Chateau Montelena

We so enjoyed our tasting! Our host Christian was amazing, he was so knowledgeable and engaging, super impressed!

We had the most incredible tasting this Saturday with Lin! She had such an amazing energy and made us feel right at home as soon as we stepped into the Chateau. She shared all the great history of the Chateau and each specific wine we tried, as well as what to pair them with, etc. But as Lin said it best, they are best paired with friends xoxo Lin's Divas

Just finished reading The Judgment of Paris and seeing Bottleshock the musical, about Chateau Montelena winning the blind taste testing in France in 1976, so was really excited about tasting their wines. The tasting was $40 for 4 wines, including a $200 Cabernet; they were all very good. Best of all, our server, Michael, was so knowledgeable and had tons of interesting stories to tell. Best of all, a colleague showed up and bought us a $200 bottle of Cab to share. Look forward to visiting their winery.

Russell is honestly one of the most informative wine tasting host. Not only did we have great wine but the service was amazing! 10/10 for Russell! Our favorite wine was the estate cab! But a close second is actually the Chardonnay. It's a small tasting room fit for 6 people so if you have 6 people's in your party this would be a great place to go to, very intimate!

WOW! This tasting room is fantastic. Cozy, intimate, fun, and the wine is delicious. But, the true gem here is RUSSELL! I mean, talk about a wine tasting experience! This was one of the most engaging wine tasting experiences that I've ever had. From the intricate details about the history of the winery to actually tasting a vintage magnum from 2003; Russell kept us engaged from beginning to end. I've never been to Chateau Montelena's grand estate in Calistoga, so this was essentially my first time tasting their wines. My goodness! I've been missing out. Seriously! The wine is just dynamite here! First of all; their Sauvignon Blanc is golden. As a die hard Chardonnay lover, this Sauvignon Blanc totally caught me off guard. The beautiful tropical and floral notes, the citrus, the light acidity and minerality. All of the things that I generally love in a Chardonnay (and a white wine in general) were packed into this Sauvignon Blanc. Like, whaaat? It was so light. So refreshing. So balanced. Lightly oaked but enjoyably so. This is not like the Sauv Blancs that I'm used to. I loved it. I purchased it. It was delightful. Mmm.Next, I must rave about their Zinfandel. I'm a Zinfandel gal, so I had a feeling that after tasting that scrumptious Sauv Blanc that I was going to love this Zin. I was right. Jammy with that lovable dark fruit and a hint of spice. Soft tannins that are balanced out by the fruitiness. I've since drank the bottle, but this Zinfandel was my favorite wine from the tasting. Just totally up my alley and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also have to mention that their Cabs are just exceptional. They're definitely bold but oh so balanced. This is what Chateau Montelena is known for, and I completely understand why. The complexity of these Cabs is nothing to play with. Just beautiful wines all around. But aside from the amazing wine, I really loved learning about the history and the family behind the winery. Russell is an amazing story teller. It was almost as if he was once there in a past life. His passion speaks louder than words and you can see and feel it instantly. It also helps that this is a very intimate environment. It's almost like you're one on one with the winemaker. These types of wine tasting experiences nowadays are so rare. Hats off to Russell for providing genuine hospitality and knowledge like this in the tasting room. What a gem he is! A class act and a phenomenal representation of Chateau Montelena Winery. Kudos to my friend Christine to exposing me to this amazing place! The Westin Saint Francis should be lucky to have such a great tasting room in their facility. I'm excited to finally visit their grand estate soon, but I'm even more excited to come back here for another wine tasting experience with Russell!

I believe it is the only tasting room in San Francisco from any winery at Napa Valley. The tasting room is located inside St Francis Westin Hotel at Union Square. Open 7 days a week. Staffs there are friendly helpful and knowledgeable. If you are their club member then tasting is free. Tasting includes a variety of their white and red wine including the estate cab. As club member you can pick up wine subscription there instead of at their winery in Napa. I went there sometimes with friends or visitors before actual happy hour . Wine from montelena is very good especially the estate cab. Will drop by again next time I need to pick up club wine.

Our intention was to visit a nearby Irish pub the evening we stepped in for a tasting at the Château Montelena tasting room inside the Westin St. Francis lobby. We never made it to the pub. Our on a whim decision was wonderfully rewarded. Château Montelena wines are dry to very dry. If this isn't a style or expression of wine you enjoy when drinking than perhaps a tasting with them isn't for you. Since dry wines are what me and my traveling companion have been drawn to over the last ten years, the wines were ideal. We especially enjoyed the Chardonnay because it was missing the buttery finish on the tongue. After our tasting we purchased and enjoyed, back in our room, a bottle of their 2005 Chardonnay with a wood fired oven baked pizza and some meatballs we picked up from a local restaurant. It was a delightful and relaxing last night in San Francisco.Our tasting was with Alexander. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and just what a host of tastings should be, nonjudgmental. I write this because we were dressed to go eat at a pub, not taste and purchase nearly $500 worth of wine. We didn't look like fancy the fancy wine drinkers we actually are and we weren't treated as if we had no business in the tasting room. The downside of this small tasting room for six is that if you start your tasting and another group enters for a tasting, you'll have to listen to all the tasting notes and information which goes with wines you've already finished. That's what happened to us. Also, if the other group that is seated and starts their tasting after you're well into yours is a wine snob you'll be stuck listening to them pontificate. Really would have preferred the other group having to wait a few more minutes for us to finish our tasting as we were well into the second to the last wine.

Stayed at the Westin St. Francis for a quick staycation while hosting a friend from abroad. As a Marriott Titanium member, I was gifted either free continental breakfast or wine tasting for two. Of course we pick the one that has alcohol!My friend and I tried the five item wine flight. The Marriott perk comes with three, but for only $10/person you can upgrade to the five item menu.Service - Solid. There's ONE sommelier working so everyone was quite patient knowing he was doing his best to serve everyone with care. He was SUPER knowledgeable and friendly...a totally wine nerd and I loved it! We tried to tip at the end, and he said in the traditions of old wine houses...they do not accept a gratuity. So classy. Ambience - So elegant and charming, but quite small. I didn't mind standing and perching at a counter.Without the Marriott perk, I would definitely shell out money to do this again on future visits.

A big shout out to Russell! He's named in a number of reviews here and he, as the Tasting Room Manager, really does an amazing job of curating a wine tasting plus a storytelling session of the Chateau Montelena. Popped in while staying at the Westin. It's a small tasting room - literally one room - but it provides an intimate, cozy experience that I do miss while at some larger wineries.All in all, each of the wines were surprising, in a good way! While we didn't buy any this trip, we did bookmark the winery to visit next month when we're closer to Calistoga to really get more of the experience.

Nice wine tasting right in the city. Great education and delicious wine. Such a nice experience.