Domaine Chandon Celebrates 40th Anniversary

YOUNTVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--To mark a significant milestone anniversary, Domaine Chandon will host a series of dinners at étoile Restaurant in March and an anniversary celebration in July. The latter will include a Bastille Day event for winery visitors and Club Chandon members. A special cuvee honoring the 40^th anniversary will be released in time for the events in July and will be available at the winery and online. More information is available at chandon.com.

The story of Domaine Chandon began as a vision of Moët-Hennessy Chairman Robert Jean de Vogüé, which was brought alive in 1973 by the passion of John Wright – the winery’s first employee and president. Their collaboration resulted in the first winery to be established by a French wine and spirits producer, Moët-Hennessy, in the United States, marking a turning point in the history of Napa Valley.

Domaine Chandon began to produce sparkling wine, applying centuries old méthode traditionnelle techniques and showcasing the ripe fruit and vibrant character of California.

In 1975, Dawnine Dyer joined the fledgling organization, becoming the first female sparkling winemaker in the U.S. and one year later the winery released its first vintage, a Brut. Guided by Edmond Maudière, Moët & Chandon’s chef de cave, and later Richard Geoffroy, chef de cave for Dom Pérignon, Dawnine developed Chandon’s house-style more than a quarter of a century. Today, Tom Tiburzi, who worked with Dawnine for the first 10 years of his nearly quarter-century tenure, holds the winemaking reigns at Chandon.

The winery began with vineyard holdings in the Mount Veeder and Yountville regions. Within a few years the winery expanded into Los Carneros where few vintners had ventured. Cool-climate varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir – the essence of Champagne – were planted together with Pinot Meunier, resulting in its first commercial bottling in the U.S in 2002. The winery’s Carneros holdings expanded through the years and is now under the direction of Raymond Reyes, Chandon’s long-time director of winegrowing.

As for the winery, it was designed to intimately blend into the contours of the landscape – demonstrating an early appreciation of ecological harmony, whose exemplary environmental credentials are further reinforced today.

Domaine Chandon also brought fine dining to Napa Valley. Its young French chef from Champagne, Philippe Jeanty, masterfully placed emphasis on food and wine pairings that would define Napa Valley as a culinary destination. In the ensuing years, étoile’s kitchen served as a training ground for many of Northern California’s best chefs, and is now under the direction of the highly talented Perry Hoffman.

Domaine Chandon is located at 1 California Drive, Yountville, CA and is open for daily tours, tastings and culinary experiences.

For more information, please visit http://www.chandon.com/visit-us/tours.html