Dominus

Christian Moueix purchased the property which is now home to Dominus Estate in 1980 and began producing wines under his own label three years later. He was looking for an area with a lot of limestones, similar to the soils found around Bordeaux and chose this particular location because it had excellent drainage as well as access to minerals from nearby mountain chains such as Mount Veeder and Spring Mountain that provide an unparalleled terroir. The area that would become the Dominus Estate has been planted with grapevines as far back as 1836 by George C. Yount, an American settler and founder of Yountville. In 1982, then owners Robin Lail and Marcia Smith entered into a partnership with Christian Moueix, owner of the famous wineries Jean-Pierre Moueix in Bordeaux. Since then, Christian Moueix has continued working with Dominus Estate to ensure it produces wines that are true representations of their terroir. In 1995, Lail and Smith sold their shares to Moueix, making him the sole owner. Dominus Estate is famous for producing wines that are smooth, elegant and rich. The wines are fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats to preserve the fruit flavours of their grapes. The winery has been visited by several celebrities such as actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie who purchased a large amount of wine from the estate for their wedding; Prince Charles; Bill Clinton; Julia Roberts; Anthony Hopkins; and Queen Noor of Jordan among others. Their annual production is about 6 7,500 to 12,000 cases.