United States · California

Chateau Montelena

Chateau Montelena's place in wine history was secured at the 1976 Paris Tasting, where its 1973 Chardonnay outscored the finest white Burgundies in a blind tasting—an event dramatized in the film Bottle Shock. Founded in 1882 and revived after Prohibition, the estate is located at the northern end of Napa Valley in Calistoga, where cooler temperatures and volcanic soils produce structured, age-worthy wines. The Chardonnay is the historical trophy wine at auction: 68 lots average $334 per bottle with the 2011 vintage most traded, and historic bottles from 1977 and 1978 are the most active by vintage, reflecting collector interest in the Paris Tasting era. The estate Cabernet Sauvignon averages $158, while the Centennial bottling—a special release—averages $140 across 106 lots with the 1977 vintage the most-traded. The Montelena Estate Zinfandel, from a historic block, trades at $102 average across 97 lots. Peak auction prices of $13,930—almost certainly for a Paris Tasting-era Chardonnay in original condition—underscore the estate's historical significance. Total auction volume: 386 lots at $165 average.