Chateau Montelena Tasting: Background on the estate

The Judgment of Paris (so subsequently named) pitted an upstart American wine industry against its dominant French counterpart. The event took place at the Paris InterContinental Hotel on May 24, 1976 and pitted six Napa Chardonnays (vintage 1972 - 1974) and six Napa Cabernet Sauvignons (1969 - 1973) against four White Burgundies (1972 and 1973) and four Red Bordeauxs (1970 and 1971). The wines were tasted blind. Attendees, based on Taber's (the Time Magazine reporter present at the event) account, were the judges, Steven Spurrier (the event organizer), two unofficial observers, Taber, and the wait staff.

At the conclusion of the tasting, a California wine had been judged to be the best in each of the two categories: 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay for the white and 1973 Stags Leap S. L. V. Cabernet Sauvignon for the red. According to Robert Parker (a 2001 comment reproduced in Taber’s book): “The Paris Tasting destroyed the myth of French supremacy and marked the democratization of the wine world. It was a watershed in the history of wine.”

Around this time, heroic work by UC Davis (according to Charles Smith) on issues such as pH, sulfur dioxide management, sanitation, oxidation prevention, temperature management, and control of malolactic fermentation led to “an era of clean, competent table wine production.” This base of quality production, plus their success in the Judgment of Paris, caused US producers “to shift from light European knockoffs to big Chardonnays and Cabernets that the French could not match.”

But Chateau Montelena did not succumb to the siren song of big wines. Rather it continued to make wine in the “traditional” manner, a styling that many Napa producers are reverting to these many years later. We will be tasting a vertical of Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignons but, prior to reporting on that, I will provide some background on the estate.

Source: chateaumontelena.com

Key Aspects of Chateau Montelena’s History

The history of Chateau can be broadly divided into two periods: before James Barrett and after his arrival. The period after his arrival includes the stellar leadership that has been provided by his son Bo once he took over the reins. The timelines below highlight the key developments at the estate, and its precursor, during those periods.

In addition to its fame arising out of winning the white-wine title at The Judgment of Paris, Chateau Montelena gained additional notoriety as a result of the film Bottleshock, a full-length caricature of the event which, ostensibley, captures the state of affairs at Chateau Montelena leading up to the tasting. Both James Barrett and Mike Grgich make cameo appearances in the movie.  

A map of the Chateau Montelena estate is shown below.

The Chateau Montelena estate extends over 120 acres. The soils are predominantly alluvial with volcanic soils to the east and some sedimentary soil to the south. 

In a Vant podcast, Winemaker Matthew Crafton provided insights into the Montelena terroir, tactics, and plans. According to Matt, a gap on the west side of Calistoga allows fog from the Alexander and Russian Rivers to enter Napa Valley in its northernmost part.

Chateau Montelena had been planted to AXR1 and St. George rootstocks in the 1970s. In more recent times the winery has set out on a course of improving its wines by improving the quality of grapes grown in the vineyard. They have undertaken a methodical look at the vineyard in order to determine what changes can be made to further improve the fruit and prepare the estate for the upcoming 50 years. A full assessment of each block, row, and slope gradient was conducted as part of this effort.

According to Matt, they started with a blank slate and sought to understand all aspects of soil morphology, how the block had performed historically, and how it had expressed itself in the grapes historically. Based on data, and/or historical knowledge, the following actions were taken:

• Reorient all rows 26 degrees east of north
• Adjust row spacing
• Install rootstocks that were pest and disease resistant and match to soil type
• Place the right grape variety in the right place
• Proper clonal deployment
• Implement irrigation strategies where deemed necessary.

The plan was rolled out over a period beginning in 2019 when two blocks were taken out of service. A methodical process has been followed whereby blocks are taken offline when an equivalent number of blocks are ready to come back online. This proves is expected to be fully completed by 2026.

The wines currently on offer from the winery are illustrated below.

The winemaking strategy revolves around the wines reflecting the vineyard(s) and the vintage; "barrels are never the story."

In the case of white wines, retention of aromas is key. The Cabernet Francs tend to be more aromatic than the Cabernet Sauvignon while the Petit Verdot tends to manifest "more texturally."

In my next post I will detail the actual tasting.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

ViniMilo 2024: The Milo (Catania, Sicily) context

Over the past two weeks I have had the considered good fortune to attend the 44th edition of Milo’s ViniMilo celebration honoring the village and the producers and wines which bring repute to the area. I was honored to be guided during my attendance by Brandon Tokash, good friend and a Mt Etna wine expert second to none.

The middle arrow on the right side of the chart indicates the location of Milo.

I will be reporting on wineries and events that I visited/attended during my stay but wanted to provide some context on the village as a precursor. Brandon suggested that I speak to Paolo Sessa*, the resident historian, in order to gain the required insights. I met with Paolo on two separate occasions and the following material is based on information gleaned during those interactions.

When I first met Paolo and told him that I wanted to discuss the history of Milo, he asked how far back I wanted to go. I was a little confused by that question but he explained that Milo had a pre-history that was steeped in mythology. I bit.

Life, he said, begins in the sea while death resides in the volcano. Vulcan, “the god of fire including the fire of volcanoes, metalworking and the forge in ancient Roman religion and myth,” still lives, according to Milo lore, in Mt Etna, forging weapons of war and farming implements. Good devils live in the volcano with him. Milo is positioned halfway between where life begins and where it ends. For ancient peoples, Paolo said, their mythology was their history so this placement of Milo was symbolically significant.

Paolo is almost certain that the Church of Milo was founded by Giovanni d’Aragona. Most 18th century historians claimed that the church was founded in 1340 but have no historical documents to support that claim. Milo was a Priory from the 14th to the 18th centuries.

In the first half of the 14th century, Giovanni d’Aragona, the ruler of Sicily, lived in Ursino Castle in Catania but periodically moved between Catania and Randazzo where a second royal palace was located. Giovanni realized that Milo was halfway between Catania and Randazzo and, with its plentiful water, would serve as a perfect overnight spot for the two-day travel between the two locations. At this time Milo was called Aqua di lu Milu; it was a place of water.

As it relates to the documented history of Milo, Paolo has discovered two documents detailing different aspects of a 1391 event. The first document was signed by Simone del Puteo, the Archbishop of Catania, and assigned the right of ownership of the priory of L’Aqua di lu Milu to the Benedictine Monk Simone di Miroponte. The second document, signed by Manfredi Aragona, (the political authority), specified the items to be turned over, including the Mill, places of production, houses, foodstuff, the Church, the Monastery, etc. (Currently available literature does not relate this transfer; rather it discusses a transfer from the Certosini monks (Carthusians) to the Benedictines. Paolo says that the initial transfer was to the Certosinis but they left after joining the anti-Pope cause.).

During the 18th century there was a revolution in the ownership of properties in Mascali County (called Enfiteusi), a process by which properties owned by the Church passed to private citizens. Vineyards were planted extensively during this period and wine production became so important that British ships lined up in the harbor of Riposto to transport Milo wines to external markets. Milo thus became a place of wine.

The Evolution of Work in Milo

During the Middle Ages the populace was mostly engaged in the production of coal from wood and construction of wooden homes. They turned to farming in the 16th and 17th centuries, primarily based on vineyard work. Eventually, wine production became the key activity, requiring Palmentos for wine production and cellars for its storage. 

The importance of wine to the economy at that time is illustrated by Paolo with an anecdote. Most of the Milo inhabitants, he said, usually got married in the same month. That timing coincided with the sale of the wines and the acquisition of funds to pay associated expenses.

Construction is a major contributor to employment in Milo and that is driven both by agriculture and the growth in tourism. As it relates to agriculture, there is a lot of new activity around the sale of wine. Young people are returning to the land which their grandparents previously worked but was abandoned in the 60s and 70s. Some 2000 people have gone back to the land as wine has shown that it can be profitable. And new facilities mean new job opportunities for kids leaving school, allowing them to remain on the island.

Tourism is becoming important again. Fifty years ago Milo was a village but has now become a tourist village. It has gone from zero hotels to many bed and breakfast establishments as well as a number of holiday houses.

**********************************************************************

One of the first Etna wines to gain international repute was the Benanti Pietra Marina, a wine crafted from grapes grown in the Milo zone. Due to a mix of climatological and soil conditions, grapes grown in this region are accorded the highest designation in the Etna DOC; Superiore.

There is a consensus developing among US-based Etna wine drinkers that the white wines of Etna are its true stars. If that is so, it places Milo at the pinnacle of growing zones. This seems to be a perception that is also held by producers as the growth in their numbers on the east slope has been significant over the past 5 years.

*Paolo Sessa was born in Avola (Siracusa) but moved

to Milo when he married his wife in 1975. Paolo has taught English for most of his life. His area of expertise is Neurolinguistics and he has written two related books. He has, in addition, written four books on local history as well as other books on broader topics.

Paolo was the Mayor of Milo from 1998 - 2005 and is especially proud of his work in leading the efforts to rehabilitate all of the public, private, and religious buildings damaged during the 2002 earthquake.

Paolo coined the slogan: Milo, the city of wine and music.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme