Dominus - Napa Valley

We always assume wineries want to have visitors; the more people coming through the property the better, "it is good PR" someone said to me once.

I thought that was true until we visited Dominus in Napa Valley. The owner, Christian Moueix a French native, feels different. After he purchased the land, came the need to build the winery. To him that means a place where the production of wine takes place and offices are housed and he wanted to keep it that way, so he hired a duo of brilliant architects and the guidelines were: I want to be invisible, sustainable and non-obstructing.

They couldn't dig because it will disturb the alluvial soils that the vines were sitting on and therefore disturb the growth of their roots.

So they built above. From far the building blends nicely with its surroundings and once you set foot inside it is inevitable to realize the masterful work. 
The concrete frame is "wrapped" by a layer of wire cages filled with rocks of many sizes. What this does is control the temperature inside the structure by allowing warm and cold air to be trapped and used as needed. During the night the rocks absorb the cold which keeps the building cool during the day, and during the day the outside rocks slowly absorb heat to keep the place warm through the night. There is no need for an air condition or heating - problem solved sustainably!
A cool feature is the multiple reflecting areas inside the offices allowing the inhabitants to see the vineyards from every angle, also by design. 

Another brilliant idea in the construction of the winery came from the need of having a cool enough room to age the wines. Since they couldn't go underground they had to figured out a way to meet the clients needs, again in a sustainable away. Sure they did! This room has vents on each side that open every day very early morning to let the cold fog and wind in for a couple of hours which keeps the room at a perfect aging temperature through the day.

The attention to detail in the construction of the winery is the continuation of the obsessive attention to detail that goes into each and every step of the process of making their wines.
Dominus is known to produce some of the best wines from California and by visiting the vineyards and winery we were able to understand why it is considered an icon..
The viticulture practices are strict and focused on perfection of the wine through the analysis of every determining geographical and cultural factor.
Dry farming as close to 100% as possible, no chemicals used to fight pest or to provide nutrients, resting of the land for 3 years after vines have been pull and before replanting. Many practices used in his [Moueix] homeland which allow the wines to have a better expression of the land and its climate.

It was a true pleasure to visit Dominus and learn about their family history, practices, unusual building and see first hand the hard work, dedication and passion put into the making of their wine.

By Paula Thomas