Chateau Montelena vaulted into the international limelight with the results of the often-cited “Paris Tasting” of 1976. On that occasion a Montelena Chardonnay, the second modern vintage produced at the revitalized 1882 winery, took honors over some of the finest white Burgundies of France. The winery continues to make some of the finest Chardonnay in the world. Moreover, Montelena appears on nearly everyone’s short list of great American Cabernet Estates. For decades the wines have led the pack as Napa’s most consistently collectable (and enjoyable). Montelena is a prototype for great winemaking through vineyard management and attention to detail. The winery is an outpost of individuality above the town of Calistoga in Napa Valley’s northern extreme.

The Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is without a doubt the California equivalent of a “Grand Cru”. First of all, the wine is very much linked to place. It is no doubt possible to make fine wine in a new enterprise, and for that matter with quality grapes purchased from various locales. In fact Montelena experienced great success with early efforts made from purchased fruit. Still, virtually all truly great wine, worthy of collecting year after year, comes from a well-defined vineyard source. The Barretts produced their first estate cabernet in 1978. Since then, years of managing a property have brought about an intimate knowledge of soil, slope, vine, and microclimate. An estate winemaker can make investments of money and effort based on their long term potential for the estate product. This year’s immediate yield is less the concern of a company that is building not a “brand” but an estate. At Montelena each year’s harvest exhibits the results of nearly 30 years of making every decision with the future of the product in mind.

In the winery, Montelena has the advantage of focusing on very few products. The entire enterprise is geared to making premium Chardonnay and Cabernet (and yes a bit of fine, full bodied, red Zinfandel as well). Harvest, Crush, Vinification, and barrel aging programs have all evolved with only super-premium wines in mind. While some winemakers must respond to current fashion (or a marketing departments demands for a “portfolio”), Bo Barrett focuses only on making fine wine true to his vinyard’s style. The Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is the prime example of this laudable approach. A wine crafted in the vineyard and in the winery to its own standard.

A second Cabernet Sauvignon is produced at Montelena, another Napa Valley wine, blended with a rich measure of Merlot, and labeled “Calistoga Cuvee”. Selling for less than a third the price of the Estate Cabernet, the Calistoga Cuvee is softer, more berry-like, and more approachable in its youth. Although crafted to be drinkable when shipped, this wine will also reward those who provide an a bit of additional bottle aging.

Now, about that Chardonnay. Montelena’s Chardonnay is far from typical for California. While it exhibits heavier structure than classic French white Burgundies it retains the lean, crisp flavors inherent in the fruit. Because the wine has had no malo-lactic fermentation, it is long on flavors of fruit and toasted almond, not butter. The big bold body of the wine is easily enough to balance the crisp natural acid. Montelena Chardonnays have adhered to this style all along, yielding ideal dinner wines. Many fine California Chardonnays are laden with buttery components which, tasty though they may be, are a bit tiresome at mealtimes. The full structure and acidity of Montelena Chardonnay makes it a fine candidate for the cellar. As with the great whites of Burgundy, a fine Montelena Chardonnay, mellows with age adding a notable honeyed aroma and a long smooth finish.

This spring marks the first recent shipment to our area of Montelena’s fine Zinfandel. Marked with a pronounced raspberry aroma and a lively fresh taste, this is Zinfandel for the dinner table. A robust red with a clean dry finish, this wine has none of the port-like attributes of some warm region Zins. The perfect wine for barbequed or highly seasoned meat or poultry, a few years in bottle may just soften this into a wine worthy of elegant occasions. Notably the wine comes from Montelena Estate vineyards.

Current pricing for the Montelena Chardonnay and the Calistoga Cuvee Cabernet is about $35. The Estate Cabernet is about $125. The Zinfandel is a very reasonable $25.

The winery has an excellent website at www.montelena.com.

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