Chateau Montelena

The first time I tried a wine from Chateau Montelena was at the Madison Steak House in Long Beach back in 2000, or 2001.  I don't really remember.  What I do remember is that we ordered steak and a bottle of 1997 Calistoga Cuvee, which is basically a really amazing Cabernet.  I remember tasting the wine and flipping out.

You see, I was new to wine.  This was only the second really good bottle of wine that I'd ever tasted, the first being a 1994 Heitz Bella Oaks Cabernet.  It was these two bottles that got me started on a journey of wine exploration that still continues today.

I remember looking for Chateau Montelena on the web.  The internet was somewhat rudimentary back then, at least when compared to the dynamic content on most websites today.  I found them and saw a picture of this stone chateau with much greenery around it and on it.

I wanted to go there.

A couple of weeks ago, I got my chance.

My lovely daughter, Serena, invited me up to Berkeley to hang out with her - daddy daughter time - and, one of the endeavors she included in our bonding time was a wine tasting trip to Napa.  Excited as I was, I decided to schedule our tasting, starting with Chateau Montelena.

Serena and I love the movie, Bottle Shock.

The movie doesn't do the winery justice, although it is a very fun film.

The winery is simply beautiful.  It's nestled of a small back road north of St. Helena, cut into a hill ripe with greenery and what appear to be natural springs.  Even if they are fountains, I'll call them springs.

However, there is a fountain.  It's located at the entry way to the tasting room.  The foyer is the kind of place where one could imaging pulling up a cot and sleeping under the stars while the rustling water trickles over moss-covered stones nearby.

Of course, this would be enhanced with the lovely wines of Montelena.

There's a reason that this is a well-known winery.  The wines are really good.  The people are really friendly and, after some quite in depth conversations about wine and the fantastic environment that is Chateau Montelena, it's clear that they enjoy their work immensely as well.

I want to talk about the wine.  It's subtle.  The style of wine making at Chateau Montelena is unlike so many of the over-the-top approaches taken by many successful wineries in California.

The folks at Chateau Montelena are making wines for consumption today perhaps, but more than that, wines that one can see as an investment in a future experience.

The Riesling and Chardonnay are wonderfully delicate with equally as wonderful texture and taste.

The Zinfandel is a work of art.  I expected a fruit bomb.  What I got, instead, was a very refined interpretation of this Californian that is approachable today and will be for some time.

The Napa Valley Cabernet (what used to be the Calistoga Cuvee) is brighter than most Cabernet's but not so that the structure and dark fruit is compromised.

The Estate Cabernet speaks for itself.  We were fortunate enough to taste both the current release of this exquisite wine and some of the 2004 that just 'happened' to be open.

Okay, enough of the wine.

Good wine is easy to find.  Amazing people who pay attention to your questions and answer them honestly and respectfully is not as easy to find.  And people who do this with a genuine affection for the craft are rarer indeed.

Serena and I both experienced a warm welcome at Chateau Montelena - we truly felt like guests - and walked away with big smiles on our faces - not from the alcohol - not our style.

It was from the experience of being in the presence of people who are passionate and enthusiastic about what they do and love nothing more than sharing that passion with you.

Thank you Chateau Montelena.  You helped make this day with my lovely daughter very special.

Thank you.