The Paris Tasting of 1976 – A Modern Recreation

Thursday, June 28th
Everything Wine @ Morgan Crossing
$100 per ticket plus HST
For tickets please call 604-542-2480

It was the spring of 1976, pant legs were wide, hair was long, and as far as the world was concerned, only the French made world-class fine wine. Then came the Shot Heard ‘Round The World that changed everything. That shot was the so-called JUDGEMENT OF PARIS, best known to everyone by its representation in the film “Bottle Shock”, and it signaled an end to the French dominance in the world’s perception of fine wines. In the wine industry it is one of the most important, defining moments of the last hundred years.

The event, organized by a Brit named Steven Spurrier (played in the movie by Snape – I mean Alan Rickman), pitted French Bordeaux against Californian Cabernet Sauvignon, and French Burgundies against Californian Chardonnays. The real twist to this competition, however, was that it was conducted BLIND, and adjudicated by FRENCH JUDGES. It was expected that the French wines, with their thousand years of refinement and Terroir trial and error, would crush these young upstarts handily. Imagine their surprise when the Californian wines, however narrowly, edged out these classic French wines in the eyes of the French judges. It put California on the Wine Map, and the French have never gotten over it.

Everything Wine in South Surrey are going to stage an homage, if not outright re-creation, of this seminal wine event. With the purchase of a ticket, you will join our panel and pass blind judgment on a collection of Californian and French wines, most of which were original competitors of the first tasting those 36 years ago. The tasting will be blind: you will not know which wines are which until you have already evaluated and ranked them, and we will use the original 20 point grading system.

The wines:

• Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2005 $1099.99 (an original competitor)
• Clos de Marquis 2005 $106.99 (Second wine to Leyoville-Les-Cases, an original competitor)
• Clos Du Val Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 $89.99 (original competitor)
• Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 $59.99 (original competitor)
• Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (Second wine to S.L.V., an original competitor)
• Joseph Drouhin Clos De Mouches Blanc 2009 $119.99 (original competitor)
• Louis Jadot Meursault (pending Confirmation) 2009 $99.99
• Chateau Montelena Chardonnay 2007 $79.99 (original competitor)
• Grgich Hills Chardonnay 2008 $75.99 (winemaker of Ch Montelena, original competitor)

Tickets to this event are $100 per seat, and are EXTREMELY limited. There will be light cuisine prepared by Chef Alistair Veen of Tap Restaurant, and it’s going to be totally awesome. I hope you can join us for this one-of-a-kind- event!
 - Jordan Carrier - Vintage Room Consultant, Everything Wine @ Morgan Crossing