When Miljenko “Mike” Grgich made the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, he had no reason to believe that it would become a legendary wine. He had no idea that he, an American immigrant, would become an... Read More

When Miljenko “Mike” Grgich made the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, he had no reason to believe that it would become a legendary wine. He had no idea that he, an American immigrant, would become an American legend.

But three years later, Mike’s Chardonnay took top prize in the Parisian tasting that became known as “The Judgment of Paris,” and Mike and his wine took on historic proportions.

That tasting, famously, turned the wine world on its head. Some of France’s most renowned tasters ranked American wines ahead of France’s finest. In a way, the story is old hat, old news. It’s become a book, a movie and the subject of a gazillion articles.