Dominus acquires vineyards in Yountville
A Napa Valley winery has acquired about 86 acres of vineyards in Yountville for about $30 million, according to county records.
Dominus Estate Corp. acquired in July the two parcels from Markham Vineyards, a division of Lion Nathan USA Inc. The parcels are next to Dominus’ historical Napanook vineyard in Yountville. The deed was filed July 17.
Dominus owner Christian Moueix, who also owns started to produce wine from Napanook in 1983. Moueix has also owned Ulysses vineyard in Oakville since 2008. That vineyard has been replanted.
According to Dominus’ website, Napanook is about 134 acres, 102 acres of which are planted in vines. Ulysses is a ranch of about 40 acres.
A woman who answered the phone at Dominus this week said the winery would not take over the new vineyards until after this year’s harvest. She referred further questions to a spokeswoman who could not be reached to comment on the transaction.
Moueix, who also owns properties in Bordeaux, is known for his passion for viticulture.
“You need 20 years to understand a vineyard,” Moueix told Wine Spectator publisher Marin R. Shanken in 2024. Moueix makes wine without a “recipe,” he told the magazine.
Dominus produces on average 5,000 to 7,000 cases annually, Moueix told Wine Spectator. Recommended retail prices have hovered about $300 a bottle.
Longtime vineyard appraiser Tony Correia who was not involved in the transaction, said the price paid for the new vineyards was “about right.”
The deal makes a lot of sense, he added, because they are right next their existing winery.
Deals are still being done, Correia said. There is a certain segment of the wine industry that is doing fine, he said. “And I think you’ll see those people taking advantage of opportunities to acquire more properties.”
“It’s a very difficult time,” Correia said, referring to the wine industry’s financial difficulties. “Some folks,” he added, “are not going to survive the year.”
But the wine industry will survive, Correia said.
Dominus’ winery, designed by Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, was completed in 1997. The first Dominus vintage was in 1983.
Moueix, who also managed his family’s Chateau Petrus in Bordeaux for 38 vintages, continues to produce wine from family-owned properties in France.
A Markham representative could not be immediately reached to comment on the sale.
