CALISTOGA, Calif. (January 12, 2004) – On January 26th, Bo Barrett, winemaker and partner at Chateau Montelena Winery, will host a unique and exclusive “Chardonnay Only” wine dinner at Adega Restaurant and Wine Bar in celebration of the winery’s 30th vintage of Chardonnay. Five vintages hand-picked from the winery’s library and spanning more than a decade will be served alongside the recently debuted 30th vintage, the 2001. Adega’s acclaimed chef Bryan Moscatello will apply his expertise to the challenge of matching dishes to the diverse range of textures and flavors that only aged Chardonnays can provide. Tickets for the 7:00 pm dinner are $120 a person, tax and gratuity not included, and are available by calling (303) 534-2222. Adega is located at 1700 Wynkoop Street in Denver.

This exclusive “Chardonnay Only” dinner is one in a series that Chateau Montelena will host across the country this year. This new and ambitious wine dinner format offers a window into the greatness of this grape variety when handled by a world-class winery and when allowed to age. Experiencing the lineup of these Chardonnays side by side with Moscatello’s dishes will be a pure testament not only to the wines’ consistent quality and style, but also to their dynamic versatility, to their ability to express the unique character of every vintage and to the profound transformations that occur through aging.

“Although a Chateau Montelena Chardonnay is always recognizable for its purity and balance, we allow the wine to express vintage character, so we never make exactly the same wine each year,” explains Bo Barrett. “And the wines continue to evolve as they mature, so they offer something new and different each time you go back to them.”

“From the first, we aimed at producing wines that would be enjoyable in their youth but are also structured to age well in the bottle,” explained vintner and Barrett family patriarch, James Barrett. “We’ve never deviated from that original philosophy, and it has served us well.” 

Established in 1882, Chateau Montelena fell into disuse with Prohibition until the Barrett family purchased the property in 1972. That same year they produced the first vintage of Chardonnay under their ownership and direction. Their second vintage, the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, defeated a lineup of prestigious French wines to win the famous 1976 Paris Tasting, the results of which stunned the wine world and proved a turning point in elevating California wines to world-class status. 

Chateau Montelena is located in the Napa Valley at 1429 Tubbs Lane, Calistoga, CA, 94515. The winery is open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. for wine tasting. Tours and tastings can be reserved by phone at (707) 942-5105, by fax at (707) 942-4221 or by sending an e-mail to reservations@montelena.com. Chateau Montelena can be visited on the Web at www.montelena.com.

For more information call Greg Ralston or Amy DePasquale at (707) 942-5105.