Chateau Montelena and the Day California Wine Changed Forever
I visited Chateau Montelena about five years ago, and I will be honest – I went because of the movie. Bottle Shock is not exactly a documentary, but it gets the broad strokes right, and it made me want to see the place where everything changed.
The winery itself is stunning – this stone castle at the base of Mount St. Helena with Chinese gardens and a lake that looks lifted from a postcard. But what really matters about Chateau Montelena is not the architecture. It is what happened in Paris in 1976.
The Judgment of Paris
Here is the story, for those who do not know it:
In 1976, a British wine merchant named Steven Spurrier organized a blind tasting in Paris. French judges – sommeliers, winemakers, critics – would taste California wines against French wines. The idea was to give California some exposure. Nobody expected anything dramatic.
The white wine category pitted California Chardonnays against white Burgundies from France. Among the California entries was the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, made by a young winemaker named Mike Grgich.
When the scores were tallied, the Chateau Montelena Chardonnay came out on top. Over white Burgundy. Judged by French experts. In a blind tasting.
The French wine establishment lost their minds.
Some judges tried to take back their ballots. French newspaper coverage was minimal – embarrassment, probably. But the results stood. And overnight, the perception of California wine changed forever.
Why It Mattered
Before 1976, American wine was not taken seriously. At all. France was wine. Italy was wine. Spain, Germany, okay. But California? People thought of jug wine and cheap port-style fortified stuff. The idea that a Napa winery could compete with Burgundy seemed absurd.
The Judgment of Paris shattered that perception. Suddenly, serious collectors started paying attention to California. Investment flowed into Napa Valley. New wineries opened. Land prices climbed. The modern California wine industry was born.
The Actual Wine
I have been lucky enough to try Chateau Montelena Chardonnay several times, including some older vintages. And here is my honest assessment: it is excellent, distinctive, and recognizable – but it is not for everyone.
The style is different from both oaky California Chardonnay and lean Burgundy. It sits somewhere in between. There is richness, but also restraint. Fruit flavors, but not overwhelming tropical notes. Oak influence, but integrated. They use less new oak than many Napa producers, and you can taste the difference.
The wine ages well, too. I had a 15-year-old bottle that was gorgeous – all honey, toasted nuts, and preserved lemon. This is not a drink-young style.
Their Cabernet Sauvignon is also excellent – structured, ageworthy, with that classic Napa blackcurrant and cedar profile. Not as famous as the Chardonnay, but consistently good.
Visiting the Winery
If you are ever in Napa, the estate is worth a visit. A few practical notes from my trip:
Make a reservation. Walk-ins are hit or miss. Call ahead or book online.
Explore the grounds. The Chinese garden and Jade Lake are genuinely beautiful. Wander around before or after your tasting.
Try the library wines. They often have older vintages available that you cannot find elsewhere. Worth the upcharge if your budget allows.
Ask about history. The staff know the stories. Someone will tell you about the 1976 tasting, the Prohibition era, the rebuilding. It brings the wine to life.
The Barrett Legacy
Jim Barrett bought Chateau Montelena in 1972 and brought it back from dormancy. His son Bo Barrett eventually took over winemaking and still runs the operation today.
What I respect about the Barrett approach is the consistency. They have resisted trends. When everyone was making super-ripe, high-alcohol wines, Montelena stayed restrained. Their philosophy is that the wine should express the site, not the winemaking.
What Chateau Montelena Means Now
The 1976 Judgment of Paris was almost 50 years ago. The wine world has changed completely. California is established. Napa is arguably over-established – expensive, crowded, sometimes more about money than craft.
So is Chateau Montelena still relevant?
I think so. Not because of the historical significance, but because they still make genuinely good wine at a time when a lot of Napa has lost its way. The Chardonnay and Cabernet are reliably excellent year after year. The prices, while not cheap, are reasonable by Napa standards.
Plus, the story matters. Everyone who makes wine in America today benefits from what happened in Paris in 1976. That one tasting changed what was possible. It proved that great wine could come from anywhere, that tradition could be challenged.
That is worth a visit. And the wine is worth a bottle.
