{"id":932,"date":"2026-06-01T07:06:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T07:06:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=932"},"modified":"2026-06-01T07:06:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T07:06:20","slug":"two-sonoma-vineyards-that-made-history-on-the-wine-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=932","title":{"rendered":"Two Sonoma vineyards that made history on the wine scene"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>May marks the 50th anniversary of the \u201cJudgment of Paris,\u201d when a panel of French wine judges chose the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay and 1973 Stag\u2019s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon as the top wines in a France-versus-California showdown. What many people don\u2019t know is that Chateau Montelena bought most of the grapes for its winning Chardonnay from two Sonoma County vineyards.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=930\">City Lights\u2019 new works festival features familiar faces<\/a><\/p>\n<h4>Bacigalupi Vineyards Goddard Ranch<\/h4>\n<p>When Charles and Helen Bacigalupi bought their Russian River Valley ranch in 1956, they weren\u2019t sure what to do with the existing vineyard, planted to old-school grapes like mission and French colombard. Farm advisor Bob Sisson convinced Charles to try planting a variety called chardonnay.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019d never heard of it and had to grab a piece of paper to write down the name. \u201cBob told him, \u2018Go see Karl Wente in Livermore,\u2019\u201d explained Charles\u2019 granddaughter Katey Bacigalupi Row. \u201cHe\u2019ll take care of you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bacigalupi brought back Chardonnay cuttings from Wente Vineyards and planted 14 acres at Goddard Ranch.<\/p>\n<p>Part of the vineyard\u2019s magic is its rocky, volcanic clay soils. Because the vines struggle, the resulting wines have tension and minerality. Differing berry sizes on the clusters \u2014 known as \u201chens and chicks\u201d \u2014 mean the grapes ripen at different rates, balancing acidity with ripe fruit flavors.<\/p>\n<h4>Belle Terre Ranch<\/h4>\n<p>Belle Terre\u2019s chardonnay vines, planted by Henry Dick in 1970, were just getting started in 1973. That made it all the more incredible that the Alexander Valley vineyard achieved such legendary status.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was unusual for a vineyard that young to do so well,\u201d said Henry\u2019s son Ron Dick, who now runs Belle Terre.<\/p>\n<p>Dick said the magnitude of the Paris tasting didn\u2019t really hit him until then-Chateau Montelena winemaker Mike Grgich came out and explained it. \u201cAfter that,\u201d Dick said, \u201cI was flabbergasted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=928\">US beats Senegal in World Cup tuneup as Pulisic snaps scoring drought<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The following year, Chateau St. Jean began making a Belle Terre chardonnay, celebrated for its minerality and ripe, stone-fruit flavors. The winery continued producing it for more than four decades.<\/p>\n<p>Though Dick said he didn\u2019t find a home for the fruit last year due to the industry glut, it\u2019s part of the blend for Rodney Strong\u2019s 2024 Sonoma County Chardonnay.<\/p>\n<h4>Three to try<\/h4>\n<h4>Bacigalupi Vineyards<\/h4>\n<p>2023 Renouveau Paris Tasting Chardonnay, Russian River Valley,\u00a0$85<\/p>\n<p>This is currently the only wine made from the historic \u201cParis Tasting Block\u201d on Goddard Ranch. The wine has ripe, peachy aromas with stone fruit and citrus zing on the palate. Rich and creamy, it finishes with a kiss of vanilla.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<h4>Auteur Wines<\/h4>\n<p>2024 Bacigalupi Vineyard Chardonnay, Russian River Valley,\u00a0$65<\/p>\n<p>Hailing from the block just below the Paris Tasting vineyard, this is a bright yet round rendition bursting with pure fruit flavors \u2014 think golden delicious apple \u2014 and balancing acidity. (It\u2019s set for release in September \u2014 but wines this delicious are worth the wait.)<\/p>\n<h4>MacRostie Winery<\/h4>\n<p>2023 Bacigalupi Vineyard Chardonnay, Russian River Valley,\u00a0$55<\/p>\n<p>Rich and round on the palate, this has aromas of vanilla and flavors combining lemon meringue pie with tangy green apple. The wine has a creamy texture and a lingering finish.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=926\">NorCal baseball playoffs 2026: First-round schedule in all divisions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>May marks the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Judgment of Paris, when two California wines won in a showdown against esteemed French wines. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":931,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-things-to-do"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Two Sonoma vineyards that made history on the wine scene - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=932\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Two Sonoma vineyards that made history on the wine scene - 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