Chateau Montelena facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chateau Montelena |
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| Location | Calistoga, California, United States |
| Appellation | Calistoga AVA Napa Valley AVA |
| Other labels | Potter Valley |
| Founded | 1882 |
| Key people | Bo Barrett, CEO Miljenko "Mike" Grgich, Winemaker Matt Crafton, Winemaker Jock Busser, National Sales Manager Cameron Wolfe, Vineyard Manager |
| Cases/yr | 30,000–36,000 |
| Varietals | Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling |
| Distribution | national |
| Tasting | open to the public |
| Website | www.montelena.com |
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Alfred L. Tubbs Winery
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| NRHP reference No. | 12001235 |
| Added to NRHP | January 30, 2013 |
Chateau Montelena is a famous winery located in Napa Valley, California. It is best known for winning a very important wine competition called the "Judgment of Paris". This happened in 1976.
At this competition, Chateau Montelena's Chardonnay wine competed against nine other wines. These wines came from both France and California. All 11 judges tasted the wines without knowing which was which. They gave their highest scores to the Chardonnays from Chateau Montelena or Chalone Winery. A movie called Bottle Shock was made in 2008 about this historic win.
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History of Chateau Montelena
Early Days with Alfred Tubbs
In 1882, a businessman named Alfred L. Tubbs bought a large piece of land. It was about 254 acres, just north of Calistoga. Tubbs had become rich from the rope business during the Gold Rush. He knew the area well from visiting a nearby resort.
He started planting grapevines on his land. By 1896, Chateau Montelena had grown to be the seventh largest winery in the Napa Valley.
However, winemaking stopped at the Chateau when Prohibition in the United States began. Prohibition was a time when making and selling alcohol was against the law in the United States. After this period, the Tubbs family sold grapes but did not make wine themselves.
In 1958, the Tubbs family sold the Chateau to Yort Wing Frank and his wife Jeanie. They were an electrical engineer and his wife who were looking for a place to retire. The Franks created a beautiful garden on the property. It was designed in the style of their homeland, China. They also dug out a lake called Jade Lake. Today, this Chinese garden is a popular spot for picnics.
New Beginnings with Lee Paschich
In 1968, Lee and Helen Paschich bought the property. They brought in partners, including lawyer James L. Barrett. Barrett replanted the vineyard with new grapevines. He also put new equipment in the old buildings to start making wine again.
The winery began producing wines once more in 1972. Mike Grgich was hired as the winemaker. He also helped design the entire winery. Just four years later, in 1976, the Chateau Montelena 1973 Chardonnay won first place. This was at the "Judgment of Paris" wine competition. A bottle of that winning wine is now kept in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
Around 2004, there were some claims that Chateau Montelena's wines had a problem with their taste. This problem is sometimes called "cork taint." After tests confirmed the issue, Jim Barrett announced that the winery took steps to fix it. They worked to remove the substance causing the problem from their winery.
San Francisco Tasting Room
Since late 2011, Chateau Montelena has a special tasting room in San Francisco. It is located inside The Westin St. Francis hotel, in Union Square. This allows more people to try their wines.
See also
