Luxury Napa Producer is Crowned the Top Cabernet Sauvignon/Red Blend at Monumental Tasting Held on the 45th Anniversary of Stephen Spurrier’s Famed Judgement of Paris
(St. Helena, Calif.—October 8, 2021) – TOR Napa Valley, an iconic producer of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, today announced that TOR’s 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, Oakville, Napa Valley won the event panel vote for top Cabernet Sauvignon/Red Blend at the October 6, 2021, Judgement of Napa, which was concepted and organized by Angela Duerr of Cultured Vine over a multi-year period.
The Judgement of Napa, held exactly 45 years after the original Judgement of Paris, when Napa Valley wines outperformed France’s best wines – was a tribute to three key individuals: Steven Spurrier, organizer of the sensational 1976 Judgment of Paris; George Taber, the journalist who covered the event that unmistakably elevated the profile of California wines overnight; and Patricia Gastaud-Gallagher, who set the 1976 tasting in motion. All three played critical roles in the orchestration of the new Judgement of Napa.
In the format of the original 1976 tasting, ten Chardonnays and ten Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines were selected in secret. They were to represent the best in the world. In 1976 it was Bordeaux vs. California, and Burgundy vs. California. The judges were French professionals, and it shocked the world when they selected the California wines as top in each flight.
At the Judgement of Napa in 2021, the wines selected for the tasting were also kept secret and represented a global focus and included wines from California, France, Australia, Chile and Italy. In 2021, two Napa Valley Cabernets took the top honors when the wines were revealed. The #1 wine selected by the event panel was the 2016 TOR Wines Cabernet Sauvignon, Beckstoffer To Kalon, Oakville, Napa Valley, and the #2 wine was 2016 Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley.
2016 TOR Wines Cabernet Sauvignon, Beckstoffer To Kalon, Oakville, Napa Valley
The Cabernet Sauvignons in the order of ranking from the event panel are:
- 2016 TOR Wines Cabernet Sauvignon, Beckstoffer To Kalon, Oakville, Napa Valley, California
- 2016 Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California
- 2016 Château Léoville Las Cases, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, France
- 2016 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon, Tychson Hill Napa Valley, California
- 2016 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon, Bin 707, South Australia, Australia
- 2016 Ornellaia, Bolgheri Superiore, Tuscany, Italy
- 2016 Ridge Monte Bello, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
- 2016 Château Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, 1er Cru Classé, France
- 2016 Château Montrose, St-Estèphe, 2ème Cru Classé, France
- 2016 Viña Almaviva, Puente Alto, Maipo Valley, Chile
“To be selected in the top ten Bordeaux variety red wines in the world was a huge honor,” Tor Kenward proprietor of TOR Wines confessed. “To be judged by our peers as #1 in the world in this format is a dream of a lifetime for a winemaker. All of us at TOR Wines are so honored to keep the #1 wine honors in the Napa Valley.”
ABOUT TOR NAPA VALLEY
Tor Kenward is a winemaking icon, having spent the last 44 years on the front lines as a Napa Valley vintner. In 2001 he and his wife Susan founded TOR Napa Valley to focus on small production, single-vineyard wines from esteemed vineyard sites including; Beckstoffer To Kalon, Dr. Crane, Vine Hill Ranch, Melanson, Tierra Roja, and Hyde. TOR also produces three “magical” cuvées: Black Magic, Pure Magic Beckstoffer To Kalon and Pure Magic Vine Hill Ranch, which collected seven 100-point scores for the 2018 vintage. For more information, please visit www.torwines.com.
ABOUT CULTURED VINE
Cultured Vine specializes in curating the most exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime experiences in Northern California’s wine country. Founder Angela Duerr, a recognized authority in the region, and her team of experts provide discerning guests with highly personalized, unmatched services in one of the world’s most sought-after wine destinations. For more information, visit www.culturedvine.com.
Special thanks to putting this extraordinary event together go to:
- Angela and Danelle Duerr from Cultured Vine for concepting the idea for the event and whose tremendous work over multiple years made the event a reality
- Owl Vision for their amazing audio-visual work
- Andrea Robinson, MS for being a fabulous emcee and support throughout the event
- Peter Marks, MW for selecting the wines and sourcing the wine
- Patricia Gallagher for making the trip
- Dan Taber who represented his father George Taber
- Steven Spurrier for the inspiration
- And to Paul Draper who read Bella Spurrier’s letter
