Recently, we had the
pleasure of visiting Chateau Montelena, most famous for winning the historic
1976 “Judgement of Paris” wine competition.
Chateau Montelena's 1973 Chardonnay was in competition with nine other wines from France and California under blind tasting. Our personal friend, Mike Grgich, was the winemaker who crafted the 1973 Chardonnay. A bottle of that vintage is in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. A fictionalized version of Chateau Montelena's historic victory was featured in the 2008 film “Bottle Shock.”
For the past 50 years, Chateau Montelena has been making ‘outstanding’ wine operated by the famous Barrett wine family. Bo and his wife Heidi Barrett are held in high esteem in the world of winemaking,
We enjoyed tasting
their great wines in their charming and regal Chateau.
Our knowledgeable and gracious host was John. We began with a vertical tasting of 2021 and 2015 Chardonnays. We then tasted the 2018, 2017, and 2007 Cabernet Sauvignons. Finally, we tasted the 2019 Zinfandel. The Zin is a deep garnet in color, medium body, with a silk finish. We liked it so much we took 6 bottles home to Danville to share with our friends.
In conclusion, this is a sensational winery with a fascinating history, overlooking Jade Lake in Calistoga, that is a ‘must do’ to add to your wine bucket list.
For more information and to make a reservation go to:
