Judgment of Paris by George M. Taber

I will admit that I have a bias towards wine from California, Oregon, and other U.S. states. Perhaps its out of my sense of patriotism towards things Made in U.S.A.. Or maybe because I learned to enjoy wine with California wine. My first wine experience was with a bottle of Chardonnay from Sonoma. I recall visiting Robert Mondavi winery to learn how wine is made. And it helps that its easier to understand California wine and that California produces some of the best wine in the world.

California wine has long history, long as the history of California. However, it was not always considered top-class as it is now. As I was learning about California wine, I had heard vaguely about a “competition” in Paris in the 1970’s where a bottle of California wine received the top prize. “Judgment of Paris” covers the event itself, the stories behind the tasting, and how the tasting perhaps changed the world of wine. The book was written by George Taber, the only person from the media that covered the tasting.

The tasting took place on May 24, 1976 in Paris. It was not highly publicized leading up to the tasting. It was organized by a wine shop in Paris to show case some of the up and coming California wine. But the panel of judges was prominent figures in the wine industry in France. The result was surprising – where California wine took first place in both Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon categories.

The book was written objectively. The author did not take any sides, but rather “reporting” the events leading up to the tasting, how the tasting was conducted, and how it was felt in the wine world. The first half of the book brought to life the stories behind the wine that took first place. These were the stories of winemakers, producers, winery owners that helped make the winning wine at the tasting. The book also covered how New World wine began to be competitive with wine from France and other Old World wine producing countries; perhaps thanks in part due to the tasting. I enjoyed reading the book and learned to appreciate California wine more.

Chardonnay
Chateau Montelena 1973

Cabernet Sauvignon
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973