The traditional gift for the 45th anniversary is sapphire, and while those gemstones do add a twinkle to an evening, the 45th anniversary of the founding of the Domaine Chandon winery in California calls for something even more sparkling.
On March 26, 1973, our friends at Moët Hennessy founded the M & H Vineyard in California, the first sparkling wine producer in the United States. The vineyard was renamed Domaine Chandon in 1975, and by 1979 it had sold one million bottles of sparkling wine (that number would reach seven million by the winery’s 10th anniversary in 1983).
The popularity of Domaine Chandon wines is soaring and the winery continues to rack up 90+ reviews and industry awards. Most recently the winery took home the title of “Domestic Winery of the Year” from the 2018 International Wine and Spirits Competition: Sommelier Challenge, based on a blind taste-test by sommeliers.
To celebrate the winery’s rich past, impressive present and bountiful future, Chandon has released a limited edition, 45th Anniversary Blanc de Noirs, available throughout the winery’s anniversary year.
This release not only pays tribute to the incredible history of the Chandon name, it serves as a bridge to the next chapter of Chandon, one led by a new generation of winemakers like Pauline Lhote, the new Director of Winemaking for Chandon. The limited-edition Blanc de Noirs is the first wine overseen by Lhote from grape to bottle, offering a taste of where the country’s oldest sparkling wine producer will be heading next under her direction.
The bottle will be a must-have for collectors and Chandon-lovers. Made entirely from Pinot Noir and Meunier grapes, the wine is a faithful expression of California’s Napa region, with a crisp acidity and bright fruit flavors that are hallmarks of the cool California climate which has proven so hospitable to Chandon.