Tasting at Chateau Montelena

For our final day in Napa Valley, we headed up to Calistoga for a 9:30AM tasting at Chateau Montelena. Kevin Jordan, our tasting room host, had a question for us, "Have you seen the movie?" (Bottleshock). Of course, we've seen the movie. The next question, "Do you know how much was fiction?"

"I think I do," I replied, "I read the book, too," (Judgment of Paris-by George M. Taber). I could tell this earned me a bit more respect in Kevin's eyes, he spends a lot of his time during tastings explaining the fictionalized moments in the movie's rendition of the story. We would start our discussion closer to the present time.

Then, from my husband, "That wasn't all true?" I gave him the big eye roll while poor Kevin had to politely return to his usual routine. Many people that visit Chateau Montelena, like my husband, have seen the movie and believe they "know" the story of Bo and Jim Barrett, they are surprised to learn that the movie was not 100% accurate. The tasting room at the winery features some pictures from the movie along with some props and other mementos. These were fun to check out and it was interesting to learn more stories from behind the movie scenes.

The fortieth anniversary of the famed Paris tasting is fast approaching so I was very excited to visit this winery, see the Chateau and taste the new releases. Bo Barrett is still working at the winery, we caught a glimpse of him out in the field on a tractor as we were leaving.

Signed by
the cast of Bottleshock

We enjoyed all the wine that we tasted at Chateau Montelena. Kevin was entertaining and he had a lot of information to share about the winery's history and all the current releases. The grounds are absolutely stunning, we learned that club members are provided several different additional tasting options allowing them to enjoy the beautiful scenery at the lake along with their wine.

A must-do winery stop in Napa Valley, the tasting room is open to the public daily from 9:30-4:00. No reservations are required for the current release tasting which is priced at $25. For the more extensive tasting and tour experiences offered, reservations are required.

The Tasting:

2012 Napa Valley Chardonnay (SRP $50)- Citrus blossom, melon, ripe peach, fresh, delicious
2009 Napa Valley Chardonnay (SRP $50)- Very similar, more honeysuckle floral note.
2012 Calistoga-Napa Valley Estate Zinfandel (SRP $39)- Kevin says this is Bo's pizza wine. Mixed ripe berries, dried herbs, peppery finish
2012 Calistoga-Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (SRP $53)- Spicy, ripe berry aromas, chocolate, smooth
2010 Calistoga-Napa Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (SRP $150)- Juicy dark berries, licorice, coffee, rich, mineral laced finish
2008 Calistoga-Napa Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (SRP $170)- Berry jam, licorice, tobacco, spice, nice structure
2007 Calistoga-Napa Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (SRP $180)- Earthier, dark berries, licorice

All were fantastic wines that I would happily accept more of at any time. I particularly loved the 2010 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon- a bit more elegant, beautifully balanced.

Lust Zinfandel 2007

My husband loves this wine so he purchased quite a few bottles at a recent Michael~David dinner that we had attended. Last night, I decided to open a bottle to serve with dinner. I was making a roasted southwestern pork tenderloin, sweet potato fries (w/ chipolte ketchup) and a salad consisting of baby lettuce (fresh from my garden) with strawberries, red bell peppers, red onions and walnuts tossed with a white balsamic-raspberry vinaigrette. This turned out to be a great pairing. It is a bold wine that really stood up to the strong chipolte seasoning while complementing the fruit flavors. I opened the bottle a 1/2 hour before I served it as I have found this wine to be more enjoyable when I do so. The Lust Zinfandel by Michael~David 2007 was a dark purple color with a ruby rim. It has intense aromas of very ripe mixed berries and baking spices-both allspice and ginger with hints of cedar. It has flavors of creme de cassis, milk chocolate and also more of the baking

Nocera - A Native Grape from Sicily

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The Salta Tour 2012

Vine Connections and Pioneer Wine Company hosted a seminar and tasting event for Houston's wine trade and media at Backstreet Cafe yesterday. All but two of the wines were from the Salta Province of Argentina. Salta is the most northern wine region in Argentina lying close to the Bolivian border. The climate is very extreme due to the high altitude. Plantings start at 5,000 feet above sea level and climb to 9,000 feet, making these vineyards the highest in the world. The intense sunlight the area receives helps to create grapes with more anthocyanins, these are the color pigments which result in softer tannins, lower astringency and more intense flavor. The wines produced are extremely pure, concentrated and terroir specific. Torrontes Riojano which is considered the best of the three Torrontes clones is the most widely planted grape with plantings of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat increasing. The seminar started with a tasting of four Torrontes wines, three from diff

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