Reflections on the 2026 Judgment of Davis
On the morning of May 1, I opened up an email from Ben Monpetit, a Professor and Department Chair of the Department of Viticulture and Enology at U.C. Davis. “Dear Sean,” it read, “I am writing to inform you that the 2024 Crosby Roamann Chardonnay has been selected to be showcased in the Judgment of Davis final tasting on May 18, 2026. Congratulations!” It was an exhilarating moment and one I will always remember.
Fifty years after the 1976 Judgment of Paris, organized by Steven Spurier, popularized by Time Magazine, and credited by American winemakers ever since with putting American wine – and Napa Valley in particular – on the map, a collaborative initiative between UC Davis and the Harvard Data Science Initiative and Harvard Data Science Review brought together researchers, winemakers, and wine lovers and influencers to explore how data science could be applied to the often subjective question of wine appreciation.
Out of nearly 300 global submissions, including roughly 120 Chardonnays from iconic winegrowing regions spanning Burgundy, Australia, South Africa, Oregon, and California, our 2024 Crosby Roamann Napa Valley Chardonnay was selected as an official Finalist. Following the final double-blind tasting evaluations, our Chardonnay was recognized as a Leading Wine by the Audience Panel, placing in the highest-scoring tier alongside an extraordinary group of international producers.
From my earliest days as a winemaker nearly 20 years ago, my philosophy at Crosby Roamann has focused on small-lot, artisanal winemaking grounded in site-selection, low-intervention, and balance. To have our 2024 Chardonnay recognized in this study by a panel of dedicated wine professionals and educators is a deeply meaningful milestone.
Our thanks go out to the professionals at UC Davis and the Harvard Data Science Initiative for advancing thoughtful research on wine appreciation and human sensory evaluation, and we look forward to releasing the 2024 Chardonnay with our allocation members and guests at the estate in the months ahead.
