Dominus Estate
In the late 1960s, while attending the University of California at Davis, Christian Moueix fell in love with the Napa Valley and its wines. Son of Jean-Pierre Moueix, the famed wine merchant and producer from Libourne, France (Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix), Moueix returned home in 1970 to manage the family vineyards, including Châteaux Pétrus, La Fleur-Pétrus, Trotanoy in Pomerol, and Magdelaine in Saint-Émilion.
His love of Napa Valley lingered, and in 1981, he discovered the historic Napanook Vineyard, a 124-acre site west of Yountville that had been the source of fruit for some of the finest Napa Valley wines of the 1940s and 1950s. In 1982, Moueix entered into a partnership to develop the vineyard, and in 1995, became its sole owner. He chose the name ‘Dominus’—or ‘Lord of the Estate’ in Latin—to underscore his longstanding commitment to stewardship of the land.
In 1997, the estate unveiled its landmark winery designed by renowned Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron. The innovative building utilizes wire gabions filled with local basalt rocks, creating a structure that integrates flawlessly into the landscape while providing natural temperature control ideal for aging wine.
Under Moueix’s leadership and Director of Winemaking Tod Mostero, Dominus has become a pioneer in dry-farming and ecological viticulture in Napa Valley. The estate continues to garner global critical acclaim, with recent vintages—such as the highly sought-after 2021 vintage—earning perfect 100-point scores from premier wine critics.
