Domaine Chandon Winery

Doesn't Recommend

Winepeople

Joined 5 years ago

Skip it!. Skip this winery. We've always found Chandon's sparkling wines average at best, but we decided to stop by and see if the winery had some reserves or something special in their tasting room that might change our mind. Instead we had a young man serving us who couldn 't care less about telling us about what we were sampling, it was almost as if we were bothering him. Contrary to Napa's reputation of often having some smug hosts working their winery's tasting rooms, we found this the only winery in the area that had a terribly poor server. If you're young and into being hip and lounging around in a sterile tasting room that has the feel of a vegas hotel concierge lounge, then this is for you. They have some inexpensive wine and you can sit around with friends and milk a bottle over conversation. But if you are shopping for wine and would like an attentive host to tell you about what you are sampling, skip this place. Drive into the Carneros area and try Domaine Carneros. They'll treat you very well in a beautiful winery and their wine is much much better.

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justbieb

Joined 5 years ago

Best Sparkling Winery in the area. Chandon is the best Sparkling Winery in the area. The bar area is open and enjoyable, the staff is knowledeable about their wines. One of the best places to begin your wine tasting for the day. They have beautiful grounds and an excellent upscale restaurant. I would highly recommend tasting or dining at Chandon.

Doesn't Recommend

JimShoe

Joined 5 years ago

Worse winery tour in Napa Valley. In the twenty years of showing friends and family the Bay area, I've never been so remiss as this last weeks tour of this winery

The tour is a joke, no views of the bottling facility, nothing about the riddling process or view of the cellars, and the tour guide was un-informed to boot.

If spending 10 bucks for a 25 minute waste of time is your thing, then this is the place.

Do yourself a favor, go here for the wine but avoid the tour.

The wines are good and the oysters at the oyster bar are very good.

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maryjatkinson

Joined 7 years ago

As long as you don't get "Meredith" leading your tour.... Unfortunately, when you spend $20 to get a tour at a winery, you expect to get your money's worth -- not listen to some bumbling just-out-of-college valley girl who spent last night getting plastered. The poor girl probably hadn't been working at the place for very long, but it was painfully obvious that she had no clue as to what she was talking about and was distractingly distracted by everything! She could barely finish her sentences without breaking into an excuse about why she was "out of it" and "spacing out" about the tour information. It seemed she should have been shadowing a more experienced tour guide, or if she wasn't new, should probably have been cut from the touring job already. At any rate, the tour was disappointing, since we heard such wonderful things about it prior to our visit; however, the tasting was great and our server was genial and informative. I think his name was Matt??? Anyway, good place to visit and do the tasting, but pass on the tour if you get anybody who seems inexperienced.

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

A secluded California estate where sparkling wines are made in the French tradition.. In Short
Dedicated to sustainable agriculture and making minimal impact on the land, Domaine Chandon is a smooth blend of Californian ideals and French tastes. The winery was founded in 1973 by European beverage conglomerate Moët-Hennessy and is recognized for its innovation in viticulture and adherence to the French tradition of sparkling wines.

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elisabethmartin

Joined 7 years ago

Wine tasting in the middle of winter is amazing. My favorite beverage in the wine country is champagne so Domaine Chandon is heavenly for me. Ive dined at the restaurant for lunch on a number of occasions as a guest of my host so I am unfamiliar with the service charge mentioned in the other reviews, however the service has always been impeccable so I dont doubt that the staff deserves to be tipped accordingly. As for the dining room experience, even though the summers can be uncomfortably warm Ive been surprised that while dining al fresco we have always been very comfortable. The view is different than other wineries, but it is aesthetically pleasing even if it doesnt offer grand vistas of vineyards. My most memorable moments in the wine country have occurred here, not in the dining room, but in the tasting room, during the middle of winter in the very off-off season, mid-week. The people who pour have always been very friendly and accommodating and the experience, along with a flight of champagne, makes even the most overcast and dreary day pleasant.

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adross1

Joined 7 years ago

Food missed expectations. Nice dining room. The ceiling was designed to look like you are inside of an oak barrel. The walk from the parking lot to the restaurant is very pleasant. The view from the dining room however, only looks out onto a small lawn. Don't you think a restaurant at a winery should look out at the vineyard?? Service here is white glove. The maitre d watches over the dining room like a hawk and the moment you run out of something or finish a plate he has someone spring immediately into action - this is not an exaggeration. The menu is quite limited. A few appetizers and a few entrees, or a prix fixe meal. We opted for the regular menu which proved to be awfully bland for a place of this caliber. I asked the waiter to suggest a bottle of sparkling wine that would pair well with our entrees - what a surprise - with all the ones on the list he picked the most expensive one. When I asked if he had a less expensive second choice he actually said this was the only sparkling wine that would work! The hard upsell was annoying. Mostly because of the food, this place is only a slightly above average dining experience.

Doesn't Recommend

merrsf

Joined 8 years ago

Rude staff, mediocre food, huge checks. Awful.. I enjoy dining out regularly and have enjoyed meals at restaurants all over the world. This restaurant, however, was possibly the worst experience I have ever undergone. The service was cold, patronizing and borderline rude, we were hurried to finish each plate of the tasting menu. Even for a tasting menu, the portions were both insultingly tiny and of mediocre quality. The 'so-called' matching wines were equally small. The only thing huge was the check. Accompanied by tax and an automatic unannounced 20% service charge, it was nearly $400 for the two of us. There was nothing about the experience to recommend it. Not only will I not visit this place again I could not in all conscience recommend it to anybody other than my worst enemy.

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thoyles

Joined 8 years ago

Lovely place to visit with someone you love.. I enjoyed this little escape to heaven. The sparkling wine was by far the best around! Our waitress was full of info and on her toes. I liked the dessert & desert wine. The poached filet was not to good, it stole the flavor from the meat. Maybe add a couple of traditional entrees with the exotics, for the picky eaters. :) That would be the only thing! Everything was so enjoyable! Romantic...We will be back for sure.

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hotpotatoe333

Joined 9 years ago

beautiful setting. The long walkway that leads to the restaurant is absolutely breath-taking, although inconvenient. The restaurant itself glows with warmth and is very roomy. I found the menu quite small, but every dish was executed very well. The Chanterelle mushrooms were light and tasty, but I found the appetizers far more interesting than the entrees. And when did restaurants begin including a 20% service charge regardless of party size? I don't mind tipping well, but I've never encountered such a practice before. Our service was pleasant, but a bit inattentive. The crowd ranges from very upscale to semi-casual. I would consider the restaurant itself somewhat formal.