2018 Dominus Estate Napa Valley

Dominus Estate, owned by famed winemaker and CEO Christian Moueix (also owner of Pétrus, Trotanoy, La Fleur-Petrus, Hosanna, among others), is part of the Napanook Historical Landmark and widely regarded as one of the oldest vineyards (1836) of Napa Valley, California. The estate was bought in 1946 by the legendary winemaker and visionary John Daniels, and passed to his daughters in 1970.

In 1982, they entered into a partnership with Christian Moueix, which resulted in Dominus Estate. Moueix bought all the shares in 1995 and is therefore now the sole owner. The first Dominus wine appeared in 1983 and immediately gained international attention thanks to the influence of Moueix.

Dominus Estate produces a second wine, Napanook, first marketed in 1996, and a third called “Othello”, an entry-level wine. The domain covers 44 hectares, divided into 14 plots with mainly Cabernet Sauvignon (87%). However, it also says 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 winery, which was built in 1996, is made of stones held together with metal wire and represents the terroir of the vineyard. The architectural style is completely in harmony with the landscape and protects against the heat during the day and the cold at night.

The vineyard's origins at the Napa Valley cult winery Dominus Estate date back to 1836, when it was known as the Napanook Vineyard. This makes it one of the oldest vineyards in California, and therefore also in the United States. Napanook later became part of the Inglenook winery, which in turn became the property of California wine pioneer John Daniel in 1946. After his death, his daughters Robin Lail and Marcia Smith inherited the 44-hectare Napanook vineyard in 1982 and asked oenologist Christian Moueix to partner with them. At the time, Christian Moueix was director and winemaker responsible for top Bordeaux wine estates such as Petrus, Château Trotanoy and Château La Fleur-Pétrus. With the first vintage 1983 of this new Californian
winery Christian Moueix chose the name Dominus Estate. The fact that Christian Moueix has pledged his heart to Dominus Estate, of which he has been the sole owner since 1995, is apparent from his total dedication and commitment to achieve the ultimate result. Dominus is a wine with a clear Bordeaux aristocracy with the use of grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.