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Chateau Montelena

What I really wanted to know from Bo Barrett this spring was the true story of the blonde babe who, according to the movie "Bottle Shock," worked at Chateau Montelena in 1976, the year of the famous Paris tasting. What a letdown: she was a plot device (hey, it worked for me). Other news here, of course, is that the blockbuster purchase of Chateau Montelena by Michel Reybier, owner of Cos d'Estournel, fell through in part because of the sharp rise in the value of the dollar not long after the deal was announced. However, Chateau Montelena appears set to make a number of key improvements that Reybier had called for during the original negotiations, including the redesign and reconstruction of their winemaking facility and cellar within the old "chateau." Barrett described the 2007 vintage here as an easy one, with good ripeness. "We picked chardonnay in early September, which is good, and then we took our time for the cabernet." He went on: "There was lower fruit quantity in 2006 due to the extreme heat during the second half of July and a second hot spell around Labor Day, but we still consider '06 to have been a late and cool year; by comparison 2007 is a more showy vintage, a louder vintage." Barrett emphasized that Montelena has never been among the latest pickers: "Our wines have to age, so we don't pick overripe fruit."

From Focus on California's North Coast (May 2009) by Stephen Tanzer

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2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Release Price: $52

Color: Red

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