Grgich Hills Estate. Nicola Parisi
Down a dramatic palm tree-lined driveway dotted with immaculate flower beds, paved red bricks lead to a hacienda lobby where La Quinta Resort opens up like a portal to 1926. Just past the main entrance of the hotel’s restaurant, Morgan’s in the Desert, a small private room is labeled “Grgich” in the resort’s signature Spanish tiles. Unwitting visitors walk past the venue without thinking twice, but those familiar with Croatian-American winemaker Miljenko “Mike” Grgich may pause for a photo or an appreciative glance. Grgich’s profound winemaking and insistence on honoring California terroir was influential enough to bring Napa’s culture not just to the Coachella Valley, but across the world.
As the winemaker behind Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay, the highest-ranked vintage in the fateful Judgment of Paris blind tasting in 1976, Grgich was a driving force in establishing Napa as a world-class wine region. Soon after the competition, he opened his own winery, Grgich Hills Estate, and saved up to purchase a parcel of land in Rutherford, back when it was just a few thousand dollars. He worked as the winemaker there until 2018, when, at the age of 95, he finally retired and handed the reins over to his nephew, Ivo Jeramaz. Grgich passed away five years later at the ripe old age of 100, and missed out on the fanfare surrounding the 50th anniversary of the milestone that defined his career.
The “Grgich” room at La Quinta. Grgich Hills Estate
But half a century later, there’s a reason the Judgment of Paris is still a cornerstone of American wine lore. Napa wasn’t always synonymous with fine wine, and this watershed moment established California—and the New World in general—as a credible alternative to European producers. A David-and-Goliath story, the event has everything from shocking upsets and scrappy upstarts to New World versus Old World and humble farmers beating out prestigious producers. In France, the event isn’t remembered as fondly as in the U.S., but it didn’t inflict lasting damage; French wine is still globally beloved and arguably the most significant player worldwide.
A quick rundown for anyone who needs a refresher: Back in 1976, British importer Steven Spurrier proposed a blind tasting of the premier California chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon against the best Bordeaux reds and Burgundian whites. The tasting panel for the Paris wine competition was composed solely of French judges, who, without realizing it, overwhelmingly chose American wines as the winners, self-assured that they’d selected the best of France. (They even reportedly criticized the French wines they tasted, assuming they were California vintages.)
British wine merchant Steven Spurrier with two of the French judges at the Judgment of Paris, Patricia Gastaud-Gallagher and Odette Kahn.
Thanks to the presence of an American journalist, George Taber, the results of the Judgment of Paris, as it came to be called, were captured and transmitted back to the States via a piece in Time magazine. “The U.S. winners are little known to wine lovers, since they are in short supply even in California and rather expensive ($6 plus),” goes Taber’s commentary. The story quickly caught fire, boosting the reputation of the American wineries that won, and signaling to the rest of the New World that American wine was just as good, if not better, than the legacy European houses. Or at least, it had a chance to be.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the historic event, Grgich Estate partnered with La Quinta on a special anniversary dinner honoring its legacy. Grgich himself loved this desert hotel, and spent a significant amount of time there toward the end of his life, so it was a fitting place to throw a party honoring his legacy. At the dinner, Jeramaz talked guests through the pairings, one of which was an outstanding 2020 Old Vine Zinfandel. After I expressed amazement at the quality of the wine—a grape I usually avoid—Jeramaz shared a private memory: this wine was a particular favorite of his uncle, and it was the final wine he drank before he died.
The history-making bottle of 1973 Chateau Montelena chardonnay. Houston Chronicle via Getty Imag
Jeramaz, who worked alongside Mike Grgich for three decades, now serves as Grgich’s winemaker and VP of vineyards and production. In his estimation, the Judgment of Paris ruling was so impactful that it might be the only reason Grgich’s winery exists. “Mike most likely would’ve never had his own winery without the Judgment of Paris,” he says. “He was a very cautious man, and the event gave him courage to see that he was an incredible winemaker, and that there was a demand for the kind of wine he made. It gave him courage to open a winery. Everyone was fighting for him to be their winemaker, but he wanted to strike out on his own.”
The tasting took place in May 1976, and just over a year later, on July 4, 1977, Mike and his partner, Austin Hills, broke ground. Jeramaz came to America from Croatia a few years after that, starting at the bottom as a cellar hand and slowly working his way up to the role of head winemaker he holds today. But Jeramaz only began to understand the full effect of the Judgment later, seeing that it had an impact not only on Napa wines, but on the rest of the New World, too.
“I started realizing how significant it was, not just for Napa, California, but for all the New World regions—Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand,” he says. “No, you don’t have to be in Burgundy to plant chardonnay. You can grow beautiful chardonnay in many, many regions, not just in Burgundy.” A cornerstone of Grgich’s winemaking style was the complete and total embrace of regenerative farming practices, and Jeramaz spent decades learning his methods, which focus, above all else, on regenerative farming. It’s these methods, he hypothesizes, that make a zinfandel grape from their vineyards taste different than any other.
“He said luck was a part of it, of course,” Jeramaz remembers. “Mike was very fortunate that his wine was selected; he didn’t even know that his wine was there. It was luck that his wine was selected, but it wasn’t luck that his wine was good. That’s what he told me. It was 40 years of experience, diligence, passion and dedication that created quality.”
Ivo Jeramaz, the nephew of Croatian-American winemaker Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, serves as Grgich Estate’s winemaker and VP of vineyards and production. Nicola Parisi
Five decades on, the Judgment continues to resonate for other American contenders, and not just in Napa. Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, which took first place in the red category for its 1973 S.L.V. Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, was instrumental in cementing cabernet’s dominance in Napa. Even today, their estate wine commands a high price because of the value of the vineyards where these grapes are produced. While the land isn’t priceless, it’s still among some of the most sought-after in the world. The Stags Leap District, a distinct AVA created to highlight this particular terroir, was established in 1989, largely due to the attention that followed the French tasting.
To commemorate the event that has all but defined their brand, Stag’s Leap hosted a dinner marking the anniversary at this year’s Pebble Beach Food & Wine festival. “The Judgment of Paris told the grape growers working in Napa Valley that they were doing something great, that it was working,” one of Stag’s Leap winemakers, Luis Contreras, told guests at the event. “French wines are regarded as the best in the world—and I love French wines—but this broke the glass ceiling all over the world.”
Joined by Chalone, an American producer that took third place in the white category, both wineries offered a selection of their current and library wine vintages for attendees to taste. Standout vintages like the 2009 and 2023 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2024 Chalone Estate Chardonnay, Judgment of Paris 50th Anniversary, a commemorative release, showcased the terroir they put on the map. In conversation with Contreras the next day, when he graciously brought an empty bottle of the legendary 1973 S.L.V. cabernet for me to touch in real life (not the original bottle used in the tasting, as that’s safely ensconced in The Smithsonian, but one of the same vintage), he expanded on how Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars became synonymous with Napa cabernet.
An empty bottle of Stag’s Leap’s Judgment of Paris-winning 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon. Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars
“Every wine is important, but our three estate wines, the Fay, S.L.V. and Cask—which are all cabernet sauvignon with a bit of cabernet franc—are essential,” Contreras says. “Fay is the first cabernet sauvignon vineyard that was planted in the Stag’s Leap District, by Nathan Fay back in the early 1960s. Back then, anything below Rutherford was thought to be too cold, but Fay took a chance planting cabernet sauvignon, so that site is very historical.”
As the story goes, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars founder Warren Winiarski visited Nathan Fay in 1969 to discuss wine-growing practices. Fay offered him a glass of homemade wine and Winiarski reportedly said, “I hope that wine tastes as good as it smells.” It must have, as that one glass convinced him this area was the perfect place to grow wine that would reflect the classic beauty and complexity of the terroir. The next year, in 1970, a 40-acre parcel next to Fay vineyards became available. Winiarski snapped it up and dubbed it S.L.V; 1973 was the first vintage from that land, and it was the bottle that beat out every French red in 1976.
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars
“This was a historical moment that can’t be lost, it needs to be affirmed over and over,” Contreras says. “Just for our own history and the commitment that we have to continue making the best wine we can. It also helps contextualize how Napa Valley came to be what it is today, and how our culture is linked with wine. Our terroir is amazing to make wine from, and we celebrate this tasting to highlight the very special place we have in Napa Valley.”
Born in Mexico, Contreras moved to Napa when he was 13, and has worked at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars for practically his entire life. After high school, he took a gig as a seasonal bottler for a few years before realizing he wanted to work in the cellar, where he spent almost a decade as a cellar hand. He worked his way up to cellar supervisor, then cellar master, assistant winemaker, and eventually to his current role as a full-fledged winemaker. Contreras never left to work for any other brand or to moonlight at any other vineyard—he says there’s nowhere he’d rather be than Stag’s Leap.
“It feels great to work at a place with this kind of history, but it’s a great commitment as well,” he says. “Every little thing needs to be very precise. Wine lovers are expecting a certain quality from us. My commitment to present great wine makes me think in different ways. I’ve worked with lots of different winemakers, but my biggest mentor is Marcus Notaro, our current head winemaker. We started working together in 2013, when he grabbed my hand and walked me through the process. I can’t think of anywhere better to work.”
Chalone Vineyards. Chalone Vineyards
Napa wasn’t the only region impacted by the decision handed down from French palates. Three of the California wines presented in the tasting came from outside the Napa Valley, but only one placed in the top three: a 1974 chardonnay from Monterey County producer Chalone. Like Stag’s Leap, this winery was brand-new at the time, and this chardonnay was their second-ever vintage. And like both Stag’s Leap and the quickly-formed Grgich estate, the land where these vineyards are planted is like nowhere else in the world.
“What we accomplished 50 years ago has really helped further the entire central coast as a prominent and serious wine region,” explains Chalone winemaker Mari Wells Coyle. “There was a lot of skepticism about what California truly could be.” Wells Coyle is the VP of winemaking at Foley Family Wine & Spirits, which bought Chalone in 2016, and has been shepherding winemaking at the site since 2023. “The Judgment of Paris didn’t just put Chalone on the map; it put Monterey on the map,” she says. “At that time, we were still an emerging wine region, and it was a really good opportunity for us to understand that we have these capabilities and soil types and we can compete with the old world region.”
Easily the most iconic winery in Monterey, all of the brand’s vineyards are located within their own Chalone AVA, which was designated in 1982 following the Judgment. The vineyards rest up against the Pinnacles National Park at about 1,800 feet elevation, and are planted in unique limestone and decomposed granite soils. The soils and the elevation, coupled with the site aspect, make it well-suited for growing grapes, and it’s situated on a west-facing slope with lots of afternoon sun that’s ideal for ripening. This estate is particularly rare because there’s not a lot of limestone in California, especially across an entire site.
Monterey County’s Chalone Vineyards is renowned for its rare limestone and decomposed granite soils, which produce intensely-flavored wines. Chalone Vineyards
For many winemakers, developing a key style, or drawing out a certain characteristic in the wine, is a major part of the job. For Coyle, though, the challenge is to step back as much as possible and let the land tell its own story. “I feel a lot of gratitude because working with this site is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she says. “For me, it’s about really listening and understanding the vineyard. Our vineyard manager, Richard Bore, has been there for over 30 years, so he’s seen the whole legacy unfold and has been there shepherding the vines. It’s about trying to have the least amount of impact and let the wines be what they are—to just continue the legacy.”
While the central coast matured as a wine region at a slower pace than Napa, these days it has certainly attained global recognition, particularly in regions like Paso Robles and the Santa Ynez Valley. Winemaking in California as a whole surely owes a debt of gratitude to the Judgment of Paris for unprecedented growth over the last 50 years, but also for sparking a deeper understanding of how valuable the terroir here actually could be.
And even in a time of economic downturn, when the industry is in a phase of contracting, for those who are tasked with carrying on the legacies of these vineyards, the focus on caring for the land and the fruit remains supreme. “Every day, I think about my late uncle Mike and how wise he was,” Jeramaz says. “Like buying this land back when it was $9,000 to $21,000, versus $1 million. We can cut production in half, and not just survive, but thrive. I’m most excited about regenerative farming, which I see great benefits from. There’s endless opportunity to improve with nature.”
In times of instability, there’s an all too real fear that the best of an industry will be ripped away. Looking backward, though, it’s easy to see that even when Napa was just a scrappy, would-be player on the world stage, certain principles have always risen to the top. “There’s no tricks with winemaking,” Jeramaz says. “There’s no stopping, it’s not like, ‘OK, now I know everything and I’ll make a perfect wine.’ Absolutely not. Winemaking is important, but it’s secondary to grape growing.”
An optimistic hypothesis: For those in the industry who are focused on farming their land sustainably, growing beautiful fruit, and letting the elegant terroir shine through in the winemaking, the current downturn will have little impact. A lot can change in 50 years, but wineries like these have already proven they can stand the test of time.