Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Brian Freedman covers wine, spirits, food, and travel. This article is more than 5 years old. It’s easy to lose sight of the fact ...

There are a handful of Napa Valley producers that have achieved legendary status—names that aren’t just indicative of the highest levels of grape growing and winemaking, but that have become, in many ...

They swirled, sniffed, sipped and spat. In the end, the French (much to their chagrin) chose the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay as the best white in a 1976 judging that pitted the upstart ...

Napa Valley winery Chateau Montelena has acquired a 73-acre vineyard in the Carneros AVA with an eye toward boosting its Chardonnay program. Terms were undisclosed. The vineyard is situated at the ...

I just received the very sad news that an icons of the Napa Valley wine industry has passed away. Napa Valley pioneer James L. Barrett helped put Napa Valley on the map when his mineral rich, citrus ...

The wine world lost a giant last week in Jim Barrett, owner of Chateau Montelena in Napa Valley. At a time when no one thought much of wines from California, Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay ...

“Old world style, new world fruit” is an axiom used to describe Montelena’s Estate cabs as they generally are a little lighter on alcohol than some of their Napa brethren. Though still a child, this ...

California’s Chateau Montelena could easily cash in year after year on its legendary “Judgment of Paris” victory in 1976. At that infamous wine tasting in Paris, the winery’s 1973 Chardonnay beat out ...

This is an elegant Napa Valley Chardonnay from Chateau Montelena, very much still in the style that won the famous Paris Tasting of 1976 and launched California Chardonnay onto the world wine scene.

Talia Baiocchi is the founder and general manager of Punch. She has spent her career specializing in wine, restaurants, and culture. Previously a columnist at Wine Spectator, she went on to become the ...

NEW YORK, Nov. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilson Daniels is pleased to announce the addition of Chateau Montelena to its national portfolio effective January 1, 2026. Over the last half-century, Chateau ...