The Conviction to Begin Anew

Fifty Years After Paris: The Conviction to Begin Anew

On May 24, 1976, a blind wine tasting took place in Paris. Organized by British wine merchant Steven Spurrier and Patricia Gallagher, the event delivered a stunning result: little-known California wines outscored some of France’s most celebrated labels. In the white wine category, Chateau Montelena emerged victorious; in the reds, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars took top honors. The event, forever known as the Judgment of Paris, reshaped the world’s perception of New World wine.
Now, half a century has passed.

The “Judgment” Returns, Fifty Years Later

On May 18, 2026, the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at University of California, Davis hosted a tasting commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris.
The format remained unchanged: a blind tasting. Labels were concealed, reputations stripped away, leaving only the wine itself to be judged. Fifty years later, the same methodology once again became a way of measuring where California wine stands today.
Among the red wines entered was one bottle from the hills of Napa Valley.

Rebuilding a Vineyard That Was Already Finished

Kenzo Estate was founded by Kenzo Tsujimoto, founder of Capcom, and his wife, Natsuko Tsujimoto. After acquiring the Napa Valley property in 1990 and spending years developing the estate, they officially opened the winery in 2010.
Their journey was defined by one extraordinary decision.
In the early 2000s, just as the vineyard was beginning to produce promising fruit, they concluded that it still fell short of the standard they envisioned. Rather than accept compromise, they chose to uproot more than 100,000 vines, with some reports estimating closer to 140,000, and start over from scratch.
Destroying something that was nearly complete in order to build it again required uncommon conviction. Behind their pursuit of uncompromising quality lay a decision that bordered on self-destruction.
The vineyard was developed with the expertise of David Abreu, while renowned Napa winemakers including Heidi Barrett and Helen Keplinger have helped shape its wines.

One Bottle: Ai 2021

In 2026, the estate’s flagship cuvée, Ai 2021, was entered into the red wine category of the Davis anniversary tasting.
According to Kenzo Estate, the judging panel awarded Ai 2021 the highest score among the red wines.
It was not, however, a runaway victory. Wines from Cakebread Cellars, Grgich Hills Estate, and several other producers finished with scores separated by only the narrowest of margins.
A Bordeaux-style blend led by Cabernet Sauvignon with small proportions of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, Ai reveals a seamless harmony of structured fruit, quiet depth, and a long, resonant finish.

What Blind Tasting Reveals

Fifty years after the Judgment of Paris, blind tasting may no longer be solely about determining which wine ranks first.
When labels and reputations disappear, what emerges is something deeper: the accumulated history of how each winemaker has engaged with the land over time.
Pulling up an entire vineyard simply to begin again is an act few would contemplate. Ai 2021 represents, at least for now, one milestone in that long history of choosing, rebuilding, and refusing to settle.

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This article is intended solely to explore the history of blind wine tasting and the winemaking heritage of KENZO ESTATE, and does not aim to promote or encourage the consumption of alcohol. / บทความนี้จัดทำขึ้นเพื่อนำเสนอข้อมูลเกี่ยวกับประวัติศาสตร์ของการชิมไวน์แบบปิดฉลากและมรดกการทำไวน์ของ KENZO ESTATE เท่านั้น มิได้มีเจตนาเพื่อส่งเสริมหรือโฆษณาเครื่องดื่มแอลกอฮอล์ สำหรับผู้มีอายุ 20 ปีขึ้นไป โปรดดื่มอย่างรับผิดชอบ

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