Visit Charming Chateau Montelena Winery

Chateau Montelena is such a gorgeous winery! My husband and I decided to check it out after hearing about and watching the movie, Bottle Shock. As someone who is obsessed with wine and wine history, I thought it was a cool place to visit- basically historic. Chateau Montelena was a major player in putting Napa Valley on the map with its 1973 Chardonnay that won the 1976 "Judgement of Paris" blind wine tasting for white wines against top French wines. The grounds are stunning, especially with the gardens. We did a standard tasting and were joined only by one other couple in the general tasting group. Our host, Tash, was very amicable and did a wonderful job at engaging with both couples. So much so, that we really did feel like a cohesive group. Tash was great at describing the notes of the wines and what makes them special. Despite it obviously not being the 1973 Chardonnay, the one we tried was still superb! The riesling pleasantly surprised me, especially because I'm not a fan of that grape typically. But the biggest regret of the trip was not buying a bottle to bring home! I would love to get a glass of wine and walk around the garden the next time I'm back in Napa! Definitely recommend you do the same!

Wine Country 🍷 • Chateau Montelena Winery you were amazing! Scheduled a tasting with Lin and learned a lot about the history of your life. She was very informative and catered to our tasting needs. From the castle you see when walking up to the Asian style gazebos on the lake, the views surely do impress. If you are in the Napa Valley and specifically Calistoga, I urge you to go have some chats, some sips and don’t blame me if you leave with 3 or more bottles of wine as we did 🤭 HIGHLY recommend the #Chardonnay. I’m not a fan of a Chardonnay but this French style changed my tune on what to expect when going to a tasting. Very impressed.

Very accommodating, even without a reservation. We were able to get in early and had a private tasting in the “club room”. It was very nice and the service was excellent. The grounds and mansion are beautiful.

A must see for anyone visiting Napa! Located at an authentic French-style 19th century chateau, this beautiful winery makes award winning old world style wines. (Truly, check out the movie "Bottle Shock" to learn how they put Napa Valley on the wine making map.) The grounds are gorgeous any time of the year and we enjoy my club member perks of free tastings and being able to rent a gazebo on the lake for a picnic. The staff is uniformly knowledgeable, friendly, and welcoming. I might be slightly biased because we've been club members for over a decade and also we got engaged at this place - but really that's a testament to how fabulous it is!

Beautiful grounds and lovely employees. Highly recommend a tasting experience at this estate. Jay was very friendly and informative.