When the dear Lord set the bar high, Jimmy was born!
My Love, gratitude and a lifetime of happy memories
Born on November 8, 1926, in Chicago to Irish immigrants John and Margaret Barrett. The family moved to Los Angeles in the 1930’s where Jim found his first job selling newspapers on a street corner. As a member of the Robert Bosworth Mitchell Boys Choir he appeared in many movies and radio programs. He graduated from Loyola High School, UCLA (Bachelor of Arts Degree, 1946) and Loyola Law School in Los Angeles (1951).
After service in the US Navy as a submariner, he founded a successful law firm in Los Angeles, where he was Senior Partner for over 20 years, and served as President of the South Bay Bar Association.
Being an incurable romantic, Barrett discovered the empty stone chateau and dilapidated vineyards at the northern end of Napa Valley, and decided that the historic Chateau Montelena Property was the perfect place to realize his dreams.
“I wanted to do something to make people happy,” Barrett often said.
In 1972 Barrett and his family purchased Chateau Montelena Winery and replanted most of the original vineyards to Cabernet Sauvignon and completely refurbished the winery, completing the “rebirth” of the Estate. The first few years he still lived and worked in Southern California, so he “commuted” to the winery on a regular basis in his airplane.
While waiting for the Cabernet Sauvignon vines to mature, the winery produced Chardonnay. In 1976, under Barrett’s leadership, the winery skyrocketed to the forefront of world-class wine making after its 1973 Chardonnay was selected as the top-rated wine over the other entries, including four white Burgundies and six California Chardonnays at the “Paris Tasting”.
When asked about the victory, Barrett simply replied, "Not bad for kids from the sticks."
In 1982, Barrett turned over winemaker duties to his son Bo Barrett. Up until his death, Barrett remained actively involved in the operations of the company, and the celebrated family-owned winery continued to thrive with him at the helm.
When not at the winery, Barrett enjoyed bird hunting, fly fishing, skiing, tennis, flying (Ret.), scuba diving (Ret.) and chess. In 2010 he published his book A Pilgrim’s Journey. Active in charitable work and philanthropy, he served for many years in various capacities for Friends of the Orphans, which operates homes for orphaned and abandoned children in Latin America and Haiti. He was a longtime member of the Thomas Aquinas College Board of Governors. In the local community he was a pioneer in developing affordable housing and the Calistoga Community Pool. He was a Director of Family Winemakers of California and President of the Napa Valley Vintners during the organization’s formative years.
Barrett is survived by his wife of 33 years, Judy, and by his children Stephanie, Bo (Heidi), Michael (Barbara), Kevin and Gabriela, their mother Laura Barrett (Jack), and five grandchildren, Seamus, Max, Remi, Chelsea and Sean, and by many nieces, nephews and dear friends.
• Memorial contributions may be made to the Jim Barrett Memorial Fund at the Napa Valley Community Foundation.
• For Mr. Barrett's tribute page on the Chateau Montelena website, please click here.