Legend of Napa, French fine wine Christian Moueix
Christian Moueix is one of few legendary winemakers to produce wines in both the old and new worlds.
The native Frenchman, who continues to reside in his native country, produces wine from 10 family chateaux including, in Pomerol, La Fleur Petrus, Trotanoy, Hosanna, Providence, and in Saint Emilion, Belair-Monange and Magdelaine. The vintage 2008 marked his 38th year of directing Chateau Petrus, where he remains today as consultant. He is president of Etablissements Jean-Pierre Moueix, the leading wine company of Bordeaux's Right Bank.
In Napa, Moueix has produced 35 vintages as owner of Dominus Estate in Yountville and Ulysses Vineyard in Oakville. A viticulturist at heart, Moueix is ardent about grapevines and vineyards, and has championed techniques such as crop-thinning, to improve grape quality.
In 1982, Moueix formed a partnership to produce Dominus from the historic Napanook Vineyard in Yountville. He adapted his French technical approach to Californian conditions with a focus on grape growing, arguing for dry-farming as both an ecological measure and a means to produce grapes of the finest quality.
In 1995, he became sole owner of Dominus Estate, and with a continual commitment to producing classic wines from the great Napa terroirs, he acquired the Schmidt Ranch in Oakville in 2008.
Moueix is a model for those who love wine. His lifelong passion, focus on quality, stewardship and personal qualities of integrity, rigor and humanity, have earned him recognition over his 40-year career.
In 2008, he was named both a Legend of Wine by the James Beard Foundation in New York City and Man of the Year by Decanter Magazine in London. In 2011, he was awarded Wine Spectator's Distinguished Service Award.
He studied agricultural engineering in Paris before enrolling at the University of California, Davis, where he completed his graduate studies in viticulture and enology.
Moueix and his wife, Cherise, have two children, Edouard, who is executive vice president of Ets Jean-Pierre Moueix; and Charlotte, a wildlife veterinarian in South Africa.
