Marcus Notaro left his crew mid-harvest in Napa Valley to pour wine at Deer Valley Resort on Saturday, Aug. 1. The head winemaker at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars told guests he skipped out on a record-early picking season for the resort's Taste of Luxury dinner honoring the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Judgement of Paris, the blind tasting that put California wine on the world map.
"I raced over here, and, needless to say, my crew has no idea where I am," Notaro joked during the five-course dinner on the Deer Valley Café deck. "As far as they know, my truck broke down somewhere in the middle of something."
The event cost $298.49 per guest and paired Notaro's wines with a menu from Chef Clément Gelas, executive chef at Talisker Club, who has become an annual fixture in the summer Taste of Luxury lineup. Jacob Musyt, Deer Valley's vice president of food and beverage, said he recruited Gelas in the series' early days. Their collaboration on the deck is now a yearly tradition.
A 50-year-old upset
The dinner marked a stop on Stag's Leap's national anniversary tour celebrating the May 24, 1976, competition organized by Steven Spurrier and Patricia Gallagher. Nine French judges blind-tasted top reds and whites from France and California. California won both categories. Stag's Leap's 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon, crafted by founder Warren Winiarski, took first in reds. Both winning bottles now sit in the Smithsonian.
Notaro walked guests through that history, noting that Winiarski moved his family to Napa in the mid-1960s when the region was still recovering from Prohibition. The victory didn't just change the game for American wines but inspired countries like Italy and Spain to elevate their own winemaking, Notaro told the crowd.
Three cabs, two vineyards
The five courses included Utah melon gazpacho, Dungeness crab salad, and coffee-rubbed duck breast. Three Stag's Leap cabernet sauvignon labels anchored the pairings: Artemis, Fay Vineyard, and SLV Vineyard. The final two were poured side by side to highlight how different soils shape the same grape.
Notaro told guests he wants the two vineyard wines to taste distinct, that his job is maintaining the identity of each place and not just the overall Stag's Leap character, the Park Record reported.
The evening was also personal for Notaro. It was the first wine dinner he attended with his newly 21-year-old daughter.
Drawing visitors up the mountain
Michael and Kathy Landon drove from Salt Lake City and booked a hotel near the Deer Valley Café so they could walk home after dinner. The couple said they'd prepped by watching the 2008 film "Bottle Shock," which dramatizes the Judgement of Paris story.
Deer Valley's Taste of Luxury series runs year-round, spanning winter events with Michelin-starred chefs and summer dinners like Saturday's. In a May 28 press release, Musyt said the series showcases Deer Valley as a multifaceted culinary destination.
The next Taste of Luxury dinner, "Smoked with Ryan Arensdorf," takes place Friday, Aug. 7, at Silver Lake Lodge starting at $198.99 per guest. Tickets and the full schedule are at deervalley.com/things-to-do/activities/taste-of-luxury-series.
