I imagine many of you have heard of the famous 1976 Paris Tasting, or otherwise known as the Judgement of Paris, where the world's view of California wines were changed forever. I was asked to donate a tasting to an auction a couple years ago. I wanted something fun to draw people in to bid. I decided recreating The Judgement was just the ticket! I have now done this twice and it is great fun.
The actual Judgement of Paris tasted California Chardonnay and Cabernet against French first and classified growths of red Bordeaux and white Burgundies. To make it a bit more fun for my tastings, I threw in Sauvignon Blanc (white Bordeaux) and Pinot Noir (red Burgundy). I tried to pick wines from the original makers/vineyards or in the case of France, wines as close to the same region or from the same maker as the originals, yet trying to keep in a budget that wouldn't break the bank.
For these tastings it's definitely unscientific and a far less intense rating system than at a normal blind tasting contest. In the original Judgement the rating system went up to 20 points and there was no conferring with one another. In my tastings you do taste blind but you can "talk it out" and our voting system is a simple raise your hand if you like A or B. This is what makes this tasting fun for everyone at all levels of wine. At the end, you will typically have an idea of the regions and types of climates you enjoy for the 4 varietals we taste.
For the last Judgement tasting, here are the wines I chose:
Sauvignon Blanc
Domaine de la Perriere Sancerre 2014 ($26)
Frog's Leap Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2015 ($28)
The final vote was a tie from our group of 10 judges.
Sauvignon Blanc was not tasted in the original Judgement. This was a fun warm up category and really a great way to taste the differences in climates.
Sauvignon Blanc from France will be high in acidity with a gun smoky element and the majority will not see oak. It will be found in the Loire Valley in Sancerre and Pouilly Fume.
California is too warm to make the modern crisp and aromatic style. You will find a wide range of styles in California.
Chardonnay/White Burgundy
Joseph Drouhin Pouilly-Fuisse 2014 ($28)
Grgich HIlls Chardonnay 2012 ($38)
The winner was the Pouilly-Fuisse
Joseph Drouhin was the producer of one of the original wines in the Judgement. Mike Grgich is the winemaker of the original Judgement winner, Chateau Montelena. He later opened his own winery, Grgich Hills. He is known as the "King of Chardonnay". If you want to know more about his story and the Judgement of Paris story watch one of my favorite wine movies, "Bottleshock."
The greatest white Burgundies are made in Cote D'Or (Beaune, Gevry-Chambertin, Puligny-Montrachet). Chardonnay is California's largest wine grape crop - 20% of the annual harvest. High quality CA chardonnays had a reputation for full-bodied, high in alcohol, and low acidity with oak and butter. Today, there is a wide range of variety including some retrained examples.
Pinot Noir/Red Burgundy
Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 2012 ($60)
Joseph Phelps Freestone Vineyards Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2013 ($42)
The winner was the Joseph Phelps.
Pinot Noir was not tasted in the original judgement.
Because pinot noir ripens early it is well-suited for the moderate climates of Burgundy. You get a jammy over-ripe flavored wine from those grown in warm regions. In California, the classic regions are Carneros and Sonoma. In France this is also an important grape in Champagne.
Cabernet/Bordeaux
Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2004 ($60)
Freemark Abbey Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 ($70)
The winner was the Freemark Abbey which is a blend of 83.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.3% Merlot, and the rest is Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. It is aged just over 24 months in oak. This is a full-bodied wine with many levels of black fruit, tobacco, oak, cinnamon, and black pepper. Freemark Abbey was one of the wines in the original Judgement.
Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste is in the Paulliac region of Bordeaux and has a Grand Cru classification. The wine is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. This was well-balanced with blackberries, spices, and toasty palate.
Bordeaux is typically a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Merlot is typically blended with Cabernet Sauvignon to soften the Cabnernet. The classic regions include Medoc and Graves in France and Napa in California.
In the end, we had a tie, 1 win for France, and 2 wins for California. We tasted some amazing wines, had fun, and learned about how grapes grow in different regions and climates. Everyone was a winner when you get to spend an evening tasting wines from these amazing vineyards.
I purchased all of the wines from WIne.com and my local wine store, Unwined. Both have great people on staff to give advice. On Wine.com you can live chat with their staff and I have found them to be very helpful.
Let me know if you need help picking wines or themes for your next tasting!