There have been many re-enactments this year of the Paris Judgement that took place 50 years ago, in 1976. That year wines from California famously obtained higher points than the French ones in a blind tasting.
In June an unusual re-enactment took place, in Paris, but the wines were not from California but from Virginia on the east coast. But the result was similar. The Virginia wines did very well indeed. “This was not so much a competition”, says Frank Morgan, wine journalist from Virginia och one of the organisers, “as a way to celebrate how far Virginia wine has come”, but still, he looked very pleased with the result.
The tasting included four flights — chardonnay, petit manseng, cabernet franc, and red blends. Petit manseng may sound strange but it is actually one of Virginia’s signature grapes. Each flight included three wines from Virginia and three from France. These are the top scoring wines in each flight:
Chardonnay
- Chardonnay 2023 Michael Shaps Wild Meadow Vineyard AVA Monticello, Virginia
- 2023 Pollak Vineyards AVA Monticello Chardonnay, Virginia
- Les Chazots 2023 Maison Schaps AOP Bourgogne. France
An interesting twist here is that the Burgundy wine comes from Maison Schaps, an excellent winery run by Hanna Schaps (who we visit on our Burgundy tours), the daughter of Michael Shaps responsible for the number one chardonnay.
Petit manseng
- Petit Manseng 2023 Michael Schaps Honah Lee Vineyard, Virginia
- 2023 Veritas AVA Monticello Petit Manseng, Virginia
- 2024 Paradise Springs Vineyard AVA Middleburg, Virginia
I am a bit disappointed that neither of the French petit manseng from Jurançon – lovely wines – got better scores. Strange…
Cabernet franc
- Valley Road Vineyard Cabernet Franc Estate Reserve 2023, Virginia
- Château Daugay Le Piou 2023, Saint Emilion, France
- Château de Minière 2022, Bourgueil, France
Bordeaux blends
- 2019 King Family Vineyards Meritage, Virginia
- 2021 Pollak Vineyards Meritage, Virginia
- Octagon 2021 Barboursville Vineyard, Virginia
We congratulate Virigina Wines.
