Produced from the historic Napanook vineyard in Yountville, California, Othello is a wine that expresses the singularity of its exceptional terroir and is accessible and enjoyable in its youth.

It was at the famed Napanook vineyard that Christian Moueix established Dominus Estate in 1983. An historical site, it was the source of fruit for some of the finest Napa Valley wines in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Notably, the vineyard’s history can be traced back to Napa Valley’s beginnings, when in 1838 George Yount, for whom the town of Yountville was named, first planted grapevines there.

Today, the vineyard produces three wines: Dominus, its flagship, Napanook, and Othello. A model for its sustainable farming practices, the Napanook vineyard has been hailed for its dry-farming, which shuns watering the vines, thus spurring them to draw deeply on the land’s unique geology.

The resulting wines are an expression of this unique vineyard. In 2021, Dominus Estate received its CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers) certification for organic farming practices.

Meticulous viticultural and winemaking practices are undertaken with the objective of producing wines that are pure, balanced and complex. Minimal intervention and restraint throughout the process of grape berry selection, fermentation and aging preserve the character of the fruit. The resulting wines are an expression of this unique vineyard.

Vibrant, earthy, purple plum and cacao.

The 2023 growing season was defined by exceptional rainfall, cool spring temperatures, and a notably delayed harvest. Total rainfall from July 2022 through June 2023 reached 51 inches, making it the fourth wettest year since 1998 and significantly above the historical average of 31 inches. Cold temperatures in March delayed budbreak by approximately two weeks. June continued the cool trend, recording an average temperature of 62°F, the coldest since 1998, compared to the typical 66°F. Despite a warm summer and early fall, vine development remained behind schedule. Veraison occurred roughly two weeks later than average. However, thanks to sustained warm conditions, ripening progressed evenly.