The Judgment of Paris
A word upfront: I write about wines of the Southern Rhône Valley and Provence. We are the modest people, but we are producing the wines you drink without filing for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Nevertheless I have some thoughts on this fascinating contest and what it means for us here in the region as well as an interesting proposal.
Last Wednesday was the 30 year anniversary of the "O.K. Corral Shootout" between Bordeaux/Burgundy and Californian wines. Back in 1976 Steven Spurrier, a British wine merchant, organized a blind wine tasting match. It was a shock to French wine growers when Californian wines outclassed the French. The top red was a Stag's Leap 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon, the top white a Château Montelena 1973 Chardonnay. This time California won again! They took the top five of ten spots.
Spurrier, nowadays a wine consultant, co-organized last Wednesday's rematch under slightly modified rules. In the first part of the tasting the judges revisited the original reds - not the whites, because they don't age well. This time the top red was California's Clos du Val 1972 Cabernet Sauvignon. In the second part they tasted a variety of modern reds and whites from both countries. While the tasting was blind, the new wines were identified by country.
The French wine blog Méchant Raisin lists the winners and prices, a small detail most US wine blogs forget to mention!
Top 3 Whites:
California Chardonnay:
Rosemary's Vineyard 2002 de Talley ($ 55)
Hyde Vineyard 2002 de Ramey ($ 70)
Hyde Vineyard 2004 de Patz & Hall ($ 65)
White Burgundy:
Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 2002, Domaine Laflaive ($ 190)
Beaune Clos de Mouches 2002, Domaine Drouhin ($ 100)
Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Caillerets 2002, Louis Jadot ($ 95)
Top 3 Reds:
California Cabernets:
Ridge Monte Bello 2000 ($ 151)
Cabernet Cask 23, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cask 2001 ($ 200)
Staglin Family Vineyard 2001 ($ 220)
Bordeaux:
Château Margaux 2000 ($ 750)
Château Rausan Ségla 2000 ($ 120)
Château Montrose 2000 ($ 140)
Interesting if you look at price/quality. For buyers of these trophy wines prices are of lesser importance I suppose, for us in the Southern Rhône Valley price/quality relationship is of major importance. So back to our region here: I suggest a blind wine tasting between California and the Southern Côtes du Rhône in the following prices categories (retail prices FOB caveau):
Under $ 20.00
$ 20.00 - 50.00
Visiting friends in San Francisco in 2004 I noticed that it is quite impossible to buy a somewhat decent Californian wine under $15.00 from the vineyard directly! Here is Robert Parker's opinion on wines from our region: "I probably drink more Southern Rhônes than any other kind of wines because it fits in with our cooking. These are wines that are not oaked. You can drink them young and I appreciate the purity of their fruit. I love grenache." Similar opinions can be heard from UK wine writer Jancis Robertson.
.... but the we continue to have tremendous issues here: too many so-so quality producers kept alive by the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union), lack of creativity and innovation (result of the strict French AOC system?) and most of all dismal marketing. There is an excellent report on the crisis in the French wine industry on Washington Post's Slate: "The Judgment of Paris - What the French didn't learn from the legendary wine-tasting". But is is encouraging to see that more and more vignerons here react and improve both quality and marketing. One of the examples you might want to check out is Domaine de la Mordorée in Tavel; great wines (Châteauneuf du Papes, Lirac, Tavel), smart marketing, excellent English website.
Méchant Raisin said:
Bonjour Ms Collins!
As you know (but maybe your readers don’t), Méchant Raisin, in French, litterally means "Mean Grape" but in Quebec, it also means something like "Crazy Dude". I wanted to have a picture that would represent a "mean" person locked in a prison of bottles!!!! I know that I didn’t succeed and that it didn’t end up looking like that, but I’m more a writer than a photographer, you know…
Anyway, I’m glad you liked my blog and yours is very interesting too. I LOVE this region you’re living in. Next to the "Popes" vineyards. You are so lucky!
By the way, the prices that I mentionned in my column are in Canadian dollars, so to get a more precise figure in USD, substract 20 %. Merci encore et revenez visiter le Méchant Raisin! Il n’est pas si méchant après tout…
Eve Collins said:
Mathieu,
thanks for your good humoured comments. Also I checked the exchange rate, 1 CAN$ equals right now about .90 US$, I will adjust the prices on my post accordingly. I like Quebec, my husband and I vacationed on the Gaspé peninsula 5 years ago.
Merci
Eve
Eve Collins said:
Roger,
I fully agree, Condrieu produces superb viogniers. I did not put them on the list as I cover only Southern Côtes du Rhônes at this point, but you are right, in a contest with Californian whites a Condrieu should be on the list. What is you favorite winery there?
Eve
roger said:
We could surely add a Condrieu to the list?
posted on 2006-05-26 at 1:36 pm