The Judgment of Paris (so subsequently named) pitted an upstart American wine industry against its dominant French counterpart. The event took place at the Paris InterContinental Hotel on May 24, 1976 and pitted six Napa Chardonnays (vintage 1972 - 1974) and six Napa Cabernet Sauvignons (1969 - 1973) against four White Burgundies (1972 and 1973) and four Red Bordeauxs (1970 and 1971). The wines were tasted blind. Attendees, based on Taber's (the Time Magazine reporter present at the event) account, were the judges, Steven Spurrier (the event organizer), two unofficial observers, Taber, and the wait staff.
At the conclusion of the tasting, a California wine had been judged to be the best in each of the two categories: 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay for the white and 1973 Stags Leap S. L. V. Cabernet Sauvignon for the red. According to Robert Parker (a 2001 comment reproduced in Taber’s book): “The Paris Tasting destroyed the myth of French supremacy and marked the democratization of the wine world. It was a watershed in the history of wine.”
Around this time, heroic work by UC Davis (according to Charles Smith) on issues such as pH, sulfur dioxide management, sanitation, oxidation prevention, temperature management, and control of malolactic fermentation led to “an era of clean, competent table wine production.” This base of quality production, plus their success in the Judgment of Paris, caused US producers “to shift from light European knockoffs to big Chardonnays and Cabernets that the French could not match.”
But Chateau Montelena did not succumb to the siren song of big wines. Rather it continued to make wine in the “traditional” manner, a styling that many Napa producers are reverting to these many years later. We will be tasting a vertical of Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignons but, prior to reporting on that, I will provide some background on the estate.
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| Source: chateaumontelena.com |
Key Aspects of Chateau Montelena’s History
The history of Chateau can be broadly divided into two periods: before James Barrett and after his arrival. The period after his arrival includes the stellar leadership that has been provided by his son Bo once he took over the reins. The timelines below highlight the key developments at the estate, and its precursor, during those periods.
In addition to its fame arising out of winning the white-wine title at The Judgment of Paris, Chateau Montelena gained additional notoriety as a result of the film Bottleshock, a full-length caricature of the event which, ostensibley, captures the state of affairs at Chateau Montelena leading up to the tasting. Both James Barrett and Mike Grgich make cameo appearances in the movie.
A map of the Chateau Montelena estate is shown below.
The Chateau Montelena estate extends over 120 acres. The soils are predominantly alluvial with volcanic soils to the east and some sedimentary soil to the south.
In a Vant podcast, Winemaker Matthew Crafton provided insights into the Montelena terroir, tactics, and plans. According to Matt, a gap on the west side of Calistoga allows fog from the Alexander and Russian Rivers to enter Napa Valley in its northernmost part.
Chateau Montelena had been planted to AXR1 and St. George rootstocks in the 1970s. In more recent times the winery has set out on a course of improving its wines by improving the quality of grapes grown in the vineyard. They have undertaken a methodical look at the vineyard in order to determine what changes can be made to further improve the fruit and prepare the estate for the upcoming 50 years. A full assessment of each block, row, and slope gradient was conducted as part of this effort.
According to Matt, they started with a blank slate and sought to understand all aspects of soil morphology, how the block had performed historically, and how it had expressed itself in the grapes historically. Based on data, and/or historical knowledge, the following actions were taken:
- Reorient all rows 26 degrees east of north
- Adjust row spacing
- Install rootstocks that were pest and disease resistant and match to soil type
- Place the right grape variety in the right place
- Proper clonal deployment
- Implement irrigation strategies where deemed necessary.
The plan was rolled out over a period beginning in 2019 when two blocks were taken out of service. A methodical process has been followed whereby blocks are taken offline when an equivalent number of blocks are ready to come back online. This proves is expected to be fully completed by 2026.
The wines currently on offer from the winery are illustrated below.
The winemaking strategy revolves around the wines reflecting the vineyard(s) and the vintage; "barrels are never the story."
In the case of white wines, retention of aromas is key. The Cabernet Francs tend to be more aromatic than the Cabernet Sauvignon while the Petit Verdot tends to manifest "more texturally."
In my next post I will detail the actual tasting.
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