2022 Chateau Montelena - Chardonnay Napa (750ml)

Chateau Montelena was originally founded in 1882 by a state senator and San Francisco entrepreneur, but its modern legacy began in 1968, when Jim Barrett purchased the estate just north of Calistoga and set out to craft wine on par with Bordeaux's First Growths. That ambition paid off dramatically in 1976, when the winery's 1973 Chardonnay outscored top white Burgundies at the now-legendary Judgment of Paris tasting, an event that helped establish California as a serious force in world wine. Today Jim's son, Master Winemaker Bo Barrett, oversees the estate alongside winemaker Matt Crafton, continuing a winemaking philosophy built around letting each vintage and vineyard speak for itself rather than chasing a fixed house style.

Fruit for this bottling comes from Napa Valley's Oak Knoll District, where morning fog and a wide swing between day and night temperatures help preserve acidity and finesse in the grapes. The 2022 growing season opened cool with no frost damage, moved through a mild summer, then saw a late-season heat spike around Labor Day that accelerated ripening, though most of the Chardonnay crop was already harvested by that point. The wine was fermented and aged using a calibrated combination of oak and neutral vessels intended to support the fruit rather than dominate it.

The nose offers peach, apricot, and kiwi, opening into fresh cut flowers, orange blossom, and cantaloupe. On the palate, vibrant citrus notes of mandarin and Meyer lemon lead to a long finish touched with baking spice and ginger. It pairs well with roasted chicken, pan-seared scallops, or a creamy pasta dish.