Dominus Estate

United States, California, Napa Valley

Dominus Estate, owned by renowned winemaker and CEO Christian Moueix (also owner of Pétrus, Trotanoy, La Fleur-Petrus, Hosanna, among others), is part of the Historical Landmark Napanook and is widely recognized as one of the eldest eldest son (1836 ) of Napa Valley, California. The first Dominus wine appeared in 1983 and immediately gained international attention thanks to Moueix’s influence. The domain covers 44 ha, divided into 14 parcels with mainly cabernet sauvignon (87%). However, there is also some petit verdot and cabernet franc. The merlot grape has not been used for the “Grand Vin” since 2002, but is still occasionally used in the Napanook wines.

The Napanook vineyard is nestled in a natural amphitheater at the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains on the west side of the Napa Valley.  Fed by winter rains, its underground springs flow through ancient riverbeds and provide a natural supply of water to its grapevines, allowing them to develop deep roots. The Napanook vineyard encompasses 134 acres, 102 of which are presently planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.  Its gravelly clay loam soils gently slope 3-10%, ensuring natural drainage. The goal is to create ideal conditions for growing grapes by nurturing a vibrant, organic soil, fostering natural flora and fauna, and dry farming proactively.

Winemaker & owner

Dominus Estate

In the world of wine, few have the experience of Christian Moueix. With over fifty years of producing wines in Bordeaux’s Right Bank and thirty-eight in the Napa Valley, his record in both the old and new worlds has given him unrivaled insights. Son of legendary Jean-Pierre Moueix, Christian was born in Libourne in 1946. After completing agricultural engineering studies in Paris and graduate studies in viticulture and enology at the University of California, Davis, he returned to France. At the age of twenty-four, he was given the responsibility of managing his family’s many chateaux, including Pétrus.

A viticulturist at heart, he has worked in the vineyards to pursue each and every means to obtain the highest quality grapes. Identifying the singular expression of each chateau’s terroir, Christian’s viticultural and winemaking approach conveys their individual personality. His wines reflect elegance, complexity, and balance. In 1983, Christian Moueix began producing Dominus from the historic Napanook vineyard in Yountville. In 2008, he acquired a 40-acre vineyard in Oakville from which he launched the first vintage of Ulysses in 2012. As stewards of these terroirs, Christian and his teams are committed to creating optimum growing conditions in vibrant and sustainable ecosystems.

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“Every good craftsman conducts a dialogue between concrete practices and thinking.”

 

Winemaking

Our philosophy

The goal is to create ideal conditions for growing grapes by nurturing a vibrant, organic soil, fostering natural flora and fauna, and dry farming proactively.

  • The Napanook vineyard is organically and sustainably farmed

  • Thorough cluster sorting by hand and optical sorting of the grapes

  • Gentle pump-overs delicately extract aromas, color, tannin, and reveal the personality of each lot

  • Hand-racking barrel to barrel every three months using the esquive

Collection

Our wines

Dominus produces wines that reflect the purity, complexity and character of grapes grown exclusively from the Napanook vineyard. This unique provenance qualifies our wines as estate-bottled, a rarely found designation.
DominusNapanookOthello

Dominus Estate

Dominus

90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot, Napa Valley, United States

The wine opens gradually with sweet tobacco, marjoram and jasmine leading to a resonant core of iron and black plum. Luxurious rich wine with a great nose of cherries and essences of roses. Very velvety taste and intense aftertaste of aromatic cassis.

Dominus Estate

Napanook

87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot, Napa Valley, United States

The Napanook wine is lively and has a beautifully layered, complex nose with aromas of cassis, blackberries and licorice. There are also notes of chocolate and vanilla. The wine has a good balance between fruit, acid and tannins that make the wine nice and lively.

Dominus Estate

Othello

Cabernet Sauvignon: 90%, Cabernet Franc: 5%, Petit Verdot: 5%, Napa Valley, United States

Deep purple red in colour. In the nose aromas of cassis, ripe cherries, leather, menthol, undergrowth and a touch of cedar. In the taste palette notes of ripe juicy small red-black fruit, fresh black pepper, vanilla and a hint of chocolate, accompanied by a long juicy finish with ripe tannins and elegant acidity.