Domaine Chandon Winery

06/09/2008 Posted by JimShoe

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.

Pros: Oysters are very good

Cons: Tour is a joke

07/05/2007 Posted by maryjatkinson

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.

Pros: Beautiful grounds, lovely wines, and great info from the tasting server.

Cons: Tour guide was very inexperienced and boring.

10/01/2006 Posted by elisabethmartin

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.

Pros: Always enjoyable

Cons: Can't really think of any at the moment

08/17/2006 Posted by adross1

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.

Pros: Location, Service

Cons: View, Bland Food, Expensive for what you're getting

04/19/2005 Posted by merrsf

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.

Pros: None

Cons: Rude, Very Expensive, Mediocre Food

02/16/2005 Posted by thoyles

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.

Pros: Romantic., Great Wine., Great Service!

Cons: Exotic Menu.

12/01/2004 Posted by hotpotatoe333

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.

Pros: atmosphere, good dishes, appetizers

Cons: , small selection

10/05/2003 Posted by miette

Yes it is almost paradise but, I don't think it is any more expensive than other restaurants of it's caliber. His food is exciting, playful, and absolutely delicious. Each dish is an artistic and gustatory expression of the chef, displaying the care and attention of a master in spite of it's transitory nature. The ingredients are superb and if you want a truly amazing meal, this is the place to go. The cost is expensive like any luxury item but worth it.

Pros: Romantic, Attentive, Delicious

Cons: expensive

07/19/2002 Posted by gub

Napa Valley itself is a sort of paradise, and Lunch at the outdoor dining terrance Domaine Chandon is the very heart of that paradise: white tablecloths and champagne, attentive and formal professional service, impeccably restrained dishes such as tuna carpaccio, a fennel salad with herbs from their own garden, and warm chocolate cake, gentle breaths of warm air perfumed by the meadow, the grass lawn, or the cooler dampness of nearby underground stone. You can waste an hour here or three, and forget why you came. Paradise has its price, unfortunately: the lunch is both very good and extremely, almost unconscionably, expensive.

Pros: beautiful, elegant, restful

Cons: expensive restaurant, commercial

07/08/2002 Posted by malojanje

They made a point to let us know that jackets are required for dinner so we got pretty dressed up for this place but there were several people seated that were just wearing shorts and tennis shoes and only one other gentleman was wearing a jacket so, we felt a little overdressed. The food was very good but the meal felt rushed by the waiter.