The current diversity and quality of wine around the world can be a bit overwhelming. Not that as a consumer I’m complaining, but it can be a challenge to taste wine from every region let alone every variety. The same applies to the quality and diversity of California wine in my experience. Petite Sirah is one of those varieties that […]
If you are a serious wine enthusiast then you recognize the Chateau Montelena name. Chardonnay may be the variety you most closely associate with Chateau Montelena Winery, as the winner in the white wine category of the 1972 Judgement of Paris competition, but the Calistoga winery is up to more than Chardonnay. We recently received a tasting sample of Chateau […]
On May 24, 1976 Chateau Montelena’s fortunes changed for the better — and in a big way. Jim Barrett’s 1973 Chardonnay won the Judgement of Paris white wine competition. It wasn’t just any competition. The Judgement of Paris was organized as a blind tasting of California Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon against France’s best Burgundy and Bordeaux. Not insignificantly the competition was in France and the judges were French.
We enjoy wine, food and travel. Pull That Cork is a chronicle of our wine adventures, the food and wine pairings we create and our travels which are increasingly organized around wine.