Grand European Jury Wine Tasting of 1997
Encyclopedia
In the Grand European Jury Wine Tasting of 1997, the Grand Jury Européen
, consisting entirely of European judges, conducted a blind tasting of 27 Chardonnay
wines from seven countries. Held in Bordeaux , 70 percent of the entries in the wine competition
were from France (Burgundy). All other countries were represented with one entry each, except for Australia, which had two.
The French wine
entries were "a regular Hall of White Burgundy Fame. They had such great vineyards and outstanding producers as Meursault Charmes from Domaine Comtes Lafon and Meursault Perrières from Domaine Coche-Dury
." In addition, "Various hyphenated grand cru Montrachet
s showed up: two Chevalier-Montrachet
s, one from Bouchard Père et Fils
, the other from Louis Jadot
. Other grands crus included a Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet
from Olivier Leflaive and two Corton-Charlemagne
s (Louis Latour and Domaine Bonneau du Martray
). Two Montrachets were present as well, from Marquis de Laguiche (Joseph Drouhin) and Domaine Jacques Prieur
" (Kramer, p. 110).
In addition, there was Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes from Domaine Sauzet, Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles
Domaine Leflaive, and Chablis Grand Cru Valmur from that district’s most acclaimed producer, Domaine Francois Raveneau.
The judges tasted three vintage
s of each wine
, a 1989, a 1992 and a 1994. At the end of the evaluation, the judges declared the top wine to be Robert Mondavi
Chardonnay Reserve, a California wine
. Rank number two was won by Domaine Comtes Lafon’s Meursault Charmes.
The organizer told Matt Kramer, who wrote an article about the event in Wine Spectator
, that he had later "put on the exact same tasting, with the exact same wines, in New York using American tasters. The results were almost identical" (Kramer, p. 111).
Grand Jury Européen
The Grand Jury Européen is an Association sans but lucratif with an aim to provide alternative classification of wine, founded in 1996 by François Mauss....
, consisting entirely of European judges, conducted a blind tasting of 27 Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
wines from seven countries. Held in Bordeaux , 70 percent of the entries in the wine competition
Wine competition
A wine competition is an organized event in which trained judges or consumers competitively rate different vintages or bands of wine. There are two types of wine competitions, both of which use blind tasting of wine to prevent bias by the judges....
were from France (Burgundy). All other countries were represented with one entry each, except for Australia, which had two.
The French wine
French wine
French wine is produced in several regions throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France has the world's second-largest total vineyard area, behind Spain, and is in the position of being the world's largest wine producer...
entries were "a regular Hall of White Burgundy Fame. They had such great vineyards and outstanding producers as Meursault Charmes from Domaine Comtes Lafon and Meursault Perrières from Domaine Coche-Dury
Domaine Coche-Dury
Domaine Coche-Dury is a French wine grower and producer. It is based in Meursault, in the Côte de Beaune wine region of Burgundy, France.-History:The domaine was established in the 1920s by Léon Coche...
." In addition, "Various hyphenated grand cru Montrachet
Montrachet
Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine from Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is situated across the border between the two communes of Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet and produces what many consider to be the...
s showed up: two Chevalier-Montrachet
Chevalier-Montrachet
Chevalier-Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine from Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located within the commune of Puligny-Montrachet. Bâtard-Montrachet borders on the Grand Cru vineyard Montrachet and on the...
s, one from Bouchard Père et Fils
Bouchard Père et Fils
Bouchard Père et Fils is a French wine grower, négociant and producer based in Beaune, in the Côte de Beaune wine-growing region of Burgundy, France....
, the other from Louis Jadot
Louis Jadot
Maison Louis Jadot is a wine company that produces and markets Burgundy wine. Louis Jadot operates both their own vineyards and has a négociant business...
. Other grands crus included a Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet
Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet
Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine from Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located within the commune of Puligny-Montrachet...
from Olivier Leflaive and two Corton-Charlemagne
Corton-Charlemagne
Corton-Charlemagne is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine in Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located in the communes of Aloxe-Corton, Pernand-Vergelesses and Ladoix-Serrigny; and Chardonnay is the only allowed grape variety. Around 300,000 bottles...
s (Louis Latour and Domaine Bonneau du Martray
Bonneau du Martray
Bonneau du Martray is a French wine grower and producer based in Pernand-Vergelesses, in the Côte de Beaune wine-growing region of Burgundy, France. Bonneau du Martray is the only estate in Burgundy to exclusively produce wine from Grand cru vineyards....
). Two Montrachets were present as well, from Marquis de Laguiche (Joseph Drouhin) and Domaine Jacques Prieur
Domaine Jacques Prieur
Domaine Jacques Prieur is a wine grower-producer in Burgundy, France, located in Meursault. The domaine produces wines from both Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits...
" (Kramer, p. 110).
In addition, there was Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes from Domaine Sauzet, Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles
Puligny-Montrachet wine
Puligny-Montrachet wine is produced in the commune of Puligny-Montrachet in Côte de Beaune of Burgundy. The Appellation d'origine contrôlée Puligny-Montrachet may be used for white wine and red with respectively Chardonnay and Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. However, almost only white...
Domaine Leflaive, and Chablis Grand Cru Valmur from that district’s most acclaimed producer, Domaine Francois Raveneau.
The judges tasted three vintage
Vintage
Vintage, in wine-making, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product . A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certain wines, it can denote quality, as in Port wine, where Port houses make and...
s of each wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
, a 1989, a 1992 and a 1994. At the end of the evaluation, the judges declared the top wine to be Robert Mondavi
Robert Mondavi
Robert Gerald Mondavi was a leading California vineyard operator whose technical improvements and marketing strategies brought worldwide recognition for the wines of the Napa Valley in California. From an early period, Mondavi aggressively promoted labeling wines varietally rather than...
Chardonnay Reserve, a California wine
California wine
California wine has a long and continuing history, and in the late twentieth century became recognized as producing some of the world's finest wine. While wine is made in all fifty U.S. states, up to 90% of American wine is produced in the state...
. Rank number two was won by Domaine Comtes Lafon’s Meursault Charmes.
The organizer told Matt Kramer, who wrote an article about the event in Wine Spectator
Wine Spectator
Wine Spectator is a lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine and wine culture. It publishes 15 issues per year with content that includes news, articles, profiles, and general entertainment pieces...
, that he had later "put on the exact same tasting, with the exact same wines, in New York using American tasters. The results were almost identical" (Kramer, p. 111).
See also
- wine competitions
- Globalization of wineGlobalization of wine"Globalization is the expansion of brands across nations and into other continents. In food and wine it refers to the whole problem of making the product global. The primary issue is scaling production while reducing the costs of goods with processes. In marketing it refers to wearing the mantle of...
- Vertical and horizontal wine tasting
Further reading
- Kramer, Matt. Making Sense of Wine. Philadelphia & London: Running Press, 2003.