Napa Valley WIne Tasting | Chateau Montelena | Calistoga, CA

Have you seen Bottleshock? Its a fantastic movie about how California’s wine industry surprised the world by making wine that beat French wine in a blind taste test with French judges. If you enjoy wine and Hollywood recaps of moments in history than I highly recommend this film.

With all of the buzz surrounding Chateau Montelena, it has become popular place for wine aficionados and movie-buffs alike. While I really enjoy their wines, what brings me back to this place are the beautiful, park-like grounds. This is Jade Lake:

These serene gardens are open to the public, no wine tasting required. The pagodas are available with reservations for picnics and private parties.

As you wander the paths you’ll probably see dragonflies, ducks, turtles, koi, and possibly an angry crawdad. One blocked our path, and there were at least 6 humans who stopped to let this little guy make his way across (no one fancied getting their toes pinched!!)

After wandering around Jade Lake we made our way up to the Chateau for some vino.

As always, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Chateau Montelena. If you ever find yourself in the Napa Valley make sure you take the time to visit this beautiful and historic place.

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