Restraint over Power: Chateau Montelena’s Traditional Voice in Napa Valley

Restraint over Power: Chateau Montelena’s Traditional Voice in Napa Valley.

Earlier this year, we were generously invited by Best of Wines to attend a lunch at Restaurant de Lage Vuursche featuring the wines of Chateau Montelena. Ever since its inception in 1882 and its historic victory at the Judgment of Paris in 1976, Chateau Montelena has been considered one of Napa’s most emblematic wineries, with its own distinct identity and style. Join us in discovering the history of this estate, its special place in Napa Valley, and the wines that have shaped the global image of the valley to this day – guided by Napa figurehead and Chateau Montelena owner Bo Barrett himself.

Montelena’s Early Years

Chateau Montelena is one of California’s oldest wine-producing estates still active today. The story of Montelena begins in 1882, when entrepreneur and San Francisco senator Alfred L. Tubbs bought 103 hectares of land just north of Calistoga at the foot of Mount Saint Helena. In 1885 he subsequently planted vines, resulting in the eponymous A.L. Tubbs Winery becoming one of the largest wineries in Napa Valley by the late 19th century. During this period, the original wooden winery also burned down – resulting in the construction of the famous castle for which Montelena is known today, built from stone in the tradition of old French and English castles, with thick walls to keep out the heat and cold.

Taking a turn for the worst, with the advent of Prohibition in 1920, winemaking at the A.L. Tubbs Winery ceased, and the estate lay fallow for many years with small quantities of grapes being sold and no commercial quantities of wine being produced. In this period the winery was also renamed to Chateau Montelena, as a reference to the nearby Mount Saint Helena. Fortunately, the luck of Montelena turned in the late 1960s, when Lee and Helen Paschich took over the property. In 1972 they brought in James L. Barrett, a San Francisco-based lawyer with a passion for wine, who installed winemaking equipment and hired Mike Grgich as lead winemaker. It was also in this year that Montelena produced its first real commercial vintage since Prohibition, with no expenses spared as to make their wines as good as possible.

The Judgment of Paris

This focus on quality did not go unnoticed. The second part of Montelena’s history starts with the famous Judgment of Paris, a blind tasting organized by the late Steven Spurrier in 1976. This tasting featured a selection of six Cabernet Sauvignons and six Chardonnays from California, which were tasted blind by leading wine authorities against their French counterparts from Bordeaux and Burgundy respectively. In the red category, the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 scored higher than wines such as Château Mouton Rothschild 1970 and Château Léoville-Las Cases 1971, whereas in the white category, Chateau Montelena 1973 won over wines such as Domaine Roulot Meursault Charmes 1973 and Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 1972. 

The shock this sent through the world of fine wine is still palpable today, with many citing this event as the kickstart of the fine wine industry in California.

For this exact reason the Montelena bottling of their 1973 Chardonnay is considered one of the most iconic wines of the world, even earning a place in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in 1993. It is rumored that Chateau Montelena still has a few bottles of their 1973 Chardonnay left in their cellars, awaiting very special occasions. Looking ahead to 2026, it is no surprise that the Californian wineries involved in the Judgment of Paris are happily celebrating its 50th anniversary, with Chateau Montelena even releasing a one-off Blanc des Blancs sparkling wine to celebrate, aptly sourced from one of the three original vineyards that were used for the 1973 Chardonnay.

Calistoga, Home of Montelena

Chateau Montelena is situated in the Napa sub-AVA (American Viticultural Area, in some ways similar to France’s AOC system) of Calistoga, directly at the foot of Mount Saint Helena, which inspired the Chateau Montelena (Mount-Helena) name. Compared to the other sub-AVAs of Napa, Calistoga is situated at the northern end of the Napa Valley, meaning it largely escapes the cooling winds and morning fog from the San Pablo Bay, yielding significantly warmer conditions than more southerly AVAs in the valley such as Carneros and Oak Knoll District. At the same time, cooling winds from the Pacific Ocean reach Calistoga through the Chalk Hill gap (a break in the Mayacamas mountain range west of the valley), and its higher altitude provides welcome cooling influences. Recognizing these unique characteristics, Bo Barrett submitted a formal petition to the federal government in 2003 to establish the Calistoga AVA, which was finally approved in 2009.

Besides Chateau Montelena, other premium producers in Calistoga include Eisele Vineyards and Larkmead Vineyards, further showing what this Napa sub-AVA is capable of in terms of quality potential. However, as Bo notes, the style of Montelena is quite different than many others, seeking a more European style of wine, but with a distinct touch of Californian sunshine, a feat evidenced by the line-up of wines he brought to the lunch.

Letting the Place Speak for Itself

To achieve this style, Bo emphasises the importance of balancing acidity, potential alcohol, and pH in their grapes, which must also be harvested when they are ripe but not overripe. As an example of this strict philosophy, for their Zinfandel, all overripe grapes are sorted out and not used for the final wine. Pressing cycles are also adjusted to reflect this profile of purity and restraint, with Bo preferring shorter pressing cycles so as not to extract too much bitterness and keep the style of the wines elegant. 

This works exceptionally well in combination with the Californian sunshine in Calistoga, yielding elegant and refined wines, but with proper ripeness and depth due to the relatively warm conditions. Matt Crafton, head winemaker of Montelena, also emphasises the importance of their terroir, with his team working hard on the winemaking side to make themselves disappear as much as possible and let the year and place speak for themselves.

However, the Montelena style of wine was not always popular. In the early 2000s Montelena almost stopped making their Chardonnay bottling altogether. At the time, the preferred style for Chardonnay in America was a soft, buttery, oaky ‘Country Club’ style, with lower acidity and less emphasis on origin. They could have chosen to embrace this style, but as Bo notes, that simply is not the Barrett way of doing things. Instead of following trends, they stand behind their philosophy and style and doubled down on their more elegant way of making Chardonnay (no malolactic, not too much new oak), something that has fortunately worked in their favor as the pendulum in the last decade has swung back towards the preference for more elegant wines.

This philosophy is also reflected in their current project of planting Chardonnay vineyards in Carneros (a cooler part of Napa Valley more to the south), where many others are pulling out their Chardonnay vines in favor of more popular and profitable Cabernet Sauvignon plantings. Bo’s goal is to eventually produce an Estate Chardonnay from these vineyards in their signature fresh, elegant, and pure style – or as Bo calls it, ‘Chablis on steroids’. And, with Montelena’s track record of nearly 150 years, they have earned the right to go against the grain. All in all, Montelena truly has its own style which is working wonders for them – with our tasting notes below underlining the special identity of this traditional Napa estate. 

The Wines of Montelena: Californian Class 

Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2023

86% Sauvignon Blanc, 13% Semillon, 1% Sauvignon Gris | 92/100 DWA score | Drink 2026-2028

A relatively new bottling, first released in 2012. Limited production of 1.000 cases, making it relatively rare outside of the United States. There is an interesting tension and balance between the freshness of the grape variety and the rounder profile the Napa climate brings – perfectly encapsulating the Montelena style of European tension combined with Californian warmth. As with all other Montelena wines, the short maturation in oak brings some density and weight to an otherwise quite elegant style, with notes of lemon zest, lime, mango, grass, jasmine, white pepper, green apple, smoke, and bread dough. Full-bodied, with the bright fruit profile giving lift and elegance – much in the spirit of the finer dry white wines of Bordeaux. Long and exciting finish. Light phenolic grip, likely due to the inclusion of a small part of Semillon. Balanced and harmonious. Watch out for the late harvest bottling too, very scarcely made in select vintages.

Chateau Montelena Potter Valley Riesling 2023

100% Riesling | 91/100 DWA score | Drink 2026-2033

The only Montelena bottling not from Napa Valley, with Bo emphasizing that most of Napa is a too warm for Riesling and that the variety does not generate enough revenue to justify planting it on such expensive vineyard land. Instead, the Potter Valley in Mendocino County (80 kilometers north of Napa) has a significantly longer growing season, aided by its more northerly latitude and altitudes of around 300 metres. This yields a quite continental style of Riesling, showcasing ripe peach, grapefruit, pineapple, ripe yellow apple, mandarin orange, and jasmine, alongside high acidity, light phenolic grip, and good structure. Subtle oak usage gives further structure and a subtle smoky note. Ready to drink now but will likely age very well.

Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay 2022

100% Chardonnay | 93/100 DWA score | Drink 2028-2037

The most famous and emblematic wine of Montelena, considered a legend in Napa and the broader world of fine wine ever since the Judgment of Paris. Oak Knoll fruit, aged for 10 months in 25% new French oak. Pressed gently to avoid bitterness, with malolactic blocked as in all other vintages. Very distinctive nose, exhibiting the ripeness of Napa (also helped by 2022 being quite a hot and dry year), but without any buttery notes from malolactic or exaggerated oak usage. Still a bit reductive and tight at this stage of its life, but already showing intense aromatics of green apple, peach, lemon, vanilla, brioche, and kiwi, all backed by good structure and acidity. Highly defined and pristine fruit. Plenty of nuance and charm, with its long finish hinting towards a long life in bottle.

Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay 2018

100% Chardonnay | 94/100 DWA score | Drink 2026-2033

Roughly 10% of the Chardonnay production is held back for five years to be sold as library releases to show just how well these wines age, and the 2018 Chardonnay perfectly underlines that philosophy. The wine shows both the nature of the cooler 2018 vintage and already some very subtle development due to its bottle age, with notes of ripe lemon, jasmine, peach, fresh pineapple, green apple, dill, custard, vanilla, nutmeg, subtle caramel, and smoke. A bit rounder and denser than the 2022, likely due to the latter still finding its way in bottle. Wonderful balance with Montelena typicity, enjoyable now but will easily last for over a decade more.

Chateau Montelena Estate Zinfandel 2021

100% Zinfandel | 92/100 DWA score | Drink 2026-2036

Pure Zinfandel from Montelena’s proprietary vines in Calistoga, using some of their oldest plantings going back to 1972. Due to Zinfandel’s natural tendency to produce both overripe and underripe grapes on the same bunches, Montelena has opted to sort out all overripe grapes to maintain their elegant style. For the same reason, pressing is stopped early to maintain elegance. This yields a wine with a modest alcohol percentage of 14%, whereas many other Californian Zinfandels often exceed 15.5%. The wine shows the more elegant and fresh side of Zinfandel, with notes of cranberry, plum, blueberry, clove, cinnamon, fresh ground pepper, liquorice and chocolate, with a fresh seam of acidity bringing lift and drinkability. Balanced and fine. Will age nicely.

Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc| 93/100 DWA score | Drink 2028-2041

According to Bo, a perfect steakhouse wine, deliberately designed to be as food-friendly and charming as possible while still showing the classic ‘Napa Cab’ style. To this end, slightly richer soils are used to give more roundness and sumptuousness, alongside a dash of roughly 10% Merlot to raise the mid-palate of the wine and bring further softness and early drinkability. This all translates into a rich, gentle wine, with cassis, ripe blackberry, plum, bramble, mint, vanilla, leather, and tobacco, with smoky complexity and a smooth, gentle, but intense finish. Especially the tannins are perfectly managed and integrated into the wine, making for a style that is accessible early in its life but will give joy for many years to come.

Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot | 96/100 DWA score | Drink 2029-2051

Montelena’s most premium bottling, from its own Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards up in Calistoga. Compared to the Napa Valley bottling, the estate wine aims for a deeper, more structured profile, reached by using lower yields, stronger extraction, and above all stonier, poorer soils on the famous alluvial fan terroirs in Napa. Aged for roughly two years in 45% new French oak, and subsequently over a year in bottle to allow all elements to integrate before release. 2021 was a warm and dry vintage but without any heat spikes, allowing for the grapes to slowly mature with deeply concentrated flavours. This all translates into notes of pure cassis, plum, ripe blueberry, fresh mint, wet stone, cedar, vanilla, and dark chocolate. Quite mineral and nuanced, with remarkable energy and freshness behind its brooding, dense core of pristine fruit. High acidity and pixelated tannins drive the wine towards a very long finish. Textbook Napa Cab, showing Montelena excels in all colours of wine.

Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot | 97/100 DWA score | Drink 2028-2043

As with their Chardonnay, Montelena also holds back a portion of their Estate Cabernet Sauvignon to release after an additional 10 years of bottle age, to show the ageing potential of these wines. Luckily for us, 2013 (the current release) was a blockbuster vintage – in some ways similar to 2021 when looking at its long, gentle warm and dry growing season without any severe heat spikes. The wine is medium garnet in colour, just starting to show its evolution in the glass, but still has a lot of primary intensity with notes of cranberry, cassis, and blueberry, alongside nuanced notes of dried roses, tobacco, smoke, damp earth, and warm gravel. The tannins are still there but have mellowed a bit over time, fully harmonious with the fresh acidity and softer structure of the wine. Intellectual and complete, a perfect finish to the tasting. 

Conclusion

Although it is one of Napa’s oldest estates, Montelena is more modern than ever in its emphasis on restraint and nuance over sheer power. Each wine in their range offers an expression that is true to both California and Montelena, while also being characterized by precise fruit and detailed winemaking – resulting in all wines bringing something unique to the table. The presentation by Bo also further highlighted why Montelena is still considered one of Napa’s key producers due to their relentless pursuit of excellence, not having rested on their laurels after winning the Judgment of Paris. All in all, we were delighted to be part of this great presentation on both his estate and wines and look forward to seeing what Bo Barrett and Chateau Montelena have in store for the future.

This article was written by our own Martin Bronkhorst. The wines of Chateau Montelena are exported to a number of foreign markets and are well distributed. In the Netherlands, their wines can be purchased through Best of Wines. 

We would like to thank Bo Barrett of Chateau Montelena for guiding us through his excellent range of wines, Paul Bollongino of Best of Wines for organizing the event and Restaurant De Lage Vuursche for the outstanding lunch.