Domaine Carneros Chateau
1240 Duhig Rd, Napa, CA 94559
Website: https://www.domainecarneros.com/
When driving down Highway 121 in Carneros, it is hard to miss the chateau of Domaine Carneros set upon a hill off the side of the road. On a nice day, there are often people sitting on the terrace in front of the chateau overlooking the stairs and beautiful landscape leading up to the winery. Sipping bubbly at an elegant French chateau overlooking a vineyard on a sunny day is everything I dreamed wine country to be.
Domaine Carneros is owned by the Taittinger family who are famous for producing Champagne in France. The chateau of Domaine Carneros was built to resemble the Château de la Marquetterie in France where Pierre Taittinger began making champagne in 1934. Visitors who are interested in doing a tasting without a tour can choose to sit at the indoor salon or outdoors on the terrace. It is possible to sample a flight of wine or purchase it by the glass or bottle. This winery is a nice place to relax at a sit down tasting.
My husband and I have visited the chateau twice. The first time we opted for the tour. This was not the most impressive tour that I have been on in Napa Valley, but it did provide a basic overview of how sparkling wine is made. The tour began with a video that provided some history about Domaine Carneros and the Taittinger family. Then the tour guide took us up to a glassed-in area where he talked about the riddling process and we could see how the wine was bottled. At the end of the tour, we were taken to a private salon to sample some of the sparkling wine. I felt like our tour guide was really trying to push us to join the wine club. Although most of the wineries do this, I found him to be more aggressive than others.
Sipping bubbly on the terrance at Domaine Carneros
The second time we visited we set up a reservation for a tasting on the terrace. Even though reservations are not required, I would recommend setting one up via the website because the terrace tastings are very popular. This time my husband and I wanted to sample more of the wines and selected two of the bubbly flights to share along with a cheese plate. The view from the terrace is pretty. This winery makes high quality sparkling wines that have won many awards. We enjoyed the sparkling wine and cheese, but I find their wines pricey. I have tried other sparkling wines in Napa and Sonoma that I would choose over Domaine Carneros. The downside of our second visit is that we were seated at a table that was directly in the sun and we felt like we were broiling while doing our tasting. There are some shaded tables beneath umbrellas but unfortunately they were all taken.
My sense from both visits is that this winery leans on its French family roots to drive up its prices. However, it is good quality wine if you are willing to pay a little extra. I would recommend bypassing the tour and spend the time sipping a glass of bubbly on the terrace instead.
View from the terrace at Domaine Carneros