James L. Barrett (November 8, 1926 – March 14, 2013) was an American businessman and the owner of Chateau Montelena which won the

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new ...

competition of the 1976 Judgment of Paris

wine tasting Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward. Modern, professional w ...

Early life and education

Barrett was born November 8, 1926, in Chicago to Irish immigrants John and Margaret Barrett, who moved their family to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

in the 1930s. He spent his early years selling newspapers in Los Angeles before entering the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...

in 1946 and his law degree from

Loyola Law School Loyola Law School is the law school of Loyola Marymount University, a private Catholic university in Los Angeles, California. Loyola was established in 1920. Academics Degrees offered include the Juris Doctor (JD); Master of Science in Legal ...

in 1950.

Career

Barrett first purchased Chateau Montelena winery with Ernie Hahn in 1972 from

Lee Paschich Leland J. "Lee" Paschich (September 13, 1914 – October 5, 1993) and his wife, Helen, purchased the Chateau Montelena property from Yort Frank in 1968. In 1972 Paschich sold 90 percent of the property—retaining a 10-percent stake—to winemak ...

, retaining him as a general manager, and hired Mike Grgich to be his winemaker. Barrett uprooted the Chasselas, Alicante Bouschet, and Carignane that had been previously planted and replanted his acres with premium

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Leban ...

. The winery purchased outsource Chardonnay grapes while waiting for the Cabernet vines to be ready. In 1982, he turned over winemaker duties to his son Bo Barrett. Barrett was portrayed by Bill Pullman in the 2008 film '' Bottle Shock''.

Personal

Barrett died March 14, 2013, in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

at age 86. He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Judy; his children from a previous marriage, Stephanie, Bo Barrett, Michael, Kevin and Gabriela; and five grandchildren.

References

1926 births 2013 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War II American winemakers American viticulturists Loyola Law School alumni People from Napa County, California History of Napa County, California Place of birth missing United States Navy sailors University of California, Los Angeles alumni Wine merchants People from Chicago 20th-century American lawyers {{wine-bio-stub