Winery marking event’s 50th anniversary May 24 with a cab flight.
May 24 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting organized by wine merchant Steven Spurrier and wine educator Patricia Gallagher. That day in May proved momentous for California wineries—in particular, Napa’s Chateau Montelena and Stag’s Leap Cellars.
Both took top honors, besting their peers and their French counterparts to be declared Best Chardonnay and Best Cabernet Sauvignon, respectively. Local wine legend Ridge Vineyards impressed the slate of respected palates at that tasting with their 1972 Monte Bello, taking fifth place out of the 10 cabernet sauvignons from California and France. David Bruce also participated, taking the 10th spot in the chardonnay category for their 1973 Estate Chardonnay. Taking third place was the 1974 Chalone Chardonnay.
Re-enactments have been frequent, and at one organized in Nashville in April, the 50th anniversary edition 2024 Chalone Estate Chardonnay topped them all, taking first place over Joseph Drouhin “Clos des Mouches” Beaune 1er Cru 2023 and Spring Mountain Vineyard “Heintz Vineyard” Chardonnay 2024. Made by winemaker Greg Freeman, the 2024 Chalone Estate Chardonnay was rated 95 points by Tasting Panel. It’s available at the Chalone tasting room in Carmel or online.
On May 24, the Ridge tasting rooms in Cupertino, Lytton Springs and Paso Robles will serve a special flight of cabernets in a 90-minute seated tasting, featuring 2023 Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon, 2023 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, 2022 Monte Bello and 2019 Monte Bello. Complimentary for Ridge wine club members; $40 for non-members.
On May 28, 2026, Ridge will join Grgich Hills Estate and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars for a special dinner at Seascape Beach Resort in Aptos, featuring the creative cuisine of Seascape’s culinary director, Chef Jae Moon. A reinterpretation of 1970s culinary favorites will be paired with the legendary wines that put California viticulture on the map. Hear the stories and share the history, all set against the resort’s spectacular ocean view.
Tickets are $225 per guest, inclusive of tax and gratuity. Seating is very limited; contact Sally Paddon ator 831-662-7104 to book. The dinner will be 1970s themed, and guests are encouraged to dress accordingly. Grgich Hills Estate is hosting a 50th Anniversary Celebration at the winery in Rutherford on May 30, when they will release the 2023 Paris ’76 Chardonnay, made in the same style as the Chateau Montelena wine crafted by Mike Grgich that won the Paris Tasting.
Established in 1883, Concannon Vineyards is getting a 15-year, low-interest loan from Tri-Valley Conservancy in Livermore, to support the first phase of a multi-year replanting plan. Approximately 48 acres will be replanted in 2026, including 28 acres of Cabernet Franc across four clones and 20 acres of sauvignon blanc—two varietals well-suited to Livermore’s terroir. The replanting of 150 total acres represents a major investment by TVC in the future of Livermore Valley.
Earlier this year, TVC granted a loan to Livermore grower Scott Burkhart of Thatcher Bay Vineyards. Tom and Paige Lemmons are now the sole owners of the historic Concannon Estate and Winery, after purchasing the property from The Wine Group. Concannon will also become the new home for Cuda Ridge, who is leaving its current location on Arroyo Road at the end of July. They will be tasting out of a new space at Concannon.
Cellar 13, owned by Darin Winton and Gail Henderson, will be taking over the Cuda Ridge property, opening in the fall. Local viticulture expert, Prudy Foxx, recently moderated a seminar on Santa Cruz Mountains chardonnay called “Ocean to Summit: The Influence of Microclimates and Site Expression” at Cabrillo College’s Sesnon House.
Overviewing the topography of the AVA, she explained how vineyards with proximity to the sheltered portion of Monterey Bay, between Santa Cruz and Watsonville, develop different skin thickness, tannins and fruit flavors, than do their more northerly counterparts with direct Pacific Ocean impact. Elevation plays a huge role as well, especially for vineyards at over 1,000 feet, the fog layer cutoff. Such vineyards farther inland, especially around the Summit, experience greater temperature swings.
Here, grapes tend to be thicker skinned and have smaller berries, due to less water going to the root zone. Fogbound vineyards in sheltered areas, where ripening is slow and steady, tend to have softer skins due to the moisture in the air. Examples from Storrs Vineyard and Soquel Vineyards illustrated different flavor profiles across various vineyard sites.
The Storrs 2024 Christie Vineyard Chardonnay showed bright acid, lemon and lime on the palate, while their biodynamic estate, Hidden Springs, showed a riesling-like purity. Both vineyards are in Corralitos, with Christie being higher on a hill and Hidden Springs near a stream bottom.
Father-and-son team Simone and Peter Bargetto of Soquel Vineyards showed four pinot noirs that were even more illustrative, with the 2023 Coast Grade Vineyard echoing the pine incense and crisp, clean fruit of this vineyard in the path of the brisk breath of the Pacific. The 2024 Lester Family Pinot Noir, from a very sunny southwest-facing spot in Corralitos, was generously endowed with cherry, leather, blackberry and plenty of tannin.
Soquel’s Estate Pinot Noir, grown on a sunsoaked terrace with an ocean view, showed dark-fruited cherry and leather, while the Ascona Vineyard example, a former tree farm on Skyline near Black Road, was floral with red currant and cedar. On May 31, Cabfranc-a-palooza at the Purple Orchid in Livermore will showcase over 50 producers who specialize in cabernet franc, that pine- and rose petal-scented giver of life to the most beautiful Bordeaux varietal blends.
Try it every way you can imagine, from cab franc blanc to rose and even sparkling. Tickets are $23.18-$109 atPinot Festival, Anderson Valley, June 12-14: Traditionally held in May, the annual pinot noir event was moved to June this year.
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