The Crush of 1973

As ripe clusters of Cabernet and Chardonnay were being harvested across California wine country in1973, no one knew this season's crush would press the historic juice achieving the unthinkable three years later - beating France in the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976.   And that is just what Stag's Leap and Chateau Montelena accomplished in what would later be called the "Judgement of Paris".  

The story is a great one, best brought to life in the movie Bottle Shock which tells the tale in an informative and whimsical way. For us, this underdog victory was a source of great inspiration from both proximity and pride in craft.  

So, why CRUSH 73? 

Yes, we're oenophiles based in Napa but the parallels between winemaking and brand building are quite similar. And so is the mindset needed for dealing with today’s disruptive and unpredictable landscape.

Victory against great odds

The California vintners were put into the competition on a fluke and not highly regarded against their more established rivals who reigned supreme since the birth of commercial wine making. In fact, France’s victory was such a forgone conclusion that only one journalist showed up to cover the nine person blind tasting. But through belief in their own unique terroir and viticultural vision, they were able to show historic ways of thinking can benefit from new notions and bold action. "Not bad for kids from the sticks", quipped Jim Barrett, part owner of Chateau Montelena.

Conviction and confidence

There is an incredibly long path from growing fruit in harmony with Mother Nature, to finally pouring that first glass from a bottle. It took incredible conviction to weather every day and each year, since aging wine takes many forms and turns as structure and profile develops. Their steadfast determination was key to overcoming doubts and naysayers, resulting in a historic victory.

“Ran their race”

The first reflex of California vintners could have been to study the European competitors and form strategies to win based on the playbook of others. But they didn't. Instead, these mavericks embraced their quirky ways and ran the race as only they knew how. The rest is of course history, as California was put on the world map of wine making and continued to push classic ways of thinking beyond the confines of Bordeaux styles.

Bottle Shock - The early days of California wine making featuring the now infamous, blind Paris wine tasting of 1976 that has come to be known as "Judgment of Paris".