Domaine Carneros

Domaine Carneros was established in 1987 as a joint venture between Champagne Taittinger and Kobrand Corporation. Claude Taittinger selected a 138-acre parcel in the heart of Carneros, Napa Valley, and, after an exhaustive search, the Taittinger family chose Eileen Crane as founding winemaker; she directed the first vintage while also overseeing the planning and construction of the winery. The Taittinger and Kopf families (Kobrand's owners) entrusted Crane with launching the California sparkling wine house in 1987. Kobrand Corporation was founded in 1944 by Rudolph C. Kopf, and the relationship between Taittinger and Kobrand dates back to 1946; Champagne Taittinger's roots trace to 1734. The château, a Carneros landmark, was modeled after Taittinger's Château de la Marquetterie in Champagne. Crane opened the original château in 1987; one secondary source instead gives 1989 as the year the winery and hospitality center were completed. The winery's inaugural release was a non-vintage Brut cuvée, bottled and released in 1988 with a run of 3,000 cases; in 1991 the decision was made to vintage-date the wines going forward, and the first vintage release was 1991. Crane led Domaine Carneros as founding winemaker and CEO for 33 years before retiring in the summer of 2020; Remi Cohen joined as her successor that August. The estate is located at 1240 Duhig Road in Napa; tastings are by reservation, available daily beginning at 10:00 a.m. with the last reservation at 5:00 p.m.

• Joint venture between Champagne Taittinger (roots to 1734) and Kobrand Corporation (founded 1944 by Rudolph C. Kopf); the Taittinger-Kobrand relationship dates to 1946
• Founded 1987; Claude Taittinger selected the 138-acre Carneros site and, after an exhaustive search, hired Eileen Crane as founding winemaker
• Château modeled after Taittinger's Château de la Marquetterie in Champagne; Crane opened the original château in 1987
• Inaugural release: non-vintage Brut cuvée, 1988, 3,000 cases; vintage-dating adopted in 1991, with 1991 as the first vintage release
• Estate at 1240 Duhig Road, Napa; tastings by reservation, daily from 10:00 a.m. with the last reservation at 5:00 p.m.

Domaine Carneros farms six estate vineyard sites totaling 400 acres, all within 4 miles of the château: approximately 250 acres of Pinot Noir and 150 acres of Chardonnay. All of its fruit comes from these estate vineyards, and Domaine Carneros calls itself the only sparkling wine producer to use Carneros grapes exclusively. The Carneros AVA, Spanish for "ram," spans the cool southern ends of both Napa Valley and Sonoma County; its long, moderately cool growing season is shaped by breezes and fog off San Pablo Bay, with temperatures slightly cooler than Burgundy and slightly warmer than Champagne. Like Champagne, Carneros is considered "Region 1," the coolest of the five designated regions. The six named sites are: the original Domaine Carneros Estate surrounding the château, the first and only vineyard the winery had when Crane was hired in 1987 and a source of fruit for Le Rêve and The Famous Gate; Le Ciel Serein ("The Serene Sky"), whose rolling hills along the Carneros Highway were used as the Windows XP desktop wallpaper for many years; Pompadour, added by 1991 on the south side of Old Napa Road and named for Madame de Pompadour, who introduced champagne to the court of Louis XV; Entre Amis, the newest site, planted in 2017 at the western end of Las Amigas Road, half to Pinot Noir and half to Chardonnay; Tula Vista, spotted by the winemaking team in 2011 on Ramal Road next to Donum Estate, with heavy clay soils; and La Rocaille, the smallest of the six parcels and among the first purchased, selected in 1995 on the south side of the Carneros Highway for its light soils. The estate works with more than 20 clones of Pinot Noir across its six vineyards.

• 400 acres across six estate vineyards, all within 4 miles of the château; approximately 250 acres Pinot Noir, 150 acres Chardonnay; 100% estate fruit
• Six named sites: Domaine Carneros Estate (original vineyard, 1987), Le Ciel Serein (former Windows XP wallpaper backdrop), Pompadour (added by 1991, named for Madame de Pompadour), Entre Amis (planted 2017), Tula Vista (selected 2011), La Rocaille (selected 1995, smallest parcel)
• Carneros AVA: Spanish for 'ram'; cool southern Napa and Sonoma, moderated by San Pablo Bay fog and breezes; temperatures slightly cooler than Burgundy and slightly warmer than Champagne; like Champagne, considered 'Region 1', the coolest of the five designated regions
• More than 20 clones of Pinot Noir planted across the six Carneros AVA vineyards

All of Domaine Carneros's California sparkling wines are produced using méthode traditionnelle. Grapes are harvested in the cool of the night to ensure minimal bitterness and tannin in the resulting juice. Sparkling winemaker Zak Miller and his team taste through every individual vineyard block and fermentation, then select which will be blended into each cuvée; the base wines are made like still wines before this blending step. From there the wine undergoes the long, patient méthode traditionnelle process, including tirage, the addition of sugar and yeast to each bottle that triggers the second fermentation in bottle. Vintage-dated sparkling wines are aged in bottle for a minimum of three years. For the tête de cuvée Le Rêve Blanc de Blancs, the winery's figures differ: its winemaking page gives a full six years, while the 2018 Le Rêve's product page gives a minimum of seven years en tirage. Zak Miller took over sparkling winemaking in 2020 after more than a decade on the winemaking team under Crane; before joining Domaine Carneros in 2008 he worked as a forestry scientist, a path he left after his first harvest at Saintsbury Vineyards, followed by harvests in New Zealand and Chile. The still Pinot Noir program began as a side project: one of Crane's early winemaking assistants made a couple of barrels of Pinot Noir each year, and when Claude Taittinger tasted them on a visit, he brought bottles back to sell through his Paris hotel, the Hôtel de Crillon. That enthusiasm led to the winery's first official vintage of The Famous Gate in 1992, made from the first two barrels and named for the antique iron gate at the estate's entrance, itself a gift from the Taittinger family. For the past thirty years the wine has drawn on three old-vine blocks of the historic Swan selection of Pinot Noir, two in Napa and one on the Sonoma side of Carneros; the 2023 vintage blended 80% Swan, 13% Hanzell and 7% Dijon 115 selections and aged 16 months in French oak, 45% new. Winemaker TJ Evans is credited on the 2023 The Famous Gate. In 2003 the winery added a dedicated still winemaking facility topped with 18,000 feet of solar panels.

• 100% méthode traditionnelle for sparkling wines; grapes harvested at night to minimize bitterness and tannin; base wines made still, then blended into cuvées by winemaker Zak Miller and his team before tirage
• Vintage-dated sparkling wines: minimum 3 years on lees; 2018 Le Rêve Blanc de Blancs: minimum 7 years en tirage
• Still Pinot Noir program: began as an assistant winemaker's side project tasted by Claude Taittinger; first official vintage of The Famous Gate released 1992, named for the estate's Taittinger-gifted iron gate
• The Famous Gate sources three old-vine blocks of the historic Swan Pinot Noir selection (two in Napa, one in Sonoma); the 2023 vintage was 80% Swan, 13% Hanzell, 7% Dijon 115, aged 16 months in 45% new French oak

Eileen Crane was selected as Domaine Carneros's founding winemaker after an exhaustive 1987 search; with more than 40 years in the industry, she is described by the winery as widely regarded as the doyenne of sparkling wine in America. She directed the winery as founding winemaker and CEO for 33 years, retiring from the CEO role in the summer of 2020 and continuing afterward as a consulting winemaker. Crane died in 2026. Remi Cohen joined Domaine Carneros as CEO in August 2020, succeeding Crane. Cohen has 20 years of wine industry experience; she holds an MBA in finance and a master's degree in viticulture from UC Davis, and spent her first decade in the Carneros AVA at Saintsbury, Bouchaine, Merryvale and Starmont, rising to Vice President of Merryvale. She then spent ten years at Cliff Lede Vineyards, promoted from Director of Winemaking and Vineyards to VP of Operations to COO, before joining Domaine Carneros. In 2015 Wine Enthusiast named her to its 40 Under 40 list. Zak Miller became sparkling winemaker in 2020 after more than a decade on the winemaking team; he had previously worked as a forestry scientist before a harvest at Saintsbury Vineyards drew him into winemaking, followed by harvests in New Zealand and Chile and his 2008 arrival at Domaine Carneros. The current team also includes Allison Wilson, Director of Vineyard Operations since January 2024, with nine years' prior experience at Cliff Lede Vineyards and a degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo; Michaella Goldner, Associate Winemaker since 2024, with fifteen years' winemaking experience including seven years as Associate Winemaker at Seghesio Family Vineyards; and Gita Mallya, Viticulturist and Sustainability Lead since 2023, holding a Master of Science in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis.

• Eileen Crane: founding winemaker, 1987; CEO for 33 years (1987 to 2020), retiring as CEO in summer 2020 and continuing as consulting winemaker; died 2026
• Remi Cohen: CEO since August 2020; MBA in finance and master's in viticulture from UC Davis; prior roles at Saintsbury, Bouchaine, Merryvale (VP), Starmont and Cliff Lede Vineyards (Director of Winemaking and Vineyards, VP of Operations, then COO)
• Zak Miller: sparkling winemaker since 2020, on the winemaking team since 2008; former forestry scientist before a Saintsbury Vineyards harvest changed his path
• Allison Wilson (Director of Vineyard Operations, since Jan. 2024), Michaella Goldner (Associate Winemaker, since 2024), Gita Mallya (Viticulturist and Sustainability Lead, since 2023)

Domaine Carneros's current sparkling lineup includes the 2022 Estate Brut Cuvée, the 2022 Brut Rosé (a 2022 blend of 57% estate Pinot Noir and 43% estate Chardonnay), the 2021 Single Vineyard Brut 'Entre Amis,' the 2018 Le Rêve Blanc de Blancs (100% estate Chardonnay), the 2020 Ultra Brut, the 2021 Blanc de Blancs, the 2019 Late Disgorged Brut, the 2020 Late Disgorged Brut Rosé, the 2022 Verméil Demi-Sec, a non-vintage Blanc de Noir, and the 2017 Late Disgorged Le Rêve. The still Pinot Noir lineup includes the 2023 Estate Pinot Noir, 2023 Le Ciel Serein Pinot Noir, 2023 The Famous Gate Pinot Noir, 2023 Avant-Garde Pinot Noir, 2024 Pommard Clone Pinot Noir and 2024 Tula Vista Pinot Noir. Recent third-party scores: the 2019 Late Disgorged Brut earned 94 points from Wine Spectator (July 2026), 94 points from Owen Bargreen (April 2026), and 92 points/Gold from the Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge (April 2026); the 2018 Le Rêve Blanc de Blancs earned 94 points from Wine Spectator (July 2026), 97 points and Best of Show/Best of Class Sparkling from the American Fine Wine Competition (April 2026), and 96 points from Owen Bargreen (April 2026); the 2020 Ultra Brut earned 92 points from Wine Spectator (July 2026) and 93 points from Owen Bargreen (May 2026); the 2023 Famous Gate Pinot Noir earned 97 points and Double Gold from the International Women's Wine Competition (dated both May 2026 and June 2026 in the winery's listing), 96 points and Double Gold from the American Fine Wine Competition (April 2026), and 93 points from Wine Enthusiast (April 2026); the 2023 Le Ciel Serein Pinot Noir earned 93 points from Wine Enthusiast (April 2026); and the 2023 Estate Pinot Noir earned 92 points from Wine Enthusiast (April 2026).

• Sparkling lineup (winery prices as fetched September 2026): Estate Brut Cuvée 2022 ($39), Brut Rosé 2022 ($48, 57% Pinot Noir/43% Chardonnay), Single Vineyard 'Entre Amis' 2021 ($84), Le Rêve Blanc de Blancs 2018 ($129), Ultra Brut 2020 ($53)
• Still Pinot Noir lineup: Estate 2023 ($47), Le Ciel Serein 2023 ($63), The Famous Gate 2023 ($95), Avant-Garde 2023 ($37), Pommard Clone 2024 ($63), Tula Vista 2024 ($59)
• 2018 Le Rêve Blanc de Blancs: 94 points Wine Spectator (Jul. 2026); 97 points, Best of Show/Best of Class Sparkling, American Fine Wine Competition (Apr. 2026)
• 2023 The Famous Gate Pinot Noir: 97 points/Double Gold, International Women's Wine Competition (dated both May and Jun. 2026); 96 points/Double Gold, American Fine Wine Competition (Apr. 2026)

Current certifications are Napa Green Winery & Vineyard (since 2014), Bay Area Green Business (since 2014), Fish Friendly Farming (since 2015) and California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (since 2015). The winery's sustainability page gives two of these figures differently in two places: its summary list counts Domaine Carneros as one of only 36 wineries with Napa Green dual certification and dates the CSWA certification to 2015, while its descriptive text gives 34 wineries and 2013. In 2003 the winery installed a solar collection system it describes as the largest of any winery in the world at the time. In 2023 it added a solar microgrid and battery system that supplies up to 70% of the winery's power, allows it to keep running during outages, and reduces its carbon footprint by generating power equivalent to that used by about 50 average homes a year. Other practices include owl boxes and cover crops for natural pest management; recycled water used to irrigate the estate vineyards; composting and recycling of used corks; an average of 85% of the winery's solid waste diverted from landfills; a packaging reuse program launched in 2010 that has repurposed more than 1.2 million pieces of packaging; and company-wide composting since 2013, with roughly 450,000 pounds of food composted to date and 2025 trials begun to compost grape pomace on site. Recognitions include the 2019 California Green Medal Business Award and Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership Award (one of only four wineries or vineyards recognized annually across all categories), the 2025 Sustainable Business of the Year Award from the Napa Chamber of Commerce, the 2024 City of Napa Leadership Recycling Award, and the Napa RISE Leadership Award in 2023 (for its Packaging Reuse Initiative) and again in 2025 (for Energy Efficiency & Savings, tied to the solar microgrid).

• Certifications: Napa Green Winery & Vineyard (since 2014, one of 36 dual-certified wineries), Bay Area Green Business (since 2014), Fish Friendly Farming (since 2015), California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (since 2015); the page's descriptive text gives 34 dual-certified wineries and 2013 for CSWA
• 2003 solar array, which the winery describes as the largest on any winery in the world at the time; 2023 solar microgrid and battery system supplies up to 70% of the winery's power
• Packaging reuse program since 2010: more than 1.2 million pieces of packaging reused; composting since 2013, about 450,000 pounds of food composted; 85% average solid-waste diversion from landfills
• Recognitions: 2019 California Green Medal Business Award and Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership Award; 2023 and 2025 Napa RISE Leadership Awards; 2024 City of Napa Leadership Recycling Award; 2025 Sustainable Business of the Year (Napa Chamber of Commerce)

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.domainecarneros.com/, https://www.domainecarneros.com/our-story, https://www.domainecarneros.com/our-story/our-carneros-vineyards, https://www.domainecarneros.com/our-story/our-people, https://www.domainecarneros.com/our-story/still-and-sparkling-winemaking, https://www.domainecarneros.com/our-story/sustainable-green-practices, https://www.domainecarneros.com/our-wines, https://www.domainecarneros.com/our-wines/top-wine-reviews, https://www.domainecarneros.com/visit, https://www.domainecarneros.com/visit/directions-and-contact, https://www.domainecarneros.com/blog/remembering-eileen-crane, https://www.domainecarneros.com/our-wines/2022-brut-rose, https://www.domainecarneros.com/our-wines/2018-le-reve-blanc-de-blancs, https://www.domainecarneros.com/our-wines/2023-the-famous-gate-pinot-noir. Secondary sources: Wine Industry Advisor (July 15, 2020, Remi Cohen appointment), The Napa Wine Project, Kobrand Wine & Spirits (Domaine Carneros brand page, the winery's importer and joint-venture partner), Press Democrat (June 19, 2026, Eileen Crane). Last verified 2026-10-12. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs; see conflicts.json for the Napa Wine Project 95%-estate-fruit figure, its 50%-ownership figure (flagged for review, see escalations.json), the CSWA-certification-date and dual-certification-count internal inconsistencies, and the Le Rêve aging-minimum discrepancy. Spot something off? Submit a correction: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdM0MsYoQFCpXb4qbSPVM2TBRuC2624pOhrffs7IGhpfGCCQA/viewform