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 winemaker Jim Barrett and his partners, remaining on board as general manager.
Barbara Funkhouser (March 1, 1930 – August 15, 2014) was an American journalist, newspaper editor, and writer. Funkhouser was the first woman to serve as editor of the El Paso Times, a position she held from 1980 until 1986.
Georges Duboeuf (14 April 1933 – 4 January 2020) was a French wine merchant, and the founder of Les Vins Georges Duboeuf, one of the largest wine merchants in France. The company is known for its popularization and production of Beaujolais wines, leading to Duboeuf's nicknames of le roi du Beaujolais or sometimes pape du Beaujolais (the king or pope of Beaujolais).
