Napa Valley Wines Still on Top 41 Years Later

Judgment of Paris Red Wine Reenactment in Tokyo, Japan 

Napa, Calif., Thursday, May 25, 2017– Warren Winiarski represented the Napa Valley Vintners in Tokyo, Japan, for a red wine reenactment of the Judgment of Paris, where Napa Valley came out on top once again.  Hosted by Joe Kraft at the American Club in Tokyo on May 13th, Warren reported that Freemark Abbey and Mayacamas were awarded first and second place in the tasting of the original ten red wine vintages. 

Over almost half a century after the original Paris Tasting, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons have continued to hold top positions in repeat tastings around the world.  Following the 1976 Paris Tasting, where Warren’s Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars won the red wine category with its 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon, the tasting was held informally several times again in the late 1970s.  In 1986 for the 10th Anniversary it was conducted at the French Culinary Institute in New York City.  In 2006 for the 30th Anniversary it was held simultaneously in London and at Copia in Napa Valley.  Each time and with different judges, Napa Valley wines have been judged better than their French peers and continuously come in top placements.

The latest retasting of the same red wines and original vintages, was in Tokyo, judged by two American, two French and five Japanese wine and food professionals, for an exact replica of the original Paris tasting judged on the 20 point scale.  At the conclusion of the tasting, in first place was Freemark Abbey 1969 Cabernet Sauvignon, followed by Mayacamas 1971 Cabernet Sauvignon and Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1970 in third place.

Warren said of the tasting, “I was an observer judge courtesy of Napa Valley Vintners, but not scoring, and was very pleased and proud of the results for Napa Valley.  It’s a tribute to Napa to think that our young wines did so well in 1976 and now nearly half a century later, these older wines are still coming out on top. While they are in name the same wines, they are really very different beings now and show how well Napa Valley wines were made and how well they age.”

It is unique in the world of wine that this same set of wines has been tasted over the course of time as these Judgment of Paris wines have been tested. 

Judgment of Paris in Tokyo, May 2017, Final Results

About Warren Winiarski

Warren Winiarski is a Napa Valley resident, grape grower and philanthropist.  His well noted Arcadia Vineyards in the Coombsville AVA of Napa Valley grows Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.  He planted his first Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard in 1970 in what is now the Stags Leap District. A longtime advocate of Napa Valley land preservation, Mr. Winiarski has backed legislation over the past 50 years to protect agricultural and open space for future generations. He has donated six conservation easements to the Land Trust of Napa County, protecting almost 200 acres of wild land and vineyards in perpetuity. His was the first producing vineyard ever donated, protecting the site of the Paris Tasting grapes. He is an avid supporter of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s American wine programs and has established funds to support the UC Davis Library’s collections of prominent wine writers’ manuscripts and papers. Founder and former proprietor of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Mr. Winiarski is a Napa Valley winemaking icon with a deep legacy commencing when his 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon won the Judgment of Paris in 1976, helping put Napa Valley on the global wine map. He lives with his wife Barbara overlooking the Napa Valley that he loves.