Judgment of Princeton: French and New Jersey Wines
Thursday, 14. June 2012
First there was the 1976 Judgment of Paris, last week was the Judgment of Princeton. The results of the Judgment of Paris in 1976 surprised the wine world and variations of the event have taken place. The most recent was in Princeton, New Jersey. Organized by the American Association of Wine Economists, AAWE, it was called “The Judgment of Princeton” and took place June 8, 2012
“The Judgment of Princeton paired selected New Jersey wines with French wines. The nine judges were from Belgium, France and the United States. George Taber who was the only reporter at The Judgment of Paris in 1976 led the Judgment of Princeton event.
Results of The Judgment of Princeton
Karl Korchmann of AAWE writes, “Although, the winner in each category was a French wine (Beaune Clos des Mouches for the whites and Chateau Mouton-Rothschild for the reds) NJ wines barely differed in their average rank from those of France. Three of the top four whites were from New Jersey. The best NJ red was ranked 3rd place. Prices for the NJ wines are typically one-third to one-twentieth of their French competitors.”
White Wines
| 1 | Clos des Mouches Drouhin 2009 | FRA |
| 2 | Unionville Pheasant Hill Single Vineyard 2010 | USA |
| 3 | Heritage Chardonnay 2010 | USA |
| 4 | Silver Decoy “Black Feather” 2010 | USA |
| 5 | Puligny Montrachet Domaine Leflaive 2009 | FRA |
| Tied 6 | Bellview Chardonnay 2010 | USA |
| Tied 6 | Bâtard Montrachet Marc-Antonin Blain 2009 | FRA |
| 8 | Amalthea Chardonnay 2008 | USA |
| 9 | Ventimiglia Chardonnay 2010 | USA |
| 10 | Meursault-Charmes Jean Latour-Labille2008 | FRA |
Red Wines
| 1 | Ch. Mouton Rothschild 2004 | FRA |
| 2 | Ch. Haut Brion 2004 | FRA |
| 3 | Heritage Estate BDX 2010 | USA |
| 4 | Ch. Montrose 2004 | FRA |
| 5 | Tomasello Oak Reserve 2007 | USA |
| 6 | Ch. Leoville Las Cases 2004 | FRA |
| 7 | Bellview Lumiere 2010 | USA |
| 8 | Silver Decoy Cab. Franc 2008 | USA |
| 9 | Amalthea Europa VI 2008 | USA |
| 10 | Four JG’s Cab Franc 2008 | USA |
A statistical evaluation of the judging and results show that for the most part the results were insignificant. The only exceptions were the highest ranked white wine and the lowest ranked red wine.
It was also noted that with most of the wine results being insignificant, the difference in price can be significant. If price is important to consumers they should look at New Jersey wines.
For more detailed information visit the AAWE blog.
While these events are important by bringing attention to lesser known wine regions, it is also important to remember that if you like a wine then it is the wine for you.
Cheers! Kathy