Christian Moueix, the owner of Napa Valley’s Dominus Estate and whose family owns such illustrious names in Bordeaux as Château Trotanoy and La Fleur Petrus, revealed to me yesterday his new wine estate in the heart of some of the best vineyards in Oakville. The name of the estate is Ulysses and the wine it is producing is fabulous.
Ulysses is located just east of the Vine Hill estate and about a mile north of Dominus. It is on the northern-most edge of the Missouri Hopper Ranch, for those who know the region. With a long history in Napa, it has deep gravelly soils that are perfect for cabernet sauvignon. The estate was first planted in the 1920s by the Schmidt family, who supplied grapes to some of the top winemakers of the era. More recently, the property was used to produce grapes for wines under the Swanson label.
Moueix bought the property eight years ago and quietly renovated the vineyards and simple barn. An office exists as well as a very typical painted wooden farmhouse. Everything is low key and authentic. It feels like going back in time when visiting the property, especially on a cold and wet weekend in January.
I visited the estate with Tod Mostero, the winemaker of Dominus and now Ulysses, and he was elated with the project. “This is an amazing place,” he exclaimed as we walked the vines under the morning rain.
The 31.5 acres of vineyards are planted to 85 percent cabernet sauvignon, 9 percent cabernet franc and the rest petit verdot.
I tasted three vintages. The 2012 will be released in March and it is expected to sell for about the same price as Dominus. And the 2013 will be in March 2017. The wines are made at Dominus.
The style of Ulysses is distinctly different than Dominus, providing a flavor profile that is gentler and more refined. The tannins are extremely fine-grained and the fruit subtle yet rich.
The 2012 and 2013 Ulysses tasting notes will be included in my first report this week on about 300 wines I tasted last week in Napa. Stay tuned.
Where can I find out more about this wine? I try google search and does not yield any result. Is there a mailing list that I can sign up? Thank you, Dan