Springtime in Napa – Chateau Montelena

/ Bulldog Travels

Visiting Napa this last week made me realize I never posted photos from the last time I took Spring photos in Napa a few years prior.  Now seems as good a time as any to share photos from Chateau Montelena, the winery famous for putting Napa wines on the map in the 70’s when good wine was only known to come from France and Italy.

The grounds here are the most spectacular I have visited in Napa.  The asian-inspired garden is magnificent and truly doesn’t even need the wine to make it enjoyable. The grounds are a perfect place for a blanket and a picnic.  The garden theme doesn’t exactly match the facade of the building though.  However, as separate and distinct items they are both noteworthy and stunning.

Have you ever been to Napa?  Who do you think has the most beautiful winery?  I feel like I could go back every spring foe ten years and not even come close to capturing all of the beautiful wineries.  But, I will sure try.

To check out my other Spring Napa photos please click here. 

Too pretty for color
Mama duck let me get way too close. Maybe she couldn;t help but be zen in this garden?
Pretty cool facade huh?
No Napa post is complete without wine barrels
This bottle put Napa on the wine map

56 thoughts on “Springtime in Napa – Chateau Montelena”

  12. BEAUTIFUL pictures from Napa! I was just there this past February and the views are simply stunning – no matter where you are, but especially at some of the vineyards. The roses and fruit there are out of this world gigantic! One of my favorites was Cliff Lede -gorgeous outdoor sculptures, beautiful vineyards with outside patio, and a delicious pinot noir. Thank you for this post on Napa, I enjoyed it immensely.

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  13. Interesting post, though I’m not that into wine. But I do like visiting wineries for some reason…perhaps the concept of growing and transforming stuff into other stuff? And I just love the photos…the top right flower shot…stunning!

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    • Thank you Fishy. Napa can just be a wonderful place to be whether you are drinking wine or not. The food is very good most places you go. The weather is lovely this tome of year. There is a lot to do around and it is all with the backdrop of wine. I’m with you though, it is typically about everything but the wine. 😉

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  18. What gorgeous photos, Jenny! I haven’t been to Napa in many years, but now I want to go back – soon! 🙂

    BTW, you may have noticed that things have been quiet at Gallivance. Our travels have been (temporarily) suspended because I blew out my knee and recently had to have total knee replacement surgery. Not fun, but I’m working hard on recovery. We haven’t forgotten about our friends and want things to get back to normal. James and I are looking forward to catching up with you and finding out what you’ve been up to. In the meantime, thanks for continuing to follow along.

    All the best, Terri

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    • Wow, thanks for the update. I actually did notice. But, I just figured you were taking a blog break. (I have been too.) Busy at work these days. However, I did just get back from Paris a few weeks ago and need to get to editing my photos so I can start posting about them. And I am hoping to attend the Calavaras County Jumping Frog Jubilee this weekend which should surely bring some funny and interesting photos.

      Bot, sure am sorry to hear about your knee. I hope the surgery was successful and you are healing quickly and easily. Maybe you can transition to a few “easy on the knee” travels like Napa or something where there isn’t a lot of walking or hiking involved to ease yourself back in to it. Get well soon! Thanks for the note.

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    • Oh wow. Well, thank you very much. It was fun to do. We like to go once or twice a year and I always take as many photos as I can. Fall is my favorite time of the year there though. The colors are amazing and the crowds are smaller.

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  20. I lived in Southern California for three years. Been to NorCal quite a few because my parents live there, but I always think of Napa as being too far and quite intimidating to explore, to be honest. 🙂 I’ve heard so many great things and read many blogs about Napa. Of course, I still dream of visiting it someday.
    Incredibly outstanding photography! The crisp and clarity is just awesome! Thanks for the virtual tour. I gotta get there someday. I got to. 🙂

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    • It’s not intimidating at all. There is a bit of traffic and there can be crowds at some of the wineries. I prefer going in the fall. It seems like the crowds are less. Or even in the winter, it isn’t as pretty but it is still nice. There is a lot to explore. You could spent a nice long weekend or even a week if you wanted to see it all. It also depends a lot on how much wine tasting you actually want to do or how much site seeing. But, the food is extraordinary.

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  24. We went to Grgich Hills on Father’s Day and had a surprise encounter with the legend who actually made the Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that beat the French in the Judgement of Paris. Check out and follow our blog, which includes an article about our visit and meeting with Miljenko (“Mike”) Grgich.

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