The Chateau Montelana 1973 Chardonnay helped helped put California at the forefront of the wine world by winning first place in the grand tasting at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Paris in 1976.

In 1996, Chateau Montelana celebrated 20 years of that recognition.

Well I saw re-runs of the movie Bottle Shock (starring Bill Pullman) – a fictitious account of Chateau Monetalana's story leading up to the famous 1976 Paris Tasting. That's how Chateau Montelana was introduced to me.

Winemakers Jim Barrett and his son Bo Barrett are are the forces behind Chateau Montelana. Jim Barrett purchased Chateau Montelana in 197 and turned over winemaker duties to his son Bo Barrett in 1982.

These days… when not at the winery not at the winery, Jim Barrett enjoys spending his time playing tennis, fly fishing, bird hunting and skiing.