Fifty years after the 1976 Judgment of Paris—a blind tasting in France that upended the world’s assumptions about great wine regions when California labels beat out some legendary French ones—Virginia wines found themselves on a similar stage.
Old World, New Roots, a blind tasting held on June 29 at Le Cordon Bleu Paris, was organized by Thomas McCune, a student in Le Cordon Bleu’s wine management program, and Frank Morgan, the director of judging for the Virginia Governor’s Cup.
It was not intended to be a recreation of the historic 1976 wine event. “We wanted this tasting to stand on its own and focus on where Virginia wine is today, rather than trying to recreate something that happened 50 years ago,” says Morgan.
Twenty-four wines were included, 12 each from Virginia and France, representing four categories: chardonnay, petit manseng, cabernet franc, and Bordeaux-style red blends. Morgan chose the Virginia wines after reviewing competition results, visiting wineries, and tasting potential entries, while McCune selected independent French producers of comparable scale, many of which he uses as representative examples during his classes.
Chairing the judges’ panel was Xavier Thuizat, Best Sommelier of France and Meilleur Ouvrier de France, one of France’s highest professional honors. The panel also included French wine professionals, Le Cordon Bleu students, and American judges. Wines were judged blind using the American Wine Society’s 20-point scale, which scores appearance, aroma, taste, aftertaste, and overall impression.
The results are hard to ignore: Virginia took the top two spots in chardonnay, swept petit manseng, won cabernet franc, and swept the Bordeaux-style red blends. Barboursville Vineyards’ 2021 Octagon was the only wine in the tasting to receive a perfect score from an individual judge, earning 20 points from Thuizat, who commented: “Superb. One of the best I have ever tasted. Everything is perfectly balanced.”
Michael Shaps found himself in an interesting position, with both his French and Virginia wines selected for the competition. Shaps’ Virginia wines placed first in both the chardonnay and petit manseng categories, and his French label, Maison Shaps, ranked third in the chardonnay flight, a reminder that old world and new roots can be part of the same winemaker’s career.
Tanisha Townsend, an American-born wine educator based in Paris who sat on the judging panel, sees significance in the results beyond the individual rankings. “When the Judgment of Paris happened 50 years ago, California was really the only American wine region in the conversation,” she says. “Fast forward to today, and Virginia wines are standing shoulder to shoulder with some of France’s top regions.”
That is not an insignificant claim, and not necessarily one Virginia winemakers would have confidently made a few decades ago. What Old World, New Roots demonstrates is that Virginia wine can shed any doubt that it deserves inclusion on the world stage.
Thomas Jefferson never saw his dream to grow and produce world-class wine at Monticello come to fruition. But, 250 years after he helped draft the nation’s founding document, wines from the state he called home are finally making good on that ambition. McCune says the results “proved Thomas Jefferson to be correct.”
Old World, New Roots
Twenty-four wines competed across four flights, 12 from Virginia and 12 from France. Here are the top three wines in each category:
Chardonnay
1st: Michael Shaps Wineworks Wild
Meadow Vineyard Chardonnay 2023 (Virginia)
2nd: Pollak Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 2023 (Virginia)
3rd: Maison Shaps Les Chazots AOP Côte d’Or Chardonnay 2023 (France)
Petit Manseng
1st: Michael Shaps Wineworks Honah Lee Vineyard Petit Manseng 2023 (Virginia)
2nd: Veritas Vineyards Petit Manseng 2023 (Virginia)
3rd: Paradise Springs Vineyards Petit Manseng 2024 (Virginia)
Cabernet Franc
1st: Valley Road Vineyards Estate Reserve Cabernet Franc 2023 (Virginia)
2nd: Château Daugay Le Piou 2023, Saint-Émilion (France)
3rd: Château de Minique, Ceci n’est pas que Équilibre, AOP Bourgueil 2022 (France)
Bordeaux-Style Red Blends
1st: King Family Vineyards Meritage 2019 (Virginia)
2nd: Pollak Vineyards Meritage 2021 (Virginia)
3rd: Barboursville Vineyards Octagon 2021 (Virginia)
Other wines in the competition
– Ankida Ridge Vineyards Chardonnay 2024 (Virginia)
– Champagne Paul Lebrun AOP Coteaux Champenois 2022 (France)
– Domaine Dugois Terres de Marne AOP Arbois 2024 (France)
– Domaine Coustarrèt Renaissance AOP Jurançon Sec 2022 (France)
– Domaine Cauhapé La Canopée AOP Jurançon Sec 2022 (France)
– Domaine Camin Larredya Costat Blanca AOP Jurançon Sec 2023 (France)
– DuCard Vineyards Vintner Reserve Cabernet Franc 2023 (Virginia)
– Afton Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Franc 2023 (Virginia)
– Château Vieux Sarpe AOP Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2021 (France)
– Vignobles Garzaro Clos des Amandiers AOP Pomerol 2020 (France)
– Château La Rose Figeac AOP Pomerol 2018 (France)
Old World, New Roots was organized by Frank Morgan, director of judging for the Virginia Governor’s Cup, and Thomas McCune, a student in Le Cordon Bleu’s wine management program.
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