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About Chateau Montelena
Chateau Montelena has produced wine in the Napa Valley for over 100 years. But only since 1972, when the Barret family took over management, has quality taken off. Overseeing the production of roughly 36,000 cases annually, winemaker Bo Barret produces classic, austere Cabernet Sauvignons as well as Zinfandels and Chardonnays.
2009 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay Napa Valley
Producer: Chateau Montelena
Style: White Wine
Grape Type: Chardonnay
Origin: California
Region: Napa
90(+?) Points | International Wine Cellar , May/June 2011
(just 10% new oak used; the winery cherry-picked the fruit for this bottling and sold off the rest in bulk): Bright yellow. Lively aromas of apple, citrus fruit, mint and licorice. Juicy and vibrant, with almost painful mid-palate cut. Still youthfully tight, but this no-malo chardonnay displays good underlying density. The persistent finish shows good cut. Clearly the product of a moderately cool growing season. Montelena's chardonnay is vinified to dryness in tank, then ages for several months in 10% new oak, on the fine lees but without stirring. I suspect this will evolve slowly.
89 Points | Wine Spectator
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