Fine Wine: New World Wines
Live Virtual Auction, 18 September 2022
New World Wines
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
About this Item
Chateau Montelena is one of the most prominent Napa Valley wineries. It was directly associated with bringing international recognition to the California wine industry through the 1976 Judgment of Paris. Where its 1973 Chardonnay was deemed the best of a lineup of top wines from California and France. The victory upset the French dominance of the wine industry, catapulting California producers onto the international stage, and opening the door for New World producers. For more than four decades, the Barrett family has made wine at Chateau Montelena, garnering accolades for wines that combine intensity and power with lush, rich texture wines that express the unique characteristics of the land they came from, rather than techniques used in the cellar.
Provenance
Coats Family cellar.
Critics Ratings
‘Served from magnum. Bright golden colour. Expressive, gourmandise nose calling to mind an artisanal patisserie of cooked pineapple, a liberal dose of toffee, peanut brittle and macadamia nut cream. The palate moves away from bakery to fruit: tropical, ripe and luxurious. The fruit is lifted by a bright seam of acidity that supports and electrifies the whole. A truly lovely wine that seems caught in a spotlight right now in its development, singing beautifully.’ - Clare Tooley MW, Decanter, 94/100 (Oct 2021)
‘The 2011 Chardonnay is beautiful. Lemon oil, melon, white flowers, spices and a hint of pastry all take shape in the glass. This is a surprisingly broad, creamy Chardonnay for the year. The aromas and flavors are bright, but they are shaped by considerable texture and volume. The 2011 was aged mostly in neutral oak, with 8% new barrels, while the malo was blocked as is the custom here.’ - Antonio Galloni, Vinous, 92/100 (Nov 2013)
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