“Much of the reason I fell in love with Chateau Montelena and moved from L.A. to live on this magnificent tiny corner of our wonderful ‘water planet’ came from this back-to-the-land movement and we have never wavered in our love of the land and our philosophy of being careful stewards of the place.”  Bo Barrett, Owner

The renaissance of Chateau Montelena Winery and the Estate vineyard started in the early 1970’s. Under the leadership of Jim Barrett, the vineyard was cleared and replanted, and the Chateau outfitted with modern winemaking equipment. He assembled a team to oversee the vineyard and winemaking, then grew and contracted for the highest-quality grapes in the Napa Valley. In 1972 wines were made for the first time. Decades later, this celebrated family-owned winery continues to thrive with Jim’s son Bo Barrett at the helm.