Austin Blackwell

9.3

Perfect time to drink. — 10 days ago

with Angelina

JKT

9.1

Very nicely aged Cali Chard that balances new world fruit with old world leanness — 2 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Chateau Montelena — Chardonnay 2023
Napa Valley, California, USA 🇺🇸

Overview
Released as a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the historic 1976 Judgment of Paris, this vintage continues the legacy that forever changed the perception of California wine. Crafted in Montelena’s unmistakable style, it favors precision, freshness, and restraint over richness, proving Napa Chardonnay can be both powerful and elegant.

Aromas & Flavors
Lemon curd, baked pear, crisp apple, citrus blossom, and subtle white peach are beautifully intertwined with delicate hints of wet stone, light vanilla, and restrained oak.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied with vibrant acidity and exceptional balance. Rich enough to satisfy yet remarkably focused, the palate delivers silky texture, impressive tension, and a long, refined finish that never feels heavy.

Food Pairings
Lobster, scallops, roasted chicken, creamy risotto, grilled halibut, or triple-cream Brie.

Verdict
A benchmark New World Chardonnay that continues to set the standard nearly five decades after its historic triumph. Complex, poised, and beautifully balanced, it is a wine that appeals equally to classic California Chardonnay lovers and those who typically favor more restrained Old World expressions.

Did You Know?
The 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay won the white wine category at the 1976 Judgment of Paris, defeating France’s finest Burgundies in a blind tasting and forever changing the reputation of California wine on the world stage. The 2023 vintage celebrates the 50th anniversary of that landmark event.

🍷 Personal Pick
I’m generally selective with Napa Chardonnay, often preferring leaner, mineral-driven styles. Chateau Montelena remains one of my rare exceptions. It captures the generosity of Napa’s sunshine while preserving freshness, finesse, and impeccable balance. This is a permanent fixture in my cellar and one of the few New World Chardonnays I’d confidently pour for someone who believes they don’t enjoy Napa Chardonnay. — 24 days ago

Jody Scharf

9.3

Cherry Strawberry. smooth tannins,
reviews are a just fair...but who cares ?. not me! — 6 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

Founded in 1982 by Koerner and Joan Rombauer and sits on a tree covered knoll overlooking the Napa Valley, with caves that extend for over a mile. Pale lemon color with aromas of stone and tropical fruit, sweet oak, spice and floral scents. On the palate flavors of ripe peach, melon and apple, with vanilla spice, creamy texture. Medium+ finish, well balanced with acidity, ending with mineral notes. — 6 months ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.5

Unicorn. Even the estate doesn’t know the vineyard makeup of this. — 8 months ago

Conrad Green

9.6

Gorgeous. Soft lemon, corn, fresh wet stone, great sizzling acidity. Perfect balance- great length. Perfect time to drink now for my palate. — 10 months ago

with Bex, Walker and 1 other

Conrad Green

9.6

Gorgeous limpid soft lime and wet stone with some hints of peach and a subtle rounded mindshare. Complex, light deft and delicious this us in a perfect place right now — 5 days ago

with Bex and Major-General

Pierre-Alain Chenour

8.9

Interesting Sauvignon blanc. Smell of passion fruit. Mid dry-sweet surprisingly — 2 months ago

Conrad Green

9.5

Still fresh but definitely lots of secondary notes. Pear and wet stone and a light sweetness and salinity. Good tension. Excellent — 2 months ago

with Ara and Paul

Brian Hearty

9.6

2014. Enjoyed a small splash at the end of a great birthday meal at The Oven!
Such pure stone fruit and honeyed aromas and flavors with balanced sweetness and acidity. — 3 months ago

Conrad Green

9.7

Spectacular. Fresh with lime, wet stone, incredible poise and delicacy. Just gorgeous — 4 months ago

with Walker and David

Wulf Losee

9.3

Floral notes on the nose — roses, hibiscus, plus mint, and the dry fragrance of sun-bleached wood. Strawberries on the front. Medium tannic structure. Black tea high notes with hint mint on the mid palate. Citrusy finish with long acidic afterburn. My description fails in that it makes it sound like a light and floral wine. But taken altogether, this is wine is rock solid, and it hasn’t even begun to develop. — 8 months ago

Doug Powers

8.9

Lovely blackberry aromas and flavors up front, nice depth and balance, good acidity, medium-long finish, solid Heathcote Shiraz, lingering finish, very good!! — 9 months ago

with Jim

Bob McDonald

9.7

Definitely one of the best Cabernet Sauvignons I have had this year - also one of the oldest. What a beautiful perfumed nose - red florals, red fruits, mulberry and Spice. A well balanced medium weight palate with those same aromatics coming through on the palate. Smooth resolved tannins. This is the last of a dozen bought on release in the early 2000’s from an excellent vintage. This is living proof of how good Margaret River Cabernet is for top quality Cab. 2 hours later that beautiful perfumed nose never quits. I wish I had a few more bottles left. I do have a magnum of 1996 which needs to be drunk. 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. — 2 months ago

Neil Valenzuela

9.6

Medium straw color. Aromas of pineapple, stone fruit, fig and lemon. Small delicate bubbles, with flavors of tropical fruits and biscut.

🏅97 Points - James Suckling
🏅95 Points - Wine Enthusiast — 2 months ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.1

Steal of a value in the world of Oregon PN — 3 months ago

Tom Garland

9.4

Decant and pour.  On the nose:  dark fruit, pencil shavings, green bell pepper, leather, mushrooms.   Taste:  a brooding, still austere, structured wine with dark fruit, cassis, smoked earth, cigar, minerals, crushed stone.  Some pronounced tannins want you to give it more time for a better score in the future.

At Cote, Last Vegas — 3 months ago

with Brenda and

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

I’ve had a number of PC 96’s over time, none quite this good. The fill line & cork perfect. Very little sediment. Some bottle neck tannin burn. For me, Pontet Canet didn’t really hit its consistent, quality stride until 2005. Doesn’t mean they didn’t make a few beauties before then. Pontet Canet is proof that the 1855 Bordeaux Classification needs to be redone. Unlikely it will in my lifetime.

This 96 maybe just short of its precipice. Stylistically a little better than 94.

The nose reminds me of everything I love about older Bordeaux. Dark core of currants/cassis. Ripe, floral; blackberries, dark, baked cherries, sweet, black plum, poached/strawberries, raspberries, hints of baked rhubarb & blueberries, mixed berry cola. Sweet forest floor w/ leaves, sweet mushrooms, sweet led pencil shavings, steeped tea w/ hints of fruit, charcoal, dry tobacco/leather, some dry herbs, withering dark, red flowers, red roses with violets.

The palate is also everything I love about older Bordeaux. Dark core of currants/cassis. Ripe, floral; blackberries, dark, baked cherries, sweet, black plum, poached/strawberries, raspberries, hints of baked rhubarb & blueberries, mixed berry cola/red vines. Everything I understood the first time standing in the estate vineyard of Pichon Baron. Tasting limestone, dry river stone, dark, rich soils with dry leaves, dry stems. In fact, I’ve tasted vineyards soils everywhere I have been in every world wine region. Basically, everywhere in the wine world that has reliance. Many multiple times. Sweet graphite, steeped tea w/ hints of dark fruit, understated, layered baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanillin, dark cocoa, dark exotic spices, some anise to black licorice, charcoal, dry tobacco with ash/leather, some dry herbs-safe/bay leaf, limestone, dry river stone, dry crushed rocks, dark, rich, earth with dry leaves, dry topsoils, dry stems, withering/dry dark, red flowers, red roses with violets, excellent, rainfall acidity with an extremely well balanced/structured/tensioned, great length and an elegant finish that lasts minutes and falls nicely on dry earth and dark spices.

A very, very slow roll with my Ribcap. Definitely better with the steak than on its own.

This bottle tells me this 96 has plenty of good drinking ahead, another 8-10 yrs+.

ABV is 13%. Disappointing it ever changed. — 7 months ago

Jane Nuss

9.3

Plum, oak, vanilla, pepper, cherry. Bold palate with ripe dark fruits. Blackberry, fig, prune. Silky tannins.
— 2 years ago