Decanter wine columnist Elin McCoy recounts a very special tasting experience of Calistoga’s Chateau Montelena, led by Master Winemaker Bo Barrett himself. In the story, “Chateau Montelena: Profile & Top Wines,” she provides historical context of the winery’s significance – leading with the iconic Judgment of Paris tasting where the winning wine in 1976 was Montelena’s Chardonnay – and then explaining Bo’s father, Jim Barrett’s dream to produce a Cabernet Sauvignon that would stand ‘shoulder to shoulder with the great first growths of Bordeaux.’ He concluded this process would require at least 50 years.
Bringing this idea to life, this summer Bo hosted a retrospective “Dream Tasting” of 15 vintages of Cabernet (1974 to 2013) from the past five decades. All but the first two were Montelena’s Estate Cabernet from its own vineyards, which debuted in 1978. There is a lot of great history and context about Montelena in this story. Elin notes “what stood out most, for every wine in the line-up, was a commitment to balance and restraint – the Calistoga location helps. Of Napa Valley’s AVAs, it has the most extreme day-to-night temperature swings and cool afternoon Pacific breezes through the Chalk Hill Gap. This lets the grapes retain acidity and develop flavour without getting too ripe. Surely that balance and acidity are reasons why the wines had aged so well. (Plus all were poured from magnum.)” She added “For me the standouts were 1994, 2005, and 2013.”
Read the full story and description of 50 decades worth of wines here
