Chateau Montelena, Napa Valley: Top 10 Wines, Taste, Investment Potential (2024)

The Chateau Montelena winery is most famous for its performance during the historic 1976 Judgment of Paris, where its Chardonnays were awarded top scores. 

Apart from award-winning Chardonnay labels, this Napa Valley winery produces stunning Riesling, Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and the flagship Cabernet Sauvignon wines as well.

This article looks at the top 10 wines from Chateau Montelena, how this winery got started, and whether Chateau Montelena wine is a good investment choice.

10 Fantastic Chateau Montelena Wines to Try In 2024

Chateau Montelena wines have great balance, elegance, and age-ability, providing wine lovers with the ultimate wine tasting experience. 

Here are our favorite Chateau Montelena wines: 

• 2003 Chateau Montelena Calistoga Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2015 Chateau Montelena The Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2014 Chateau Montelena The Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2017 Chateau Montelena The Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2011 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay
• 2016 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2019 Chateau Montelena Sauvignon Blanc
• 2013 Chateau Montelena Petite Sirah
• 2015 Chateau Montelena Estate Zinfandel
• 2017 Chateau Montelena Potter Valley Riesling

1. 2003 Chateau Montelena Calistoga Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA ($186)

This full-bodied wine has gorgeous aromas of plum, leather, dark chocolate, cedar, graphite, blackberry, and a subtle hint of baking spice. On the palate, the taste is fresher and much more old-world than you would expect from a typical Napa Cabernet.

2. 2015 Chateau Montelena The Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA ($160)

This Cab Sauv has gorgeous aromas of ripe black plum, blueberry, blackberry, leather, vanilla and smoky. This wine has an excellent length and flavors of chocolate, tobacco, ripe black fruit, leather, and chewy tannins.

3. 2014 Chateau Montelena The Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA  ($165)

This wine has an aroma of baked bread, purple fruit, and burnt dark chocolate. The palate is extensive and round with tons of blackberry, cocoa, tobacco, and dark licorice notes with a soft and lovely velvet texture.

4. 2017 Chateau Montelena The Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA ($165)

This Napa Valley Cabernet opens up with black cherry, blackberry, roasted coffee grounds, briar, and spring flowers. It has a big luscious body on the palate with soft tannins and a long finish. 

5. 2011 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, Napa Valley, USA ($72)

This Chardonnay has aromas of lemon brioche, citrus, lime, slight toast, and banana. The acidity of this wine is starting to mellow out, but it still has a creamy body and fruit notes. 

6. 2016 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA ($68)

A bottle of this stunning Cab Sauv opens up with notes of sweet plummy fruit with hints of sweet floral aspects and cassis. The palate is smooth and silky, with fruit, toast, and nutty oak notes.

7. 2019 Chateau Montelena Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, USA ($49)

This gorgeous pale lemon-colored wine opens up with citrus fruit and a white floral aroma. Experience the typical California Sauvignon Blanc notes of wet stone, lime, and lemon on the palate. This white wine has a crisp and vibrant texture, leading you to a persistent and memorable finish.

8. 2013 Chateau Montelena Petite Sirah, Napa Valley, USA ($45)

This is a deep violet full-bodied red wine with a blackberry, fig, plum, strawberry, tomato, and graphite aroma. On the palate, experience tasting notes of blackberry, plum, fig, cedar, tea, pepper, and unsweetened chocolate.

9. 2015 Chateau Montelena Estate Zinfandel, Calistoga, USA ($37)

The Zinfandel has a very fruity blackberry, plum, cherry aroma with undertones of vanilla, black pepper, and hints of a humidor. Smooth tannins carry you through to the finish, which has notes of black pepper, granite, graphite, tart plum, and cedar licorice. 

10. 2017 Chateau Montelena Potter Valley Riesling, Mendocino County Valley, USA ($31)

This Riesling has lemon, green apple, ginger, and gooseberry aromas. This medium-bodied wine has a refreshing acidity and a sweet palate with rich yellow pear, citrus, and green apple notes. 

These delicious wines would go down a treat at wine pairings or a dinner with friends.

But how would they perform as an investment?

Should You Invest In Chateau Montelena Wines?

If you want to invest in fine California wine or wines from other popular wine regions, use a reliable online wine investment platform like Vinovest.

The wines from Chateau Montelena have been attracting wine critics worldwide for years. 

Their Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons regularly appear on the “best of” lists from the likes of Vinepair and Forbes. 

The 1978 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon scored a 94 from the Wine Spectator.

The Cabernet Sauvignons have also experienced great price appreciation in the last couple of years:

• The 2017 Chateau Montelena - The Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon increased by 63%, going from $60 to $163 (Nov 2020 - Nov 2021.) 
• The 1978 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon increased by 28%, from $457 to $635 (Nov 2020 - Nov 2021.) 

Chateau Montelena also impressed wine enthusiasts when a bottle of its award-winning 1973 Chardonnay was auctioned off for a whopping $11,325 at a Spectrum Wine Auction In 2010! 

Let’s take a look at how this Californian winery got started. 

A Quick Look At The History Of Chateau Montelena

The idea of Chateau Montelena started in 1882 when entrepreneur Alfred L. Tubbs bought 254 acres of land north of Calistoga at the foot of Mount Saint Helena. 

By 1896, the A.L. Tubbs Winery was the seventh-largest winery in Napa Valley wine country. 

After prohibition, Tubbs’ grandson renamed the winery Château Montelena, and it was eventually sold to Jim Barrett in 1972. 

Barrett installed new winemaking equipment and replanted the vineyard, and with the help of winemaker Mike Grgich, started producing wine again. 

Four years later, Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay was awarded first place in the 1976 Judgment of Paris wine competition which was organized by Steven Spurrie, an English wine Merchant. 

This historic victory was fictionalized in the 2008 film Bottle Shock, where the California wine won against French wine from several different wineries.

There was controversy in 2004 when James Laube of Wine Spectator accused Chateau Montelena of tainting their wines with TCA (the chemical which causes cork taint.) Jim Barrett announced the measures taken to eliminate the presence of TCA in the Montelena winery.

In 2008, Michel Reybier, owner of Bordeaux winery Cos d'Estournel, almost purchased Chateau Montelena, but the Great Recession stopped the sale.

Today, Jim’s son, Bo Barrett, stands as the current CEO supported by his four siblings and stepmother on the board. 

With the help of Winemaker Matt Crafton, Bo continues to build on his father’s legacy of producing delicious California wines. 

Add A Bottle Of This Historic California Wine To Your Collection

Enjoying a glass of Chardonnay overlooking the stunning scenery overlooking Mt. St. Helena should be on the wine tasting bucket list for all wine lovers!

Even though Château Montelena is known for its award-winning Chardonnays, its flagship Cabernet Sauvignons should not be overlooked.  

If you want to invest in a charming Cabernet Sauvignon from the Chateau Montelena winery or a stunning red Bordeaux - use a reliable online wine investment platform like Vinovest. 

Check out their website today and get started on building your high-performing wine investment portfolio.