Decanter Masterclass report: Meet a legend, Bo Barrett, Chateau Montelena

Setting the scene

The masterclass coincided with publication in Decanter’s March issue of an interview with Barrett, where he recalled the early days of Montelena and the impact that the victory of the estate’s 1973 Chardonnay at the legendary competition had – both on Montelena itself and on California more widely.

After a reception to welcome guests – where Montelena’s only non-Napa wine was served, the 2022 vintage Potter Valley Riesling, made from Mendocino fruit – the masterclass proper commenced.

This featured three vintages (2020, 2014 and 2009) of the famous Chardonnay, all poured from magnum, and three vintages of its Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: the incredibly youthful and exuberant 2021; the ‘Goldilocks’ 2017 vintage, where everything went right; and the fascinatingly evolved 2007.

Montelena's territory

The pair explained that the Calistoga AVA, where the estate is situated, at the foot of California’s Mount Helena (hence Montelena), has unique properties.

Located at the northern end of Napa, it’s both a valley appellation and a mountain appellation, said Barrett. (It’s also a great place to visit, he added, more relaxed and welcoming than some other parts of the county.)

The Montelena fruit grows on geologically diverse soils and enjoys the afternoon sun.

And yet despite the obvious California generosity of fruit flavour, there is a hallmark acid line to these wines that keeps them fresh for decades.

Also, explained Crafton, a marked sense of place and vintage.

‘We work hard on the winemaking side to make ourselves disappear,’ he said. ‘We want you to taste the character of the year, and the place.’

History makers

Bo Barrett was only 18 when his father Jim established Chateau Montelena in 1972, but remembers clearly the excitement when the team in California found out that the 1973 Chardonnay was the top-scoring white at the Judgement of Paris.

‘The phone was ringing off the hook, with everyone wanting to buy our wine,’ he recalled.

‘Without the Judgement of Paris, we’d just be a red wine estate, and it would have taken much longer for us to get to where we are today.’

The original intention was for the estate to produce a single wine, the Estate Cabernet, but it produced a Chardonnay at the start too, to help with cashflow.

After the triumph in Paris, it was inevitable that Chardonnay would take its place permanently alongside the Cabernet.

Chardonnay thankfully remains firmly in the fold today, and the estate has doubled down on its commitment to the grape, buying a new vineyard three miles south of the current one.

The winemaking style with the Chardonnay is to never use malolactic fermentation, and again this serves to accentuate the purity of fruit, the precision and the freshness.

‘At the end of the day, we want tasting our wines to make you happy,’ said Crafton. And judging by the audience reaction, and smiles as they left the class, the team at Montelena continues to achieve that goal.

The Montelena masterclass wines:

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