Wine Tasting: California Dreaming

Ever since The Judgement of Paris in 1976*, California has put their name on the map as one of the most prominent wine-producing regions in the world. Stretching from the Redwoods all the way to Ramona Valley, California expresses itself in all different styles, and every interpretation is incredibly unique. Join us on Saturday, July 9th, anytime from 4-7pm, to taste through 5 different expressions of California wine, and dream along the way!

*Forty years ago, in the world of wine, there were just three categories: the good stuff (French), the very good stuff (also French), and everything else. Few doubted that anything could be finer than the vines in Burgundy and Bordeaux, and those at the upper end of wine snobbery were unshakable Francophiles. And then an event on May 24, 1976—a singular, notable event that would come to be known by the mythical name “The Judgment of Paris”—dramatically changed the way wines were seen and sought forever after. A well known and highly respected British wine seller and educator, Steven Spurrier, whose specialty was fine French vintages, organized a blind tasting that put unlabeled French and California whites and reds in front of nine French experts. The something extraordinary happened, Spurrier enlisted distinguished French wine experts and had them taste ten white wines—six California chardonnays and four French white Burgundies. And he had them taste ten reds—six California cabernets and four French reds from Bordeaux. To everyone’s surprise, especially the judges, the two wines that came out on top were from Napa Valley, a 1973 Chateau Montelena chardonnay and a 1973 cabernet sauvignon from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. This cemented California's place in the wine world forever.