California wins again...

or does it? While the 1971 Ridge Monte Bello may have won the re-creation of the US vs. France tasting from 1976, I think that in actuality, we are seeing the results of French winemaking techniques on American soil. I think if you were to re-create the tasting based up modern American techniques vs. classic French techniques, in an aging contest, the French would clean up. In my experience as well, the 1970-71 vintage was superior in California, and that helped California come out on top. I doubt very much that the current wines being made in California could stand up to 35 years of aging, whereas many of the current Bordeaux wines could age for decades. If you take two equally classic, great vintages (say 2000 in Bordeaux vs. 1999 or 2001 in California), that in the long run Bordeaux would come out on top. With that being said, I had some 1985 Chateau Haut-Brion last night that was certainly on its way out. While it's incredibly powerful and has elegance, this wine has almost completely lost its fruit. It also has a hint of astringency and perhaps a hint of greenness (can't tell if it's the tannins, or perhaps the Cabernet Franc didn't completely ripen in 1985 in Graves). Anyway, still nice to taste the wine.