Description
Chateau Montelena Chardonnay 2019 is a stunning Chardonnay that would make a really special gift for white wine lovers. It’s a complex Chardonnay that smells beautiful with aromas of pear tart, lemons, passion fruit and a hint of spice. The texture is silky smooth and flavours are mainly stone fruits like peaches with pink grapefruit and tangerine, mineral notes and a hint of toast. The finish of the wine is very long with a steely minerality and fruit dominating. If you thought all Californian Chardonnays were big oaky beasts, think again. This is a fruit-driven Chardonnay that is really elegant. Chateau Montelena Chardonnay 2019 really is an iconic wine – I love, love, love it! Winemaker Matt Crafton describes the wine better than I can – see the Producer’s Notes tab for his longer description.
The 1973 vintage of Chateau Montelena Chardonnay 2019 won first place against a host of top French Burgundies at the 1976 Judgement of Paris shocking the wine world and establishing Chateau Montelena as an iconic Napa Valley estate. Second generation winemaker Bo Barrett likes to keep things simple, describing the estate as “A family-owned company that follows the weather”. His approach is to intervene as little as possible and produce wines each year that reflect the Napa terroir and the weather.
Note: the price of this one-bottle gift pack includes Postage and Packaging. If you would like me to get hold of some of this wine to include in your own mixed case, just let me know.
How to Enjoy this Wine
Quite honestly, I prefer to drink this amazing wine on its own as there is so much to appreciate. But its complexity will work well with richer dishes such as foie gras, chicken, ham, pork or veal in creamy sauces, parmesan cheese, mushrooms and truffles. And it is light enough not to overpower lighter dishes such as fish, seafood and chicken.
Serve at: 10 – 14°C
Producer's Notes
“I remember standing at the press as the first squeeze from our first lot of Chardonnay in 2019 began to trickle into the pan . . . and thinking WOW. Even at 6am and at that stage – cold juice scarcely 2 hours removed from the vine – it was clear that the potential for an effusive, rich, complex wine was there.
Nose: Bright gold in color and incredibly aromatic, the ripeness of the vintage is most pronounced initially; melon, perfume, and orange blossom slowly give way to fresh peach, honeysuckle and apricot. There’s very little overt oak influence on the nose, although it comes across subtly in the background as pie crust and toast.
Palate: It’s the suppleness and silky mouthfeel that strike first, although there’s abundant mango and citrus with Meyer lemon here as well. The minerality is chalky and distinct, a beautiful contrast that layers in with the acid adding both complexity and depth.
Finish: There’s slightly more wood on the transition to the finish, surfacing as baking spice and crème brûlée. However, they’re handily overwhelmed by notes of Asian pear, mango and pineapple – absolutely delicious. In time, expect hazelnut and almond to appear.”