Bottle Shock—Judgment of Weston 2009—South Africa vs. France

You may or may not have seen the movie Bottle Shock which was based on the infamous blind wine tasting of 1976 that has come to be known as the Judgment of Paris. Steven Spurrier a wine merchant in Paris at the time who only sold French wines, travelled to Napa Valley to bring back the best Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon for a blind tasting against French wines. Much to the surprise of the French, the California wines rated best in all categories. The Stag’s Leap 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon and the Chateau Montelena Chardonnay 1973 were the winners.

Only one reporter attended the event, George Taber from Time, and he promptly reported the results to the world. The French in their usual nose turning manner discounted the tasting as lacking scientific validity due to the subjectivity of the tasters. Is this not true of all tastings? The results of this legendary event had a direct effect on the expansion of production and the elevation of prestige of New World wines while dispelling the myth of French wines.

In order to replicate this event with a variation, a local wine group asked that I blind taste them on South African wines versus French wines. A blind tasting involves serving the wine without the taster seeing the bottle or the label to insure impartial judgment. A taster’s judgment can be prejudiced by geographic origin, price, reputation of producer, or even vintage year. This tasting included 3 white wine and 3 red wine comparisons of equal price. The vintage was the same as was the grape varietals--Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and a Bordeaux-style blend with Cabernet Sauvignon as the dominant grape.

The results: South Africa (New World wine) was the preferred choice in all six comparison tastings. However, the group did conclude that the New World wines were more approachable (easy to drink) now and with age the French wines would probably be preferred. That is exactly what the judges concluded in the Judgment of Paris.

Also, the tasters agreed that each wine if tasted on its own was superb. There was not a bad wine in the tasting. The biggest style variation encountered was the Chenin Blanc and the Chardonnay. The South African Chenin Blanc is crisper and dryer in style with less fruit and the Chenin Blanc from Vouvray in the Loire Valley is a bit sweeter in style yet more classic. The longer the grape stays on the vine before harvesting, which is allowable by the climate, the more sugar develops in the grape. The Chardonnay from South Africa has a little bit more oak upfront, yet nice integrated fruit. The Chardonnay from Burgundy displayed crisper acidity, less oak and less body.

Below are the wines tasted and compared by grape varietal and the group tasting scores of each wine based on a total of 15 pts. South Africa was the preferred wine in most comparisons (except for the Chenin Blanc) and received 58 overall points and France received 32 overall points. Again, the tasters agreed that all of the wines are fabulous and more fruit-forward styles were preferred.

Sauvignon Blanc

Mulderbosch, Sauvignon Blanc 2008—$17 (10 pts.)
)Pale straw color with green tinge. Aroma’s of tropical fruits, lime, and cut grass. Winemaker Mike Dobrovic is known as Mr. Sauvignon Blanc. This wine gets 90+ ratings vintage after vintage.

Sauvion, Quincy “Les Glaneuses”, 2007—$15 (5 pts.)
The Sauvion family has a long history in the Loire Valley. Quincy is an appellation slightly south and west of Sancerre. This wine is very dry with refreshing acidity and minerality. Citrus and flowers aromas and tastes with medium body.

Chenin Blanc

Cederberg Chenin Blanc, 2008—$14 (6 pts.)
A consistent Cape wine from older vines with aromas of grapefruit, melon, and citrus with crispness and long fruit on the palate.

Chateau de Montfort, Vouvray, 2007—$14 (9 pts.)
Melon and peach with floral notes on the nose along with nice fruit and honey flavors that combine together for a balance of sweetness and crisp acidity. Finishes dry with a hint of sweetness.

Chardonnay

Hamilton Russell Chardonnay, 2008—$29 (13 pts.)
An elegantly textured wine with a balance of fruit and acidity . There is some pineapple and pear fruit on the nose and palate with a toasty, creamy and a bit spicy oak. Nice length and complexity. Will become better integrated with age.

Etienne Sauzet, Bourgogne Blanc, 2007—$33 (2 pts.)
Sauzet is a world producer of white Burgundy. This is AOC Burgundy which means the grapes come from all over Burgundy not just one village or vineyard. Crisp green apple and citrus aromas and flavor. High acidity and minerality balanced by structured oak.

Pinot Noir

Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir 2007—$40 (11 pts.)
Not overly fruity, but soft, elegant and sweet. There is a rich perfume of black cherry, spice, and earth carried through on a long complex finish. Very Burgundian in style. WS93

Domaine Antonin Guyon, Chambolle Musigny, 2006 —$40 (4 pts.)
Wines from this village are delicate and most sought after Pinot’s in Burgundy. A nice perfume of flowers and red cherries on the nose. Blackberries and raspberries along with some mineral and spice on the palate. Silky and solid length. One of the finest producers.

Syrah/Shiraz

Boekenhoutskloof, “Chocolate Block” Meritage, 2007—$40 (9 pts.)
This wine is a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, and Viognier. Ripe jammy plum and raspberry layered with mocha and spice makes this wine sweet, soft and approachable.

Domaine Pierre & Vincent Jaboulet,
Crozes-Hermitage “Nouvelere”, 2006—$37 (6 pts.)
The former owners of Jaboulet Aine have a new venture producing some fine Northern Rhone Syrah’s in Crozes-Hermitage. This is 100% Syrah. Aromas of ripe raspberries and black currants with hints of leather and spice. Tannins are soft with a velvety texture.

Cabernet/Bordeaux Blend

De Toren, “Fusion V”, 2006—$40 (9 pts.)
A blend of 5 grapes—55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 10% Malbec, 7% Petit Verdot shows flavors of black currant, licorice, and dark chocolate, with silky tannins and minerals.

Château Beychevelle, St-Julien 2006—$45 (6 pts.)
This fourth growth Chateau is classic Bordeaux with finesse and elegance in fruit, tannins, and body. It has intense aromatics and flavors of red and black fruits, earth, smoke, and cedar. Approachable now, but will develop more complexity with age.

Note: If you live in Fairfield County, CT you can find or order these wines from these local wine stores: Peter’s Spirit Shop, Weston, CT; Ancona’s, Ridgefield, CT; Elmer’s Wines, Norwalk, CT