Wine Labs · Market intelligence
Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Vintages, Blends and Prices in 2026
Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet: winemakers, vineyard and blends from 2014 to 2023, plus prices from 387 shops, 3,863 auction sales and 577 restaurants.
The Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is the top red at Chateau Montelena, at the north end of Napa Valley in Calistoga. It comes from the estate vineyard next to the chateau, at the foot of Mount St. Helena (2018 notes). The Barrett family has owned the estate since 1972 (Bo Barrett biography).
Below is what the winery has published about the people, the vineyard and each recent vintage, and what the wine sells for today in shops, at auction and on restaurant lists. Every blend figure comes from the winemaker's notes on Montelena's resources page. The prices come from Wine Labs data collected on November 4, 2026.
Montelena Estate Cabernet at a glance
| Producer | Chateau Montelena, 1429 Tubbs Lane, Calistoga, Napa Valley |
| Owners | The Barrett family, since 1972 |
| First vintage | 1978, by the winery's own count |
| Grapes | Cabernet Sauvignon, with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot |
| Typical shop price | $214 (median of 387 sellers) |
| Typical auction price | $111 a bottle, buyer's premium included (3,863 sales) |
Who makes the wine
Montelena's notes give 1882 as the year the estate was established (2014 notes). Jim Barrett, the founder of the modern winery, took over the property with his family in 1972. His son Bo Barrett worked harvests while studying at Fresno State, became winemaker in 1982 and chief executive in 2013 (Bo Barrett biography).
Matthew Crafton joined Montelena as enologist in 2008, after finishing his viticulture and enology degree at UC Davis. He became winemaker in 2014 and also took the title of president in December 2025 (Matthew Crafton biography). His name is on every Estate Cabernet sheet from 2014 on.
The 2017 notes count 40 vintages of Estate Cabernet, 1978 to 2017 (2017 notes). The winery lists no notes for a 2020 Estate Cabernet, and we have no 2020 offers or sales either.
Where the fruit comes from
The Estate Cabernet is a single-vineyard wine from the Montelena Estate Vineyard in Calistoga. The winery's vineyard map splits the blocks across three kinds of soil: alluvial (cobbly, gravelly and very well drained), volcanic (mostly rhyolite and tuff), and richer sedimentary loam. The same map dates each block. The oldest Cabernet block on it was planted in 1974, and four Cabernet blocks date from 2020.
Replanting has been a long job. Crafton's biography says the winery has finished its largest replant of the estate in five decades under his watch (Matthew Crafton biography).
Estate Cabernet vintages and blends
The wine is close to pure Cabernet Sauvignon. Across the nine vintages from 2014 to 2023 with published notes, Cabernet Sauvignon ran from 94% to 99.25%. The 2021 and 2022 had the most Cabernet Franc, at 4.9% and 4%.
Share of each grape, from Chateau Montelena's winemaker notes. No 2020 notes published.
| Vintage | Cabernet Sauvignon | Cabernet Franc | Petit Verdot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 97% | 2% | 1% |
| 2015 | 97% | 2% | 1% |
| 2016 | 99% | 1% | 0% |
| 2017 | 97% | 1% | 2% |
| 2018 | 98% | 0.5% | 1.5% |
| 2019 | 99% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| 2021 | 94.1% | 4.9% | 1% |
| 2022 | 94% | 4% | 2% |
| 2023 | 99.25% | 0.75% | 0% |
| Vintage | Blend | Barrels | Alcohol | Harvest | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot | 22 months, 100% French, 35% new | 14.1% | September 1 to October 6 | Notes |
| 2015 | 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot | 22 months, 100% French, 40% new | 14.1% | September 13 to October 2 | Notes |
| 2016 | 99% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc | 22 months, 100% French, 40% new | 13.8% | September 9 to October 2 | Notes |
| 2017 | 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc | 22 months, 100% French, 40% new | 13.8% | September 7 to October 8 | Notes |
| 2018 | 98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1.5% Petit Verdot, 0.5% Cabernet Franc | 22 months, 100% French, 40% new | 14.2% | September 20 to October 25 | Notes |
| 2019 | 99% Cabernet Sauvignon, 0.5% Petit Verdot, 0.5% Cabernet Franc | 22 months, 100% French, 40% new | 14.1% | September 17 to October 15 | Notes |
| 2021 | 94.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4.9% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot | 22 months, 100% French, 45% new | 14.1% | September 4 to October 8 | Notes |
| 2022 | 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot | 22 months, 100% French, 45% new | 14.2% | September 8 to 22 | Notes |
| 2023 | 99.25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 0.75% Cabernet Franc | 22 months, 100% French, 40% new | 13.9% | September 29 to October 20 | Notes |
The cellar recipe is steady: 22 months in French oak every year, with 35% to 45% new barrels. Alcohol has stayed between 13.8% and 14.2%. The 2023 notes give a November 2026 release date.
What Montelena Estate Cabernet costs today
On November 4, 2026, 387 sellers had the wine on offer in a 750 ml bottle. Most are in the US (288 sellers), followed by the UK (22), Hong Kong (11) and Japan (10). Half of all offers sit between $169 and $270, and the median is $214.
Per 750 ml bottle, US dollars, November 2026. Montelena shows no current-vintage price online.
| Channel | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Auction | $111 | Median of 3,863 sales, buyer's premium included |
| Shops | $214 | Median of 387 sellers, all vintages |
| Restaurants | $300 | Median of 577 wine lists |
These three prices don't measure the same thing. Shop prices mix many vintages. Auction prices are what one lot sold for, with the buyer's premium but before shipping, tax and storage. A restaurant price includes service. Montelena does not show a price for the current vintage on its website, so we leave the winery out.
By vintage, shops ask a median of $189 for the 2016, $180 for the 2017, $220 for the 2018 and $215 for the 2021. At auction the same vintages sold for $92 to $118.
Medians per 750 ml, 2012 to 2021 vintages. Each has at least five shop sellers and five auction sales.
| Vintage | Shop median | Auction median |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | $185 | $96 |
| 2013 | $230 | $121 |
| 2014 | $177 | $99 |
| 2015 | $201 | $111 |
| 2016 | $189 | $94 |
| 2017 | $180 | $92 |
| 2018 | $220 | $96 |
| 2019 | $210 | $100 |
| 2021 | $215 | $118 |
| Vintage | Shop sellers | Shop median | Auction sales | Auction median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 14 | $185 | 100 | $96 |
| 2013 | 8 | $230 | 85 | $121 |
| 2014 | 13 | $177 | 84 | $99 |
| 2015 | 7 | $201 | 69 | $111 |
| 2016 | 23 | $189 | 47 | $94 |
| 2017 | 39 | $180 | 58 | $92 |
| 2018 | 24 | $220 | 42 | $96 |
| 2019 | 47 | $210 | 30 | $100 |
| 2021 | 90 | $215 | 12 | $118 |
| 2022 | 13 | $194 | 4 | n/a |
We leave a cell empty when fewer than five sellers or five sales stand behind it. Per-vintage shop figures leave out stores whose listings do not state a reliable vintage.
At auction
We have 3,863 sales with a recorded price, at 36 auction houses, from March 2003 to October 2026. K&L Wines (1,606 lots), Spectrum Wine Auctions (506) and Hart Davis Hart (414) account for the most. The 1997 is the most traded vintage, with 282 sales at a median of $179. The 1978, the first Estate Cabernet by the winery's count, has 79 sales with a median of $273, the highest of any vintage.
Auction prices have moved little. The yearly median has stayed between $97 and $134 since 2012.
All vintages, per 750 ml, buyer's premium included. 2026 runs to October.
| Year | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | $104 | 66 sales |
| 2013 | $118 | 80 sales |
| 2014 | $114 | 145 sales |
| 2015 | $105 | 104 sales |
| 2016 | $97 | 67 sales |
| 2017 | $109 | 179 sales |
| 2018 | $103 | 225 sales |
| 2019 | $104 | 224 sales |
| 2020 | $106 | 266 sales |
| 2021 | $131 | 294 sales |
| 2022 | $134 | 281 sales |
| 2023 | $115 | 234 sales |
| 2024 | $113 | 419 sales |
| 2025 | $110 | 502 sales |
| 2026 | $112 | 561 sales |
| Year of sale | Sales | Median |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 66 | $104 |
| 2013 | 80 | $118 |
| 2014 | 145 | $114 |
| 2015 | 104 | $105 |
| 2016 | 67 | $97 |
| 2017 | 179 | $109 |
| 2018 | 225 | $103 |
| 2019 | 224 | $104 |
| 2020 | 266 | $106 |
| 2021 | 294 | $131 |
| 2022 | 281 | $134 |
| 2023 | 234 | $115 |
| 2024 | 419 | $113 |
| 2025 | 502 | $110 |
| 2026 | 561 | $112 |
On restaurant lists
The wine is on 577 restaurant wine lists in our data, nearly all in the US, collected between February 2025 and November 2026. The median list price is $300 a bottle, and half the lists price it between $180 and $470.
The Estate Cabernet in the Montelena range
Chateau Montelena makes a short list of wines. These are the ones with the most sellers in our data, all vintages together.
| Wine | Shop sellers | Shop median |
|---|---|---|
| Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, Napa Valley | 1,007 | $80 |
| Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley | 919 | $90 |
| Chateau Montelena The Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon | 387 | $214 |
| Chateau Montelena Estate Zinfandel, Calistoga | 81 | $60 |
| Chateau Montelena Potter Valley Riesling | 46 | $49 |
| Chateau Montelena Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley | 26 | $61 |
Buying Montelena Estate Cabernet
The winery's Estate membership gives pre-release access to new vintages of the Estate Cabernet, starting at six bottles once a year. The 2022 product page also offers older vintages from the winery's cellar, with the 2007 at $400 and the 2006 at $500 a bottle. Older vintages also come up often at auction.
See all Chateau Montelena wines on the Chateau Montelena producer page. See live prices and auction history in Wine Labs market data.
Data methodology: Wine Labs data, November 4, 2026, for "Chateau Montelena The Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley". Shop prices are live 750 ml offers from online merchants and wine shops, one price per seller per vintage (the lowest), with each chain counted once, and with multi-bottle packs and the winery's own shop left out. Auction prices are sold lots with a recorded result, buyer's premium included, per 750 ml bottle, with mixed lots and flagged outliers left out. Restaurant prices are one bottle price per restaurant. All prices in US dollars. Blends and cellar details are from Chateau Montelena's winemaker notes, linked above.