Fifty years on, the estate that orchestrated this coup is making its debut voyage to Hong Kong. On January 18, Château Montelena will bring its history – and its formidable cellar – to Lai Ching Heen for a dinner that promises to be as educational as it is indulgent.
To understand the wine, one must understand the dirt. Château Montelena sits on the northern edge of the Napa Valley in Calistoga, tucked at the foot of Mount Saint Helena. The geography here is distinct: diverse volcanic soils and a microclimate of baking days and chilly nights that lends the grapes their signature “nervous” acidity and structural depth.
The estate itself is something of a dramatic anomaly. Founded in 1882 by Alfred Tubbs, the winery is housed in a gothic stone castle carved directly into the hillside – a fortress of fermentation that looks more Bordeaux than California. Revived in the 1970s by Jim Barrett, who cleared the overgrown vines and modernised the cellar, the property is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Bringing these structured, age-worthy wines to a Cantonese table is a bold move. The task falls to Lai Ching Heen’s executive chef Lau Yiu-fai and head chef Cheng Man-sang, who have curated a menu to parry with the estate’s famous Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.
