In the heart of Napa Valley, amid hundreds of Napa Valley wineries, Chandon California’s bubbly presence stands out among the rest, thanks to Pauline Lhote, Winemaking Director. While Lhote crafts wines of elegance, the Chandon team has implemented its innovative prowess with the creation of new guest experiences that best highlight Chandon’s sparkling wines.
Following three years of renovation, the doors of Chandon are fully open for guests to sip elegant wines amid various spots on the property. This year, the winery celebrates 51 years in business in its new, reimagined home.
Creating special-designated spaces with tailored menus for tastings is a way Chandon can accommodate several groups and pair its wine and food. For instance, one group of guests can book a tasting flight in a designated area on the property while another group settles in a spot for a sparkling wine-tasting lunch. The winery also has cabanas on the sprawling grounds of the Chandon Garden that have been redesigned to accommodate spaces for private groups and are especially alluring in the spring.
Immersion in nature has been a significant focus of Chandon’s objective in reimagining its home. The idea was to create purposeful, functional, and breathtaking outdoor living spaces to host an array of wine-tasting experiences and to do so with the incorporation of natural elements. Inside, the color palate and textures were selected to emit an elevated sense of welcoming. And then there’s the wine and food pairing.
CULINARY EXPERIENCES
Chandon offers a five-course Culinary Journey with a price-fixed, wine-focused menu. Collaborating with Lhote, the wine flights are selected before a team of chefs pairs seasonal culinary flavors. The Chandon team supplies its own produce but collaborates with local farmers, vendors, and their international community to better share its global story.
The Culinary Journey carries on the tradition of exceptional cuisine at Chandon, highlighting limited edition sparkling and still wines from the cellar, all served in the winery’s newly renovated Epicurean Hub with panoramic garden views.
Garden Cabanas are where guests relax during the spring/summer season that begins in April, with a popped cork of Chandon Brut and Rosé to kick off an effervescent celebration for a dozen or so guests.
A communal style Togetherness Lunch is also offered with dishes inspired by the flavors of Chandon that span four continents. Guests will discover the house style from the garden’s edge over a paired farm-to-table menu.
Each grape harvested from the vineyards tells a story of the sun-soaked days and cool nights that define Napa Valley. To best convey bud break to veraison to picking, Harvest Time Events are seasonal favorites in August and early September. Groups can experience the feeling of harvest in the valley, beginning with an early morning walk downhill to the vineyard before heading for a tasting and light bites.
TASTING FLIGHTS
With a variety of experiences, there’s something for everyone at Chandon California, including tastings catered to casual walk-ins. The winery is a masterpiece of architecture, seamlessly blending modern design with the rustic charm of wine country. Guests are delighted to stroll through the manicured gardens while sipping Chandon’s finest sparkling wines.
Three tasting options include Chandon Signatures, meant to explore Chandon’s mastery of the Method Traditionelle and the local creativity that goes into its portfolio of exceptional wines. Be prepared to sip étoile Rosé with its cocoa notes and raspberry palate for this flight. Chandon Terroirs highlights the estate’s lands with its breezes, rugged mountain tops, and warm valley floors, represented by a tasting of Chandon’s 50th Anniversary Winemakers Blend. Chandon Mavericks adds a twist to tasting with its experimentation of Garden Spritz Tea.
Chandon also offers a Nature Series experience to educate guests on its sustainability efforts. This includes a pairing of wines with talks from Chandon partners.
UNDER THE OAKS
From the main arrival courtyard to the property’s oak grove, Under the Oaks is Chandon’s bespoke experience under the majestic oak trees that offer an exquisite view of Yountville, in the heart of Napa Valley. Reservations for this tasting may be made for 12 guests to enjoy curated food and wine pairings while perched on an elevated, private platform. The idea is to share a private sensory adventure amid the sounds of gentle music in the midst of nature’s breeze to revel in the effervescence of Chandon wines. Guests can indulge in off-menu library cuvées paired with layers of flavors that capture the essence of each sparkling wine.
With any experience on property, the clinking of glasses and laughter echoes through the winery, a testament to the enduring spirit of California winemaking. And within its atmosphere of creativity and conviviality, Chandon California guests are guaranteed to savor the beauty of life, one sip at a time.
