A Los Angeles lawyer bought a crumbling stone winery in 1972 on little more than a hunch. Four years later, his Chardonnay humbled the greatest whites of France — and rewrote the story of American wine.
Jim Barrett belongs to the small group of people who changed how the world sees American wine — and he did it almost by accident, with a wine he did not expect to enter a contest he did not expect to win. His stage was Napa Valley’s Chateau Montelena, and his moment was the 1976 Judgment of Paris.[1]
The lawyer who bought a ruin
Chateau Montelena was a grand stone winery built in 1882 by Alfred Tubbs, but Prohibition and the decades after left it derelict. In 1972, James “Jim” Barrett, a successful attorney, bought and revived the historic estate with partner Ernie Hahn, replanting the vineyards and restoring the winery to serious production.[1] To make the wine, he hired a talented Croatian immigrant winemaker named Mike Grgich.
The white that beat Burgundy
At the 1976 Paris tasting, French judges blind-tasted top California and French wines — and in the white flight, first place went to Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay, made by Grgich under Barrett’s ownership, ahead of the finest white Burgundies.[2] The result stunned the wine world and, together with the red-wine victory of Stag’s Leap, announced that California could stand with the best on earth. The story was later dramatized in the 2008 film Bottle Shock, with Alan Rickman as the visiting merchant.[1]
“Not bad for kids from the sticks,” Barrett reportedly said of beating the French.
A lasting legacy
Barrett ran Chateau Montelena for the rest of his life, handing winemaking to his son Bo Barrett, and the estate remains one of Napa’s most storied.[1] Jim Barrett died in 2013, but the bottle he made famous sits in the Smithsonian alongside the Stag’s Leap red — a permanent reminder of the afternoon a Napa upstart won in Paris.[1]
| Who | A Los Angeles lawyer turned Napa vintner[1] |
|---|---|
| The estate | Chateau Montelena (founded 1882), bought and revived in 1972[1] |
| The triumph | Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay won the 1976 Judgment of Paris whites[2] |
| The winemaker | Mike Grgich, whom Barrett hired[1] |
| Died | 2013; son Bo Barrett continued the estate[1] |
Part of the Napa story
Barrett’s triumph was one half of the tasting that made Napa — read the full account of the Judgment of Paris, the man behind the red-wine win, Warren Winiarski, and the larger arc in Napa Valley and its history.
Related reading: the Judgment of Paris · Warren Winiarski · Napa Valley and its history · the Wine History Timeline
Frequently asked questions
Who was Jim Barrett?
A Los Angeles lawyer who bought and revived Napa’s Chateau Montelena in 1972. Under his ownership, the winery’s 1973 Chardonnay won the white flight at the 1976 Judgment of Paris, helping put California wine on the world map.
Who actually made the winning Chardonnay?
Winemaker Mike Grgich, whom Barrett had hired at Chateau Montelena. Grgich later founded his own winery, Grgich Hills.
Sources
- “Jim Barrett (winemaker)” / “Chateau Montelena” (Chateau Montelena founded 1882 by Alfred Tubbs; bought and revived by James Barrett in 1972 with Ernie Hahn; hired Mike Grgich; the Bottle Shock dramatization; son Bo Barrett; died 2013), Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Barrett_(winemaker)
- “Judgment of Paris (wine)” (Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay placed first among the whites at the 1976 Paris tasting), Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judgment_of_Paris_(wine)
Want to read more?
Books we drew on and recommend for going deeper — starting with the definitive account of Barrett’s Paris triumph.
Judgment of ParisGeorge M. Taber
Maestro: André TchelistcheffJames O. Gump
The Wine BibleKaren MacNeilAs an Amazon Associate, Wine History Tours earns from qualifying purchases. This supports our research at no extra cost to you.
