Home › Wine Notes › Chateau Montelena
Chateau Montelena Chardonnay 2017
WhiteUSA2017
By Daniel Min · Tasted 2020-05-27 · Published 2026-09-30 · Updated 2026-09-30
At a glance
In one line
4.0/5 — lower than Vivino's 4.4 average · world avg price US$104 · The Chardonnay from the house that won the white category at the Judgment of Paris.
Wine-Searcher aggregate of 3 critic reviews: 92. Vivino lists no critic score for this vintage.
Market note: World average US$104 / 750ml (Wine-Searcher, ex-tax, Sep 2026). On the same basis the house's Sauvignon Blanc is US$58 (89), its Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon US$85 (90), and The Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon US$208 (94). On Vivino, vintages from 2004 to 2023 with 30+ ratings score 4.1–4.7, and the Judgment of Paris 1973 is listed too, at 4.6 from 103 ratings.
Father's note — Daniel Min
Original author of the notes“파리의 심판 화이트라 그런가 일단 버건디랑 비교하게 되는 선입견, 일단 밀리진 않는다. 전형적으로 다가오는 부케와 미네랄들 오전 피크닉에서 마셔서 그런지 따스한 햇살과 함께 참 좋았다. 버러리 치즈들이 시간이 지남에 따라 더 올라온다. 블라인드로 마셨으면 나도 최고의 화이트로 뽑았을까? 하는 재밌는 와인.”
Show original
“oak vanilla butter citrus minerals stone grapefruit 파리의 심판 화이트라 그런가 일단 버건디랑 비교하게 되는 선입견, 일단 밀리진 않는다. 전형적으로 다가오는 부케와 미네랄들 오전 피크닉에서 마셔서 그런지 따스한 햇살과 함께 참 좋았다. 버러리 치즈들이 시간이 지남에 따라 더 올라온다. 블라인드로 마셨으면 나도 최고의 화이트로 뽑았을까?? 하는 재밌는 와인.”
What I learned today: the same glass, warming while it waits, brings out different aromas.
Friday. Past nine o'clock the seats still hadn't emptied. Carrying glasses out and clearing empty ones, the evening flew by. When I finally had a moment to breathe, Master Seo set a glass of white in front of me without a word.
Lemon, grapefruit, and wet stone. Then oak and vanilla. That was the first sip. When I came back after two more tables and picked up the glass again, butter had risen. Melted butter, and a nuttiness like cheese rind. It deepened as time went on. That warm, buttery smell opened a midday.
Twenty-one, May, a Wednesday noon of unusually lovely sunshine. Dad had gone out early for a picnic with someone and dropped by briefly around lunchtime. He didn't stay long. He stood a cloth-wrapped, stoppered bottle in the fridge door, stuck a yellow note on it, and went out again. The note said: "Just one glass. In the sunlight." I sat in the sunny spot by the living-room window and poured one. Cold lemon came first, and the more the sun warmed the glass, the more the butter rose. I don't know the name of the bottle. I've already written about that night, when Dad came home empty-handed and set down a cork wrapped in a napkin. Before that cork, there was a glass at midday.
I opened the notebook to that date. Being the white from the Judgment of Paris, he wrote, there's a prejudice that makes you compare it with Burgundy, but it doesn't lose. Maybe because he drank it at a morning picnic, it was lovely with the warm sunshine. The buttery cheese notes rise more as time goes on. The last line: "If I'd tasted it blind, would I have picked it as the best white too?" Four stars. The bottle was Chateau Montelena Chardonnay. I stuck on the wine-name Post-it. Dad wouldn't have known that someone really did drink that bottle blind that day. Whether I'd have picked it, I don't know. But I remember the sunlight.
Master Seo said that long ago in Paris there was a day when French judges chose among glasses with the labels hidden. The winner on the white side was this house's Chardonnay. The judges didn't know the labels that day either, he said. Like you.
After closing, I wrote the name on the seventeenth page of the new notebook. In the aroma box I split "first sip" from "two tables later". What I learned today: the same glass, warming while it waits, brings out different aromas.
What this wine is
Chateau Montelena was founded in 1882 by Alfred L. Tubbs, who bought land near Calistoga at the north end of Napa Valley. By 1896 it was the seventh-largest winery in the valley. After Prohibition and a long lull it changed hands in the late 1960s, and under Jim Barrett it began making wine again in 1972, with the Croatian-born Mike Grgich as winemaker.
Then came Paris, 1976. At a blind tasting organised by the English wine merchant Steven Spurrier, French judges chose among glasses with the labels hidden. First place among the whites went not to the great Burgundy houses but to the Chateau Montelena 1973 Chardonnay. The reds were won by Stag's Leap Wine Cellars. That bottle now sits in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
The story became the 2008 film 'Bottle Shock', with Bill Pullman as Jim Barrett, Chris Pine as his son Bo, and Alan Rickman as Spurrier. The Napa Valley tourism site points out, though, that the film's 'wine turned brown' drama is exaggerated and that the real winemaker, Grgich, is missing from it. That same year a sale to the owner of Bordeaux's Cos d'Estournel was announced, then called off a few months later. Jim Barrett died in 2013.
What the world says
The three critic reviews gathered on Wine-Searcher aggregate to 92. The producer describes the 2017 as opening with peach, apricot, honeydew and citrus blossom, with a lemon-curd, creamy texture balanced by acidity.
The community is consistent. On Vivino this vintage averages 4.4 from 1,424 ratings, and the label as a whole 4.3 from 23,850. There are 970 fours and 334 fives. Vintages from 2004 to 2023 with 30+ ratings score 4.1–4.7, and even that Judgment of Paris 1973 has 103 ratings, averaging 4.6.
The aroma keywords run oak, butter and vanilla (2,702 mentions), pear, green apple and apple (2,059), citrus and lemon (1,424), minerals, honey and stone (830), and cream and cheese (494). Butter alone is mentioned 947 times — more than any fruit word. Structure: acidity 3.0/5, intensity 4.6, sweetness 2.2. It leans rich and creamy.
"Oaky, buttery but not too much." — Vivino review, Dec 2020, 4.5
How I drank it
May 27, 2020, 4 stars. I wrote down oak, vanilla, butter, citrus, minerals, stone and grapefruit.
We opened it at a morning picnic. Being the white that won the Judgment of Paris, it came with the prejudice of comparing it to Burgundy. The verdict: it doesn't lose. The typical bouquet and minerals came through, and with the warm sunshine it was lovely. As time went on, the buttery cheese notes rose further.
At the end of the note I wrote: if I'd tasted it blind, would I have picked it as the best white too? That same evening I had Etienne Sauzet's Chevalier-Montrachet and gave it 4.5. So that day I sided with Burgundy by half a point — but I chose with the labels showing. My 4 is below Vivino's 4.4. Unlike the judges in 1976, I knew the name of this bottle when I drank it.
Where this wine shows up
At Steven Spurrier's 1976 blind tasting in Paris, the Chateau Montelena 1973 Chardonnay beat white Burgundies to take first place among the whites. The bottle is at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
Wikipedia — Chateau Montelena · Smithsonian — 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay
A dramatisation of Montelena's road to victory at the Judgment of Paris, centred on Jim Barrett, his son Bo and Spurrier. The real winemaker, Mike Grgich, does not appear in the film.
Wikipedia — Chateau Montelena · NapaValley.com — Bottle Shock: Fact vs. Fiction
Artwork and stills are not reproduced for copyright reasons; scenes are summarised.
Vivino community data
2017 vintage rating distribution (1424 ratings, average 4.4)
| 5★ | 334 (23%) | |
| 4★ | 970 (68%) | |
| 3★ | 114 (8%) | |
| 2★ | 4 (0%) | |
| 1★ | 2 (0%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Oak | 2702 | oak 1019 · butter 947 · vanilla 527 · baking spice 46 · caramel 33 |
| Tree fruit | 2059 | pear 562 · green apple 406 · apple 357 · peach 275 · melon 162 |
| Citrus | 1424 | citrus 654 · lemon 390 · lime 105 · grapefruit 94 · lemon zest 51 |
| Earth & leather | 830 | minerals 310 · honey 179 · stone 165 · ginger 27 · flint 22 |
| Aging & yeast | 494 | cream 318 · cheese 42 · oil 36 · banana 34 · lemon curd 32 |
Structure: Acidity 3.0/5 · Intensity 4.6/5 · Sweetness 2.2/5
Average by vintage (all vintages: 23850 ratings, average 4.3)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 4.6 | 103 |
| 2004 | 4.7 | 34 |
| 2006 | 4.1 | 78 |
| 2007 | 4.3 | 236 |
| 2008 | 4.3 | 230 |
| 2009 | 4.3 | 734 |
| 2010 | 4.2 | 1512 |
| 2011 | 4.3 | 1378 |
| 2012 | 4.3 | 1785 |
| 2013 | 4.3 | 1968 |
| 2014 | 4.3 | 2129 |
| 2015 | 4.3 | 1292 |
| 2016 | 4.4 | 2284 |
| 2017 | 4.4 | 1424 |
| 2018 | 4.4 | 1659 |
| 2019 | 4.4 | 1399 |
| 2020 | 4.3 | 1117 |
| 2021 | 4.3 | 973 |
| 2022 | 4.2 | 933 |
| 2023 | 4.2 | 264 |
Other wines Father scored 4.0 →
Read next
Swipe for more →
Tasted the same dayEtienne Sauzet, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru 2012
France · Burgundy★★★★½
Same grapeDomaine Leroy Bourgogne Aligoté 2014
France · Burgundy★★★★☆
Same grapeDomaine de la Pinte Trousseau Arbois 2018
France★★★★½
Same grapeFar Niente Chardonnay 2019
United States · Napa★★★★☆
Same grapeLucien Le Moine Meursault-Charmes Premier Cru 2018
France · Burgundy★★★★☆
Same grapeMaison Leroy Saint-Aubin Premier Cru Le Charmois Blanc 2002
France · Burgundy★★★★★
Same grapeBenoît Ente Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Clos de la Truffière 2018
France · Burgundy★★★½☆
Same grapeArnaud Ente Bourgogne Chardonnay 2015
France · Burgundy★★★★½
Same grapeDugat-Py Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 2005
France · Burgundy★★★★☆
Same grapeEgly-Ouriet Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru 'Les Crayères' Ambonnay
France · Champagne★★★★★
Same grapeMichel Noëllat Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Les Suchots 2014
France · Burgundy★★★★☆
Same grapeLucien Le Moine Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Hauts Doix 2016
France · Burgundy★★★★★More from Napa, USA
Swipe for more →
NapaFar Niente Chardonnay 2019
★★★★☆
NapaClos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 (Napa Valley)
★★★★★
NapaStarmont Carneros Pinot Noir 2014
★★★☆☆
NapaBlack Stallion Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
★★★★☆
NapaStag's Leap Wine Cellars, S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (Napa Valley)
★★★★½NapaOrin Swift, Mercury Head Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
★★★★½
NapaOrin Swift, Palermo Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
★★★★☆NapaCaymus Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
★★★★☆
NapaClos du Val, Pinot Noir 2016 (Los Carneros)
★★★★☆
NapaNapa by N.A.P.A., Michael's Red 2015
★★★★☆Explore
Bottles Father gave five stars
Only the wines Father scored a perfect 5
→
Wines in manga, film and history
Bottles that show up in manga, film and history
→
Wines you can buy at the supermarket
Wines actually bought at the supermarket
→Frequently asked questions
What kind of wine is Chateau Montelena Chardonnay?
A Chardonnay made by Chateau Montelena in Napa Valley, California. The house's 1973 Chardonnay won the white category at the 1976 'Judgment of Paris'. The 2017 scores 4.4 on Vivino (1,424 ratings), with a Wine-Searcher critic aggregate of 92.
How much does it cost?
Wine-Searcher's world average is US$104 per 750ml (ex-tax, Sep 2026). The 2017 is still available at three overseas retailers, from US$87.99 to US$137.11 (USA, ex-tax).
What food goes with it?
The Vivino community suggests pork, vegetarian dishes, poultry and rich fish like salmon or tuna. With its buttery, creamy texture, it suits fish in butter sauce or roast chicken.
What did Montelena win at the Judgment of Paris?
At the 1976 blind tasting organised by Steven Spurrier in Paris, the Chateau Montelena 1973 Chardonnay beat French white Burgundies to take first place among the whites. The reds were won by the Stag's Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon. A bottle of the 1973 Chardonnay is held by the Smithsonian.
Links & sources
View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher
- Vivino — wine page and community data
- Wikipedia — Chateau Montelena
- NapaValley.com — Bottle Shock: Fact vs. Fiction
- Wine Spectator — Chateau Montelena Owner Jim Barrett Dies at 86
- Wine-Searcher — 2017 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay
Read next
Swipe for more →
Tasted the same dayEtienne Sauzet, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru 2012
France · Burgundy★★★★½Same grapeDomaine Leroy Bourgogne Aligoté 2014
France · Burgundy★★★★☆Same grapeDomaine de la Pinte Trousseau Arbois 2018
France★★★★½Same grapeFar Niente Chardonnay 2019
United States · Napa★★★★☆Same grapeLucien Le Moine Meursault-Charmes Premier Cru 2018
France · Burgundy★★★★☆Same grape