2020 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay

Winemaker Notes

Chance favors the prepared mind. Louis Pasteur realized that success flows not only from insight but also good fortune. That duality appropriately applies to the challenging but ultimately gratifying 2020 vintage.

During most growing seasons, the progression beginning with ripening in the vineyard and flowing through to harvest is methodical and calculated. With our optimal Napa Valley climate, ideal soils and a stellar track record of wines, it’s seductive to believe that every vintage will proceed as planned. But at Montelena, we know that history has proven otherwise and that the paradigm can shift at any moment, so we prepare.

Our team, equipment, and methodology are flexible and malleable precisely to account for the unforeseen. It’s manifested in shaping each individual wine to reflect the growing season. It’s also evident when the unpredictable occurs; in this case, the entire 2020 Chardonnay harvest was compressed into one week, a far cry from 15 to 30 days in most years. Luckily, we had the good fortune of a remarkable growing season and exceptional ripeness. Our success in creating this delicious wine was solidified by the unshakeable dedication and expertise of our team.

About Winery

Chateau Montelena’s history is one of the deepest and most storied in the Napa Valley and California. Founded just north of Calistoga by a senator and San Francisco entrepreneur in 1882 at the turn of the century, it was one of the largest wineries in the state. Prohibition put an end to Montelena’s winemaking, and the next major era began in 1968, when Jim Barrett purchased the estate. Jim fell in love with this exceptional property, blessed with a complex mix of soils, slopes and biodiversity of wildlife and fauna. He had a dream of creating wine at the level of the great First Growths of Bordeaux, and set about replanting the vineyard, outfitting the winery with modern equipment, and studying the processes necessary for farming and winemaking at the highest quality level.

In 1976 Chateau Montelena put California at the forefront of the wine world. That year a who’s-who of the French wine and food establishment gathered for a grand tasting at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Paris. Four white Burgundies were tasted against six California Chardonnays. When the scores were tallied, the French Judges were convinced that the top-ranking white wine was one of their own. In fact, it was Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay, rated above all other wines. This seminal event has been memorialized in the book "The Judgment of Paris," by George Taber, as well as in the 2008 feature film Bottle Shock.

Today Chateau Montelena’s distinct 19th century stone structure stands as a quality icon in Napa Valley, consistently producing some of the finest wines in California. Master Winemaker Bo Barrett, Jim’s son, now runs the estate with the help of Winemaker Matt Crafton and Vineyard Manager Dave Vella.