Chateau Montelena 2016 Napa Chardonnay is the #1 Wine of 2019
VinePair just released their list of the 50 Best Wines of 2019 and Chateau Montelena 2016 Napa Chardonnay is at the top of that list. In order to select the Top 50, the editors started with wines that had received A+ ratings. “All bottles must be readily available in the U.S., offer great value for money, and be drinking well right now.”
#1 - Chateau Montelena 2016 Napa Chardonnay
Though its history stretches back to the late 19th century, Chateau Montelena is best known for the success of its Napa Valley Chardonnay during the now-legendary 1976 Judgement of Paris blind tasting. Deemed by a group of (mainly) French judges to be the best Chardonnay of 10 bottles from California and Burgundy, the victory signified a coming-of-age for America’s wine industry, helping place Napa Valley on the map of the world’s finest wine regions. Produced on the 40th anniversary of that historic event, Chateau Montelena’s 2016 Napa Valley Chardonnay shows that the estate is continuing to operate at the highest level. It offers a blueprint for what oaked American Chardonnay should taste like — beyond butter. Instead, elegance and power shine through in the grape’s mineral-driven flavors of fresh melon, apple, and honeysuckle. Meanwhile, careful and considered oak aging provides nutmeg notes and a soft, creamy texture. Buy this wine and raise a glass to the past, present, and future of Napa winemaking.
To see the complete list of 50 Wines, click here.