Bottle Shock

The movie Bottle Shock recently debuted www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYs0kblXToA. The cast & crew had finished filming right before we visited Chateau Montelena http://www.montelena.com/ in November of 07.

The judgment of Paris, 1976, was a historical event that changed the way the world viewed wines from other regions oustide of France. "As they swirled, sniffed, sipped and spat, some judges were instantly able to separate an imported upstart from an aristocrat. More often, the panel was confused. When the ballots were cast, the top-soaring red was Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ ’72 from the Napa Valley, followed by Mouton-Rothschild ’70, Haut-Brion ’70 and Montrose ’70. The four winning whites were, in order, Chateau Montelena ’73 from Napa, French Meursault-Charmes ’73 and two other Californians, Chalone ’74 from Monterey County and Napa’s Spring Mountain ’73. The U.S. winners are little known to wine lovers, since they are in short supply even in California and rather expensive ($6 plus). Jim Barrett, Montelena’s general manager and part owner, said: “Not bad for kids from the sticks.” Time Magazine June 7, 1976.