Chateau Montelena And The Tasting That Changed Napa Valley

NAPA VALLEY, CA — When planning a visit to Napa Valley, most wine lovers visit the tried and true “name brand” wineries. Local oenophiles, however, have a different idea of what makes a winery memorable, and none as much as the winery that put Napa on the map: Chateau Montelena.

The Chateau Montelena tasting room is located at 1429 Tubbs Lane, Calistoga, CA, at the “top” of Napa Valley. It resembles a French castle, with stone walls, lush grounds, and sparkling lakes.

The history of the estate winery is the stuff of Napa Valley legend. Some call it the most remarkable underdog story of all time, at least, in the world of wine.

In 1976, a blind taste test between French and Californian wines would settle a lingering question: who produced the best wine? France’s most dignified labels matched up against the young upstarts in California’s Napa Valley, including the Chateau Montelena wines. California wines scored high with judges, beating out the legendary labels from the Bordeaux and Burgundy regions, but one ruled them all.

Time Magazine journalist George M. Taber was on hand to tell the tale.

Taber penned his report “The Judgment of Paris,” where “the unthinkable happened,” and California won over French wine, Taber wrote. The cheaper and younger California wines rated higher almost across the board, and Chateau Montelena won the day.

Upon learning his wine scored higher than its French counterpart, then-owner Chateau Montelena Jim Barrett remarked to Taber: “Not bad for a kid from the sticks.”

Though 50 years have passed, the Barrett family is still involved in the vineyard. Bo Barrett is the current CEO and Owner, and Matt Crafton serves as Winemaker.

To thoroughly explore that understanding of the varietals, Chateau Montelena has planned a 10-year retrospective highlighting the estate Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s called a vertical tasting: where the Cabernet Sauvignon varietal will be thoroughly explored through multiple bottlings.

“We’re not interested in recreating a specific flavor in our wines year after year, but capturing each unique season through the lens of our growing site,” a family spokesperson wrote. “Our goal is to paint with all of the colors, with Montelena expressed in every vintage.”

For more information, visit Chateau Montelena’s website. Plan your visit in advance, as events and tastings fill quickly.