California – 50 years after The Judgement of Paris

To mark the 50th anniversary of the historic 1976 Judgment of Paris, we set out to recreate its spirit with a blind tasting of 18 exceptional wines from Bordeaux and California. The selection spanned five decades, with a deliberate focus on benchmark vintages and carefully matched pairs representing Old World and New World styles. The tasting was structured in six flights of three wines, guided by three central questions. First, could we reliably distinguish Bordeaux from California in a blind setting? Second, how well had older vintages evolved over time, and does the notion of Californian wines aging less gracefully hold true? Third, would California once again outperform Bordeaux, as it famously did in 1976?

Before turning to the reds, we began with an aperitif of Aile d’Argent 2016 (Mouton Rothschild) and Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2009. Both wines were elegant and pleasant, yet showed signs of being slightly past their peak—particularly when contrasted with the depth and longevity later demonstrated by the red wines. On the first question, the group’s performance was mixed. Distinguishing between Bordeaux and California proved more challenging than expected, especially where Californian producers had adopted a more restrained, “Bordeaux-style” approach. This convergence in style made blind identification far from straightforward.

Regarding ageing, the results were striking. Most wines had developed beautifully, with standout performances from strong vintages especially of the 1990s. Californian wines such as the 1994 and 1996 vintages showed impressive structure, harmony and longevity, while top Bordeaux vintages like 1990 confirmed their reputation for power, elegance and graceful evolution. And a special mention goes to Mouton Rothschild 1970, which had already been part of the original line-up in 1976, and which was still delicately nuanced, vibrant and highly enjoyable.

Overall quality was consistently very high, with few disappointments across the lineup. Most notably, California emerged once again at the top: Dominus 1994 was voted the wine of the evening, closely followed by Opus One 1996. A fitting echo of the original Judgment, suggesting that the transatlantic rivalry remains as compelling as ever.

 

Detailed tasting notes and the evening’s top five wines, as selected by the group, are presented below.

1. Dominus 1994 (13)

2. Opus One 1996 (12)

3. Pichon Baron 1990 (10)

3. Ridge Montebello 2013 (10)

5. Mouton Rothschild 1970 (7)

Flight 1

Bacio Divino 1997 – 92 Points
Nice color, ruby with some bricking but healthy color. Notes of tobacco leaf, cedar, cigarbox, christmas spices, overall medium in expression. Also notes of ripe red plum, strawberries, some eucalyptus too. Medium+ bodied, with good persistence, showing medium acidity and pretty good length. (4 votes)

Valandraud 2001 – 89 Points
Deeper and darker color, seems younger in the glass. Notes of cassis, darker plum, some black cherries, some smoke, also some graphite. Medium-full bodied, with medium-high acidity and slightly rough tannin. Long finish with a certain austerity. (0 votes)

Opus One 1996 – 96 Points
Open and radiant, showing notes of ripe dark berries, some menthol, crushed dark herbs and flowers, touch of green bell peppers, cigar box, etc. Almost Pauillac in expression. Full-bodied, medium-high tannin that is excellent and medium-high acidity with very good length. (12 votes)

Flight 2

Leoville Las Cases 1996 – 94+ Points
Ripe black cherries, some cassis, also some darker minerality, graphite, some leather. Medium-full bodied, with medium-high acidity and medium+ tannin that is good. Good length. (3 votes)

Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill 1995 – 95+
Darker fruit, more austere, with slightly stricter style, but also a touch less depth. There are notes of darker red fruit, a touch of orange zest, some green bell peppers, eucalyptus, a touch of cooler climate impression. Medium-full bodied, with good medium-high tannin and medium-full body. Needs some time. Good length. (3 votes)

Cantemerle 2019 92 – points
Pretty ripe and opulent, but also decidedly younger. Showing notes of black and blue fruit, some tar, some graphite, overall layered and very good, especially in this price range. (ringer, no voting)

Flight 3

Jordan Alexander Valley 1982 – Not rated
Slight TCA, but still alive and intact underneath. notes of black cherries, some blackberries, minerality and some herbal notes. Hard to fully judge.

Mouton-Rothschild 1970 – 96 Points
Very elegant and finessed, with very good red berries, some darker red notes too, graphite, minerality, crushed flowers, some smoke, overall layered and balanced without much weight. Medium bodied with medium tannin that is still present. Long finish. Very fascinating.  Superb bottle with excellent finesse and silkiness. (7 votes)

Gruaud-Larose 1996 – 95 Points
Open, radiant and perfumed, showing notes of dark plum, some cassis, christmas spices, some graphite, also floral notes, medium-full bodied, with excellent persistence. Medium tannin that is good quality.  Still long life ahead. (4 votes)

Flight 4

Dominus 1994 – 98 Points
Open and pretty explosive, with notes of dark cassis, some elderberries, graphite, some leather, also some tobacco, smoke and minerality. Pretty full-bodied, with medium-high acidity and medium+ tannin that is showing good quality. Long finish. Excellent. (13 votes)

Pichon-Baron 1990 – 97 Points
Also deep and dark fruit, slightly more austere, but with excellent density and power. Slightly cooler in expression, with tannin that is more present, but excellent quality. More mid-weight in body than 10. but still very aristocratic and classic beauty. (10 votes)

Beringer Private Reserve 1996 – 92 Points
Notes of cedar wood, some cigar box, a touch of greenish and green bell peppers, more rustic and slightly less depth, but still good. The tannin is a touch greenish, but still very pleasant and greatly alive at age 30.  (0 votes)

Flight 5

Leoville-Poyferre 2005 – 96 Points
Still young, but very layered and complex, showing notes of dark berries, cassis, graphite, some cedar wood, cigar box, but also ripe dark plum, sweet spices, dark flowers, layered and complex but still holding back a little bit. Pretty full-bodied, with medium+ but very good tannin, medium-high acidity, long finish. Excellent bottle full of potential. (5 votes)

Latour 2002 – 96 Points
Notes of cassis, some slightly riper fruit, but also leather, sweet spices, some smoke, crushed flowers. Medium-full bodied, still slightly rough around the edges, but masses of tannin that is ripe but present. Pretty long finish. Very good, with a touch of extra ripeness. (3 votes)

Mayacamas 2011 – 92? Points
Explosive, rich and powerful, showing notes of elderberries, black cherries, riper notes, some orange zest, loosing in the glass. Pretty full-bodied, with medium+ tannin that is slightly rough. Medium acidity. Pretty long finish. Pretty controversial wine and I am a little surprised about how this is deteriorating in the glass. Drink up. (0 votes)

Flight 6

Ridge Monte Bello 2013 – 98+ Points
Explosive dark and dark red fruit, some plums, christmas spices, dark florals, elderflowers, graphite, some lead pencil, minerality, but also jammy dark fruit dominating the flavor profile. Full-bodied, with medium-high tannin that is very good quality. Super long finish. Intense, deep and super layered, but still very young. (10 votes)

Spottswoode 2018 – 96 Points
A touch more ripeness, notes of dark plum, cassis, sweet fruit, pepper, notes of greenish bell pepper, but also nice freshness of pretty high acidity, some full body and medium-high tannin that is also very good quality. (4 votes)

Palmer 2018 – 95++ Points
Explosive, ripe and hedonistic, but also with some grip. Notes of very ripe red and dark red berries, strawberries, some floral notes, cedar wood, some spices. Full-bodied, rich and powerful, showing almost New Worldish richness and decadence. Medium-high tannin, medium+ acidity. Long finish. A great but painfully intense wine that will probably take forever to come around. (1 vote)