How Napa Cab became a global sensation

It was a shocking and embarrassing moment for French wine experts that lifted Napa Valley wines into the global spotlight.

It happened on May 24, 1976, during the infamous “Judgement of Paris,” a blind tasting by France’s top wine experts that pitted French and California wines against each other. At the time, French wines ruled the market, and California winemakers were the underdogs. The outcome of the competition was thought to be obvious: the French wines would win.

But the judges that day ranked California wines in the No. 1 spot in both the red and white wine categories. It was a major upset, and a key victory for Napa Valley wines.

In the white wine category, judges gave the top ranking to a Chardonnay made by the Napa Valley’s Chateau Montelena. In the red wine category, a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon made by Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars was ranked No. 1, over wines from well-respected Bordeaux producers.

“The glow of prestige spread quickly” for Napa Valley winemakers after word of the results got out, wine writer Jim Gordon said in a recent column for Wine Enthusiast.

Judges taste wines from the top producers in France and California during the 1976 Judgement of Paris.

At Backstage Winery, we’re proud to carry on the tradition of crafting exceptional wines with grapes grown here in the Napa Valley. Our current release features eight Cabernet Sauvignons, each made with grapes grown on a different site in the Napa Valley.