At that famous Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, the Chateau Montelena Chardonnay bested 10 French and Californian Chardonnays in a blind taste test. 14) Chateau Montelena won the white wine competition. The bottle completes his collection of all 20 ‘Judgment’ wines. Chateau Montelena helped put themselves and Napa Valley on the international wine map when their 1973 Chardonnay won hands down at a tasting in 1976 in Paris, France. In fact, it was Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay, rated above all other wines. Not a bad effort for Grgich and his team. This seminal event has been memorialized in the book "The Judgment of Paris," by George Taber, as well as in the 2008 feature film Bottle Shock. This was the first blind wine tasting event on an international stage that showed California wineries could produce just as high quality wine as their French counterparts. See reviews and pricing for the 1973 vintage. Mike Grgich, a Croatian-American winemaker in Napa Valley, was actually the winemaker of the 1973 Chardonnay that won the Paris Tasting of 1976, known as the Judgment of Paris. Visit the winery’s open house to be held on the 40th Anniversary of … FICTION: Though he ended up owning the historic Chateau Montelena Winery, Jim Barrett did not craft the wine that went on to win big in France. This was only the second vintage of wine produced by the winery. Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay won first place in the white wine competition. See reviews and pricing for the 1973 vintage. The 1973 Chateau Montelena made headlines in the world of wine when it dethroned some of the best and most prestigious white burgundies of France. A White wine from Napa Valley, Napa County, California, United States. Spectrum Wine Auctions, in partnership with Chateau Montelena, is offering you an extremely rare opportunity to own a bottle of the wine that won the 1976 Paris Tasting and brought California and the entire American wine industry to the forefront of the international wine world – as portrayed in the 2008 film, "Bottle Shock." What often goes unmentioned, however, is that the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay was actually the second modern vintage at the winery. The wine, which beat both French and American competitors in the 1976 ‘Judgment of Paris’ tasting, was bought by UK-based software engineer Jason Corcoran.. Chateau Montelena: 1973 Chardonnay - See 673 traveler reviews, 647 candid photos, and great deals for Calistoga, CA, at Tripadvisor. Chateau Montelena is a Napa Valley winery most famous for winning the white wine section of the historic "Judgment of Paris" wine competition.Chateau Montelena's Chardonnay was in competition with nine other wines from France and California under blind tasting. This wine has 1717 mentions of oaky notes (oak, butter, vanilla). Average of 90 points in 12,445 community wine reviews on 346 wines from Chateau Montelena, plus professional notes, label images, wine details, and recommendations on when to drink. Average of 90.8 points in 55 community wine reviews on 2015 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, plus professional notes, label images, wine details, and … One of the few remaining bottles of ex-cellar 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay has been sold by Spectrum Wine Auctions for $11,325 (£7,419). This wine has 1717 mentions of oaky notes (oak, butter, vanilla).