In 1976, the Judgment of Paris shocked the wine world. In a blind tasting, an all-French panel of experts rated a California Cabernet above four top Bordeaux, elevating Napa from backwater to world class. We’ve created a rematch of sorts to see how these legendary regions stack up against each other now. In terms of size, Napa plays David to Bordeaux’s Goliath, but it shows New World wine can more than stand up to the Old.
Bordeaux
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Napa
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| WHICH MADE WINE FIRST?
1st century A.D. |
WHICH MADE WINE FIRST? 1861 |
| NUMBER OF PRODUCERS
6,100 châteaux |
NUMBER OF PRODUCERS
475 physical wineries producing 1,000 brands |
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VISITORS PER YEAR 6.8 million |
VISITORS PER YEAR 3.85 million |
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MOST EXPENSIVE BOTTLE EVER SOLD $304,375
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MOST EXPENSIVE BOTTLE EVER SOLD $500,000
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ENOUGH VINES TO COVER Nashville, TN |
ENOUGH VINES TO COVER Plano, TX |
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PERCENTAGE OF THE WORLD’S WINE PRODUCTION 2.6
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PERCENTAGE OF THE WORLD’S WINE PRODUCTION 0.4
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GENERATIONS ONE FAMILY HAS BEEN IN THE GAME 9 |
GENERATIONS ONE FAMILY HAS BEEN IN THE GAME 5 |
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DIRTY LITTLE SECRET Beware the fraudsters: It’s said that more 1945 Bordeaux |
DIRTY LITTLE SECRET Twenty-five percent of the wine in a bottle can be sourced |
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DOMINANT GRAPE Merlot, surprisingly, is 66 percent of the red grapes grown
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DOMINANT GRAPE Cabernet Sauvignon, with 40 percent of the region’s production
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BIGGEST SCANDAL In 1985, Christie’s sold a bottle marked “Th. J.” Twenty years later,
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BIGGEST SCANDAL After famously coming to blows with his brother, Peter, Robert
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BOTTLES PRODUCED EACH YEAR 960,000,000 |
BOTTLES PRODUCED EACH YEAR 115,680,000 |
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