Bottle Shock

I'm sure most readers will never have heard of the movie Bottle Shock. It was a little known title released sometime last year. The film stars Bill Pullman, Alan Rickman, and Chris Pine. Its the story of Chateau Montelena, who longtime readers will know is one of my favorite wines.

I finally had the opportunity to see the movie a couple weeks ago. I can't say I was disappointed because my expectations were appropriately low, but it wasn't an exceptionally good movie. The cinematography was everything you would expect of a movie filmed in Napa. It featured the stunning landscape that would be hard to miss if you so much as took a flip mini to make a clip for you tube. The acting was passable, Bill Pullman put in a convincing performance as did Alan Rickman. Where the film fails is that it doesn't rise above the wine story to be more about life.

The highlight of the movie is probably the fact that it centers on one of the greatest wineries in Napa. It stirred me to go out and try to find a bottle of Montelena Chardonnay to share with my parents who were in town. Shockingly we couldn't find one at Binny's or Sams's.

If you are a big wine fan I suggest checking the movie out, but if you are looking for a good movie that stands on its own look elsewhere.