had truly comprehended what this blind tasting would eventually entail what was certain was that there was an atmosphere of tension that favoured a more acute desire to right this "wrong" in the upcoming red Cabernet Sauvignon category.

 

A young correspondent George Taber would quickly take down the scores and crucially would publish them which has led to half a century of debates.

  

As the next category of the ten Cabernet's from France and America were then served, once again blind and in random order, and the judging went underway, it was clear that the French judges had paid particular attention in attempting to determine which were the French wines in the mix. This became especially clear as the scores from the French judges were once again tabulated by Spurrier, with the British wine merchant once again ultimately announcing that the winner of the red category was yet again an American wine - none other than the Cabernet Sauvignon from Stag's Leap Wine Cellar. The French judges had this time had enough, and expressed everything from denial to outrage, with several judges insisting on taking back their scorecards, yet faced with Spurrier's reminder that the scorecards were in fact his, as it was after all his event. The younger foreign correspondent Taber would quickly record down the scores given by the various judges, and would later reveal that amongst the French judges, there was an evident attempt at scoring down a supposed American wine that had been blindly identified - although some had even wrongly identified Stag's Leap Wine Cellars's red as French! When all was said and done, even with the flare of emotions that had erupted, it was probably safe to assume that the participants had simply dismissed the tasting as little more than an eventful day that was either going to be a funny story for a future dinner party or a tasting to forget.

 

The original Time Magazine article was little more than four paragraph coverage of an event that was to change the wine world.

 

The Moment That Made The Wine World Rethink Everything

Yet, everything was about to change for the wine world soon enough. Without much of a head's up, Taber would two weeks later publish in the subsequent issue of TIME Magazine nothing more than a four paragraph recap of the event. It was tucked at the back of the magazine, meant as a throwaway article even, he had titled it "Judgement of Paris", drawing inspiration from the famous Greek myth of the Trojan horse used as a decoy. Up till that point, the French media had offered no coverage of the event, with even the American vintners whose wines had just pulled arguably the biggest upset in wine history till date had no knowledge of their wines having been selected for participation in the event. Taber's article would blow the doors wide open, and would prove to be the shot heard around the world, with everyone from Chateau Montelena to Stag's Leap Wine Cellars now first hearing of the event and of course their outstanding result. The wine world was never the same again.

 

Quick thinking on Spurrier's part to make the event a blind tasting would ultimately prove to be the magic ingredient. Despite the intense backlash he would subsequently face, Spurrier would stand his ground and go on to be one of the world's most esteemed wine communicators.

 

Whilst the immediate reactions to the event was largely predictable - the American wine industry boomed overnight, the French winegrowers were understandably upset, with even the French judges, and even Spurrier and Gallagher themselves, not spared from the fallout, with several judges asked to resign from their esteemed roles, whilst Spurrier and Gallagher were barred from the French wine circuit - it was what happened in the decades that would follow that made clear that the Judgement of Paris was perhaps the best thing that could have happened to the wine world. As it turned out, the unquestionable perception up till that point was that the French were simply the best at making wines, and yet the reality was that generations of winemaking and an unassailable reputation meant that dogma triumphed quality, where traditions (particularly those inherited through family) were held as more important than a constant pursuit of excellence, along with also a reluctance to adopt new winemaking techniques and technologies that ultimately led many French winemakers to believe that they could do no wrong simply by possessing quality terroir. The event made clear that the Californian winemakers, through their grit, determination and open-mindedness - coupled with also quality terroir - demonstrated the ability to leapfrog in quality and prove that just maybe the French weren't the only ones who could make spectacular wines. This immense validation would go on to ignite a passionate interest from the international wine community in New World producers the world over, with also many aspiring winemakers laying down vines in search of their El Dorado moment. The coming decades would see more quality wines than ever before both from the New World and the French, all of whom were motivated to work harder than ever before.

 

 

And so it is for that reason that the 1976 Judgement of Paris remains arguably the most important wine tasting in history!

 

Revisiting The Americans On The 50th Anniversary Judgement Of Paris

Now fast forward 50 years on and we're back in present day 2026, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Judgement of Paris. And this time thanks to California Wines and 67 Pall Mall Singapore, we're getting to check in with the American contingent (and more!) who represented at the historical wine tasting and see how they've come along! Working in collaboration, they've put together a spread of the wine producers featured at the Judgement of Paris, along with also several other handpicked pioneers of the American wine industry, as well as a selection of new wave winemakers who are today leading the charge.

 

 

Let's get into it!

 

Wine Review: Spring Mountain Vineyard Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

Whilst the Judgement of Paris made Spring Mountain Vineyard's Chardonnay famous, the estate was in fact originally known for being the earliest to lay down Cabernet Sauvignon vines in its area, and were also amongst the first to use the now benchmark gravity flow system to move its wines. Like many other Californian vineyards, the combination of phylloxera and Prohibition saw the estate fall into obscurity for decades, that was until the 1960's when Knight Michael Robbins had purchased the land, thereby producing the Chardonnay that would go on to make history. Notably the winery is housed in a grandiose Victorian mansion that was featured in a popular 80's TV drama called Falcon Crest. It would eventually be acquired in the 90's by Swiss banker Jacob Safra who would expand its footprint and also transition it to organic farming. Unfortunately the 2020 Glass Fire outbreak would greatly damage the estate, which led to its sale. Nevertheless since 2023 the estate has been undergoing a massive revitalisation project to bring it back to its glory.

This is the 2024 vintage of the Spring Mountain Vineyard Heintz Vineyard Sonoma Coast Chardonnay.

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Straw

Aroma: Crisp and cool, it opens with lightly musky gooseberries and tropical mangosteens, backed up by cream and underscored by this slate minerality. It's lifted and fresh, enveloped in wafts of stony mountain air.

Taste: Medium-bodied, it's plush and well saturated, with a luscious creaminess carrying tones of vanilla, touch of honey, and then a spread of tropical fruits of mangosteens, custard apples and gooseberries. It has a firmness to it, rather taut even with its richness and suppleness. Bright yet delicate acidity.

Finish: Alittle more honey now, with still those tropical fruits of custard apples, mangosteens and gooseberries. There's a more concentrated core of dried yellow fruits here of yellow raisins and quince too. Seamlessly gliding its way through a clean and crisp finish, with then mineral tones of slate and spring water showing through with a coat of cream and a light air of muskiness that lingers on.

My Thoughts

Really refreshing and precise, the Spring Mountain Vineyard Chardonnay was linear and showed such clarity, yet at the same time carried a delightful richness and depth as well, with a superb tension bridging both ideals. It's fresh and evocative, yet at the same time has that crispness that's so attractive and attention grabbing. It's got that pull and energy that's just thoroughly compelling, with then this beautiful core of dried yellow raisins that reveals itself into the finish, all the way underscored seamlessly and stylishly with that streak of mountainous minerality. Super underrated and really punches above its weight!

 

Wine Review: David Bruce Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay

High up in California's Santa Cruz mountains, a dermatologist by the name of Dr David Bruce was to be so inspired by a bottle of 1954 Richebourg from Burgundy that he would go on to acquire in the early 1960's a remote 40 acre parcel along the steep mountainous terrain that rose even above the fog line. Bruce would single-handedly clear the land himself and lay down his Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines, with the goal of producing top class premium expressions of the Burgundian classics. With little desire to follow conventional wisdom, Bruce was largely led by his passion and ingenuity, often re-inventing the way winemaking was done. He would eventually gain fame for also his Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel, and upon his passing in 2021, would graciously gift his winery to Hillsdale College who today manages the estate and continues to make wines.

This is the 2022 vintage of the David Bruce Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay.

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Straw

Aroma: Honeyed and creamy, striking a more buttery quality, alittle more oaky here yet done so with restraint - it's luscious without going over the top - therefore bringing about a gentle richness. Light touch of gooseberries and baked apples form the base, with a slate like minerality that provides a life.

Taste: Medium-bodied here, richer and more creamy, really honeyed at the core, offering generously this luscious creaminess. With brighter acidity, it's then more pronounced and bolder tones of custard apples, gooseberries and baked apples come through, really firm and broad, underscored by that slate and spring water minerality. 

Finish: That honeyed quality carries through, with here a dash of pepper, the oakiness more apparent, wrapping around custard apples, gooseberries and a more tart bit of green apples. It's alittle bit candied that's contrasted with the savouriness of baked apples. Clean, fresh finish.

My Thoughts

A more oaky style of Chardonnay yet here rendered so lusciously and beautifully, it carries this opulence that's tempered by elegance, which is what makes this Chardonnay so compelling! It's lush and rich yet with beautiful acidity that gives that candied, honeyed body an effortless lift. It's certainly more confectionary and less fruit driven, yet in no way obscures that mountain minerality, with greater complexity as it goes along, showcasing this almost sudden multi-faceted dimensionality, impactful and rather stunning, into the finish where its aromas are conversely almost coyly shy and playful. Such an engaging Chardonnay that's just heaps of fun, and is as easy as it is as serious!

 

Wine Review: Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay

A historic estate based out in Napa Valley's Calistoga, Chateau Montelena traces its earliest beginnings to 1882, when entrepreneur Alfred L. Tubbs had purchased a sizeable 254 acres of land at the base of Mount Saint Helena with the intent of laying down vines. Quickly thereafter, into the 1900's it was already the seventh-largest winery in Napa Valley, and yet it was ultimately no match for the ravages of Prohibition. Nevertheless by 1940 when Prohibition was over, Tubbs' grandson Chapin would take over the reins to the winery, renaming it Chateau Montelena ("Montelena" being shorthand for Mount Saint Helena). Unfortunately Chapin would find himself unable to fulfill his ambitions and by 1958 would sell the estate to one Yort Wing Frank, a Chinese electrical engineer who had sought refuge for his retirement days. Interestingly Frank was much more interested in the estate's overall architecture and would deck it out with traditional Chinese gardens and even excavated a lake that was named the Jade Lake. Skip over to 1972, Jim Barrett, a real estate attorney would find his turn at acquiring the Chateau Montelena, yet this time Barrett had every intention of reviving the estate's historical forte in winemaking. Barrett replanted the vineyards, refurbished the cellars and of course brought in the legendary Mike Grgich who of course made the very bottle of Chardonnay that would be showcased at the Judgement of Paris tasting - and of course would go on to win the white wine category, beating out the likes of Roulot, Leflaive and Drouhin. Most impressively, the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that was served blind at the Judgement of Paris tasting was in fact only the second vintage for Chateau Montelena! Today, the fabled estate is helmed by Barrett's son, Bo Barrett.

This is the 2023 vintage of the Chateau Montelena Chardonnay.

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Straw

Aroma: Immediately bursting with exotic aromas, tropical and exotic, of gooseberries, lychees and mangosteens, accompanied by a more understated richness of orchard fruits of apples and pears, it's honeyed and even alittle doughy, garnished with jasmine bouquets. It's completely expressive and perfumed, lightly zesty of lemons, with a richness and a airiness of flouriness and cold butter, underscored by mineral spring wet stones.

Taste: Medium-bodied here, rich, rounded and really creamy, keeping on with the velvety robes of musky tropical fruits of mangosteens, langsats and gooseberries. Light doughiness that cusps that musky creaminess, and again outlined with some minerality of wet stones. As luscious as it is, it's perfectly accompanied with this precise and high definition acidity that's polished and of sterling clarity.

Finish: Alittle more tart and citric here, of fresh lemons and lemon curd, with some cream backing it up, as well as that persistent wet stone and oyster shell minerality. That really spritely tartness leads the way to a clean and fresh, really mineral finish.

My Thoughts

A thoroughly striking and persuasive Chardonnay from Chateau Montelena! Right out of the glass it's perfumed and expressive with these intensely exotic aromas of tropical fruits that's layered with a deeper base of orchard fruits, there's a light leesy quality to it that gives it that beautiful fleshiness and suppleness, with then the minerality tracing its outline that completes the picture. On the palate, it's luscious and at the same time detailed and so precise with a really beautiful acidity that's so polished and contrasts and balances out the richness so well! The minerality develops into the finish, as does the zesty citrusy tartness, making for a refreshing and clean finish. This impresses through and through! The elegance, finesse and showmanship here is just absolute.

  

Wine Review: Veedercrest Vineyards Chardonnay

Another newcomer at the point of the landmark Judgement of Paris, Veedercrest Vineyards was founded in just 1972 on Napa Valley's Mount Veeder, with its debut vintage selected for the historic tasting! The estate was founded by Alfred Baxter under the mentorship of the legendary Andre Tchelistcheff, the Father of American winemaking, who helped with laying down the first vines on this high elevation hillside vineyard. And so with the acclaim the vineyard received almost immediately as a result of the Judgement of Paris, it would quickly go on to become the house pour for some very big events, for example the White House dinner that US President Jimmy Carter held for the visiting Pope John Paul II. Unfortunately, this success was fairly short lived, as the passing of its founder, Alfred Baxter, would see the winery go into a 20 year long hiatus from the mid-1980's. It wasn't until 2005 when the Veedercrest name would make a return, with one of Baxter's partners, Ron Fenolio, having sought to help the estate make a comeback.

This is the 2022 vintage of the Veedercrest Vineyards Chardonnay, with fruit sourced from the Belle Mount Vineyard in Yulupa Mountain Ranch, Bennett Valley, in the Sonoma Coast.

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Straw

Aroma: Really honeyed and candied, of maltose candy, candy floss and tropical fruit syrup, it's perfumed with lychees, jasmines and rose water, underscored by a mellowed richness of herbal jelly. It's incredibly rich, with then tinges of baked apples and custard apples that cusp the potpourri of aromas. Mineral wet stones outline the aromas.

Taste: Medium-bodied, it's plush and rich with a candied quality of maltose that coats the tropical lychees, custard apples and mangosteens. It's more textural and bodied here, as opposed to the fruit forwardness of its aromas. The acidity is light, with some muskiness that infuses into the body delicately, along with little bouquets of jasmine florals.

Finish: Super honeyed, this is giving all manners of honey jelly and herbal jellies, with this touch of earthy brown sugar and sarsaparilla. It's seamless and candied, filled in with now more generous bounties of lychees, custard apples and baked apples, all wrapped up in tropical fruit syrup. A clean and fresh finish caps it off.

My Thoughts

An absolute stunner! This was such a delight! It's incredibly candied, with this total elegance and glistening charm, that envelopes a full basket of tropical fruits and exotic florals. Even with its plush richness, the acidity is so finely polished that it gives the confectionary body a complete lift without even being noticed! Big on the aromas with all that expressiveness, it's initial taste might feel surprisingly subtle, much more textural in fact, yet the finish brings up all of those honeyed fruit bounties, with here a very soothing almost herbal and earthy quality. It then cleans out fresh and ephemeral, which again is such a wonderment given its thorough rich and candied body. On the whole the Veedercrest Chardonnay simply exudes charm and refinement, in what is a very entertaining tasting experience that keeps you on your toes and always delighted.

 

Wine Review: Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello

Arguably the most sci-fi of the lot has to be Ridge Vineyards. Ridge Vineyards' spiritual home lies along the Monte Bello Ridge and is where it gets its name from, with the vines here planted as far back as 1885 when Osea Perrone, a prominent doctor in San Francisco had laid down the first vines and even built a mountainside winery. Alas, Prohibition would see the estate left dormant for decades until in 1959, a band of four scientist friends from the Stanford Research Institute would get together to reinvigorate the estate. The four friends were pretty accomplished in their engineering work and were even amongst the first to build early robots! Nevertheless they would also ply their talents to winemaking, before eventually hiring would-be legendary winemaker Paul Draper, a then philosophy graduate, who would drive Ridge's winemaking, defining what he termed a "pre-industrial" style that was quite ahead of its time in its embrace of natural and sustainable practices. Today Ridge Vineyards produces wines not just from its Monte Bello estate, but has in its time acquired several other vineyards and depending on the season's harvest, would opportunistically purchase fruit it deems outstanding from other growers.

This is the 2023 vintage of the Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello.

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Ruby

Aroma: Perfumed and precise, blooming with rose petals and irises with then an almost herbal chewiness of licorice, sarsaparilla and herbal cough syrup, drizzled in with black sugar sauce. Dark cherries, blackberries and raspberry coulis backs it up, with then tones of leather and tobacco along with also a mineral edge of slate.

Taste: Medium-bodied, plush and silky, with good richness. Here it's more fruit forward, of raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, blackcurrants and dark cherries, cusped by an earthiness of oak, leather and forest floors. The acidity is high and streaky here, which really holds up the riper fruit. Drizzles of black sugar, with also a leafiness of eucalyptus and a garnish of rose petals.

Finish: Black cherries carry through, with here a more prominent herbal character. The tannins are grippy and grainy, quite inky on the whole, with then a dry finish. Touch of oakiness, herbal syrup and black sugar lingers on.

My Thoughts 

Really rich and unctuous, it definitely leans riper, yet interestingly carries such high acidity that it actually balances it out. It's herbal and earthy, wrapping around a dark fruited and floral core that's just oozing in black sugar and herbal syrup, coming together to offer a sort of really raw and almost brooding quality. It has a purity about it that feels untamed and striking, with this big presence. This is no simple wine! Rather delicious as is, this feels like it would come together beautifully in maybe a decade.

 

Wine Review: Clos Du Val Cabernet Sauvignon

With one of the most beautiful labels of the lot, Clos du Val is actually French for "Enclosed Vineyard Of The Valley" which should already offer a sense of what the estate is about! Founded in just 1972, Clos du Val was established by French entrepreneur John Goelet and winemaker Bernard Portet. Rather perceptively, Portet was asked to find the next great wine region outside of France, and had thus landed upon the Stags Leap District in California which he deemed similar to Bordeaux, France. Stunningly, it was the estate's very first vintage that was showcased at the Judgement of Paris! This of course put Clos du Val almost immediately on the map, where it would eventually build upon its success and move to growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, beyond its initial Bordeaux ambitions. Today the estate continues to be owned by the third-generation of the Goelet family.

This is the 2022 vintage of the Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Ruby

Aroma: Perfumed with rose petals and violet florals, it's leaning riper with lots of dried dark fruits of raisins and prunes, almost a touch meaty too. The bouquet is underscored by a powdery quality with also a mineral quality of wet stones and chalk.

Taste: Medium-bodied, super plush and silky with great saturation. Those florals immediately jump through, of rose petals, violets and also sandalwood, garnishing then dark fruits of plums and prune preserves. It's really supple and with a balanced richness that's very elegant, especially lifted with that bright and well defined acidity. A wet stone minerality again cusps the core of juicy dark fruits.

Finish: The tannins get alittle bit grippy here but are mostly resolved, once again showing that luscious core of plums and prune preserves, here with a more pronounced earthiness of leather, tobacco and sandalwood. Really seamless finish, with lingering rose petals and iris perfumes.

My Thoughts

What a stunner! Immediately expressive with bounties of florals with a really pretty dustiness and a most evocative minerality to its aromas, it did nevertheless seem a little riper, yet the moment it's sipped all fears were gone! Incredibly plush and silky on the palate, with those blooming florals coming through beautifully, touch of exotic sandalwood too, with then this supple juiciness of black fruited preserves! The show stopper then has to be that vibrant and utterly polished acidity that just lifts it all up and guides the palate through! It's luscious and generous through the finish, with then really charming earthy sensibilities now emerging as it works its way effortlessly through that seamless finish. Long, persistent floral bouquets stay on!   

 

Wine Review: Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon

A historic estate also on Mount Veeder, Mayacamas (which comes from the Native American "Howl of the Mountain Lion", and thus the iconic two lions in the M on the bottle label) comes from vineyards first planted in 1889 by a German immigrant, John Henry Fisher, who had found success as a pickle farmer. Often called mountain fruit, the vineyard finds itself up in high altitudes along the mountain slopes, where the winery was built using mountain stones gathered by Fisher. Unfortunately the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906 would force Fisher to sell the estate, where it would eventually become a hideout for bootleggers during Prohibition. Eventually the estate was purchased by Jack and Mary Taylor, Jack being an oil executive who had been looking for a secluded retreat for his family. The Taylors would nevertheless begin organic farming, and were the ones who planted the estate's first Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay's - they were also the ones who gave the winery its name Mayacamas! By the 1960's, the estate was passed on to Bob Travers, who was also mentored by Andre Tchelistcheff, the Father of American winemaking, and was to produce some of Mayacamas' most legendary wines. Travers showed amazing ingenuity and would find all sorts of plucky ways to improve his winemaking. Travers would eventually hand the estate over to the Schottenstein family who have managed it since.

This is the 2021 vintage of the Mayacamas Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Dark Ruby

Aroma: Sensual bramble fruits of raspberries and blackcurrant pastilles, with also some licorice, rose petals and irises mixed in. The cool fruit sits over a stony minerality with wafts of steely mountain air. Rich and aromatic, yet refined and delicate.

Taste: Medium-bodied, more inky here with crushed dark fruits of blackcurrants, mulberries, blackberries, raspberries and dark cherries, tossed in with rose petals and drips of herbal cough syrup and black sugar. The acidity is gentle, the body plush and rich, well saturated with these fruit preserves that are enveloped in tobacco leaves with again a gravelly, stony minerality. The tannins polished and alittle bit grippy.

Finish: More rose petals emerge, as does the rooty, herbal tones of black sugar and licorice that's backed up by plums, prunes and dark cherries. A mineral undercurrent of wet stone and slate topped with herbal black sugars leads the way into the rich and opulent finish. Earthy bits of leather and licorice, with also perfumed rose petals and dark brambly fruits stay on.

My Thoughts

Definitely that mountain fruit quality that is being showcased here, with all these sensual brambly dark fruits and herbal, earthy elements that combine with the evocative stony minerality. That makes for a great trio, although more acidity might take it up a notch. It's altogether shapely and concentrated, with a luscious quality that feels luxurious and decadent, yet without quite teetering over the edge just yet. It's big on that fruit core, with the acidity gentle and delicate, which together yields a refined and polished Cabernet that's alittle more indulgent. Some more age should shave off that baby fat just right!

 

Wine Review: Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon

Now of course we come to the fabled winner of the red category of the Judgement of Paris tasting - the iconic Stag's Leap Wine Cellars! Founded only in 1970 by Warren Winiarski, who was at the time a Chicago based political science instructor in pursuit of a winemaking adventure, the winery was the result of Winiarski having tasted his neighbour's homemade Cabernet Sauvignon which impressed him so deeply and convinced him of eastern Napa Valley's potential. Winiarski would purchase a 44 acre prune and cherry orchard, and would turn it into the Stag's Leap Vineyard, planting both Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Just a few years later, little did Winiarski know that his S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon was to take part in the 1976 Judgement of Paris tasting, which of course propelled it to stardom when it had beaten out the likes of Bordeaux First Growths Chateau Haut Brion and Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Today the estate belongs to a partnership between Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and the historic Italian Marchesi Antinori family of Super Tuscan Tignanello fame.

This is the 2021 vintage of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon.

   

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Ruby

Aroma: Polished and sleek dark fruits of blackcurrants and dark cherries garnished with irises and violet florals peel away to show a a richer and almost more chewy and woodsy core of mulberries, blackcurrant pastilles and licorice. With time it gains creaminess, showing cherry cream, as well as rose petals mixed in with tobacco, with also light wafts of dusty stones. 

Taste: Medium-bodied, rich, sensual, really structured, filled in with concentrated and well saturated muscular tones of dark fruits of blackcurrants, blackberries and mulberries, with a touch of red fruits of dark cherries and raspberries. Little bit of herbal black sugar drizzled in, as well as some light touches of licorice, leather, tobacco and oak. There's a steeliness of graphite minerality that traces the outline, with fine tannin grains and a bright yet gentle acidity. It's polished and silky, with great definition.

Finish: Still very much satiny in its silkiness, with here more of that herbal black sugar that's mixed in with dark fruits of blackcurrants, mulberries and blackberries, paired with earthier tones of leather and tobacco. Clean, seamless finish, with a persistent and elegant, perfumed complexity of rose petals, tobacco and gravel, enveloping a more unctuous richness of blackberry coulis and herbal cough syrup.

My Thoughts

This is so thoroughly elegant even as its really unctuous and luscious, certainly more juicy and ripe, yet that acidity guides it through so beautifully with the tannins providing this really sleek, polished and chiselled structure that is just the perfect frame to hold in that immense concentration. It's silky and satiny, with such a jaw dropping definition and clarity. It's a wine with so much sensuality and sexiness, really brooding and yet lifted and complex. It draws you in and you forget about everything else, with just so much to behold. Amazing integration, great show of minerality and the really enticing mix of florals and earthiness that is thoroughly bewitching.

 

Wine Review: Heitz Cellar Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Undeniably one of Napa Valley's icons, Heitz Cellar is so inextricably tied to its pioneering winemaker Joe Heitz, who had first established the St. Helena winery in 1961 and would go on to release America's first every single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - the Heitz Cellar Martha's Vineyard! A protege of yet again the legendary Andre Tchelistcheff, America's first wine mentor, Heitz had been a much needed flame that kept the Napa Valley winemaking passion alive. Still reeling from the effects of Prohibition, Heitz was one of the early pioneers to dedicate his life and career to the region, and would help to reinvigorate interest in the region's wines through his commitment to producing high quality wines. Critically, in 1965, Heitz had made a handshake agreement with Tom and Martha May whose 35 acre Oakville vineyard he had found made superior grapes. Wanting to exemplify their distinct quality, Heitz would thus produce America's first ever single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon with their fruit, which in so doing brought to the fore the importance of terroir to American wine. Today, the estate resides within the Lawrence Wine Estates group.

This is the 2018 vintage of Heitz Cellar Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.

   

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Ruby

Aroma: Incredibly perfumed, it opens with all manners of florals, of rose petals, irises, violets and eucalyptus, with also a woodsy, earthy tone of tobacco, dusty soil, forest floors, and graphite. This adorns the sensual and richer body of raspberries, blackberries, mulberries and blackcurrant pastilles with also a touch of even richer raisins and prunes. Thoroughly floral and juicy, even alittle chewy, with also some leather and wet stones, it's superbly evocative.

Taste: Medium-bodied, it's plush and clean, showing more restraint with moderate saturation and a good medium richness. The body is filled in with dark fruits of blackberries, mulberries and blackcurrants with also some leafiness of mulberry and eucalyptus leaves. Towards the back, it only gets darker and more concentrated, of prunes, raisins and black licorice, underscored by a minerality of wet stone, and also an earthiness of leather. The acidity remains bright, with the tannins alittle grippy.

Finish: More prunes, figs and mulberries, tossed in with some eucalyptus and tobacco, that thread of mineral spring water carries through a clean and prominently mineral finish.

My Thoughts

Compelling yet highly distinctive, the Heitz Cellar Martha's Vineyard comes off so intriguing, with firstly a very unique bouquet, heaps and heaps of florals entwined with eucalyptus - often said to be the result of eucalyptus trees on the property - yet with this immense minerality that comes through. It's captivating and sensual, with this core of fruity juiciness, tinted with a slightly herbal element to it. It does very delightfully show restraint and finesse on the palate without going over the top, yet once again really demonstrating that deep eucalyptus bit, along with the prominent minerality that really in fact stays right through the finish. A really interesting wine that will reset any preconceived notions of Californian Cabernet.

   

Wine Review: Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon

A historic winery in its own right, Freemark Abbey was first established in 1886 by Josephine Tychson, making it one of Napa Valley's first ever female founded winery. Tychson and her husband had first purchased the land in 1881 and had planted several varieties, yet when her husband tragically passed away just a few years later, Tychson would nevertheless press on and create the winery's original redwood cellar, which really marks the start of Freemark Abbey's wine story. Unfortunately phylloxera's devastation would see the winery sold just into the turn of the 1900's, before it was closed entirely as a result of Prohibition. Thankfully, by 1939, a group of three friends, Charles Freeman, Marquand Mark Foster and Albert Abbey Ahern, would come together - and put their names together as well - to form Freemark Abbey. They were forward looking and would set up one of Napa Valley's first wine tasting rooms, before eventually passing on the helm to two partners who would steer the winery in the direction of premium single varietal wines. Interestingly, Freemark Abbey is the only American winery in the 1976 Judgement of Paris tasting to feature in both the white and the red category! 

This is the 2021 vintage of the Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Dark Ruby

Aroma: Leaning towards a darker profile with tobacco, black sugar, licorice, leather and mocha, it's riper with darker fruits of plums and prunes, garnished with a contrasting deep floral aspect of rose petals and irises. There's a very distinct minerality of graphite and wet stones that almost envelopes the aromas.

Taste: Medium-bodied here, rich and inky, with again a darker toned character of blackberry, mulberry and blackcurrant preserves, mixed in with herbal cough syrup and black sugar. The acidity nevertheless remains bright yet gentle, with the tannins resolved and a little bit grippy. With time it lightens up to give blackcurrant pastilles.

Finish: A continuation of what was shown on the palate, though here alittle more red fruited with cherries and raspberries that thread alongside the inky black fruits. Perfumed rose petals and herbal cough syrup carry it through the clean finish.

My Thoughts

Perhaps the most monolithic of the lot, the Freemark Abbey Cabernet is dark and brooding to its core, really tightly wrapped and almost tarry, and yet at the same time finesses its way to not being weighty or bulky. It's then in that sense of a lot of stature, and at times almost feels like its stopping you in your tracks. Yet contrastingly, it's also deeply perfumed of florals, with this really earthy, almost smoky quality that gives it so much character. This feels like something to revisit in a decade when it's leaned out and our guess is that it'll show quite a whole lot of complexity.

 

Kanpai!

@111hotpot