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Chateau Montelena

The Californian winery "Chateau Montelena Winery" is located north of Calistoga at the foot of Mount St. Helena in Napa Valley. It was founded in 1882 by San Francisco entrepreneur Alfred Loving Tubbs, who bought 254 acres (over 100 hectares) of land. The name is an extract of "Mount StHelena". At the time, the winery was the seventh largest in Napa Valley. During Prohibition (1920-1933), only grapes were produced and marketed. In 1958, the family sold the property to Yort Wing Frank, a native of China, who created a Chinese garden and a small jade lake, which are appreciated by tourists today. Finally, in 1972, the property was acquired by Jim Barett, who replanted the vineyards and hired the legendary winemaker Miljenko "Mike" Grgich (1923-2023).

The 1973 Chardonnay vintage created by the latter won first place among the white wines at the legendary Paris Wine Tasting in 1976, beating all other Californian and renowned Burgundian wines. His successor Jerry Luper, who worked until 1981, also made a decisive contribution to the high quality standard. Bo Barett then took over responsibility. The vineyards cover 40 hectares and are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Riesling and Zinfandel, among others. The wines are vinified with relatively little wood. The premium wines from the estate's own vineyards include Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Grapes are also bought in.

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