1976 Paris Tasting
In 1976 Chateau Montelena helped put California at the forefront of the wine world. That year a who's-who of the French wine and food establishment gathered for a grand tasting at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Paris.
Four white Burgundies were tasted against six California
Chardonnays. When the scores were tallied, the French Judges were
convinced that the top-ranking white wine was one of their own. In
fact, it was Chateau Montelena's 1973 Chardonnay, rated above all
other wines. The results proved that Chateau Montelena could
produce some of the world's finest wines, and that California's
wine industry had come of age.