Laithwaites

How the Judgment of Paris Changed Wine Forever

Melissa, a do-it-all team player on the wine team, shares her two favorite picks to celebrate the biggest wine event of the last century

In 1976, the Judgment of Paris rocked the wine world. At the time, Steven Spurrier was a British wine merchant. He’d moved to Paris just a few years before, where he bought a little wine shop, Cave de la Madeleine, and opened a private wine school called L’Académie du Vin.

So, it wasn’t out of the ordinary for him to host tastings at his wine shop. But none would have as big of an impact as “The Paris Wine Tasting of 1976.” He and Patricia Gallagher, an American and the director of the wine school, organized a tasting with nine other wine experts—all from France.

It was a blind tasting. All the bottles’ identities were covered and kept secret while they were tasted. This would keep preconceived notions out of their scoring. Common-held notions like “French wine is miles better than California wine.”

On one side, there was the best of the best French wines: prestigious red Bordeaux (featuring Cabernet) and white Burgundy (100% Chardonnay). Representing California, there were 100% Chardonnays and Cabernets from a burgeoning wine region…Napa Valley. When the final scores were tallied, jaws hit the floor. As the journalist who attended the event wrote, “The unthinkable happened.”

For both the reds and whites, a California wine had topped the French classics! It became major news all over the world (including a large feature in Time magazine) and launched Napa onto the world stage of fine wine.

And now, 48 years later, we opened a couple bottles to commemorate the special event.

Representing the Stars and Stripes is Republique Cabernet. It’s from Paso Robles, which is much like Napa was in 1976—an under-the-radar region producing fine Cabernet. It's been a personal favorite of mine for some time now. It is bold and elegant with flavors of black currant and plum, plus hints of toasty spice from its oak aging in French and American barrels.

And for France, we tasted Chateau de Lussac, an exclusive library release from Bordeaux’s storied village of Saint-Émilion. Every delicious sip is a testament to its meticulous crafting process: hand-sorted grapes, followed by a 15-month aging period in French oak barrels. Refined, and mellow with flavors of black currant, plum, and even subtle hints of tobacco.

You be the judge! Get your taste of both (you really can’t go wrong with either).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melissa, Partnership Marketing Manager

Grape enthusiast with a heart as bubbly as Champagne—wine never fails to amaze me! Every aspect of my role on the partnership team fills my glass, from making connections to seeing the tangible bonds they form.

WSET – Level 2 Wines & Spirits Certified
Three years of dedicated involvement with the wine team

Finger Lakes • Rosé • Champagne • Pinot Noir