Moone-Tsai Wine

We are delighted to present Moone-Tsai's rare and remarkable wines, whose pedigree is rooted in an extraordinary combination of exceptional fruit, terroir, and artisanal winemaking. With a commitment- to, and experience-in creating notable wines...including the production of three celebrated #1-rated wines in the world; we created Moone-Tsai Wines with the simple mission of crafting the finest wines we know how.

As founders and owners who are entrenched in every aspect of our winery operations, we exercise great care to make sure that the wines we produce and present live up to the "simple mission" that we abide-by. Moreover, as devoted and long-time residents of our cherished Napa community, we take special pride in sharing these wines that bear the "best of the best" fruit from among Napa Valley's most prized vineyard blocks.

Through the years (if age and "domain expertise" count for anything), we have come to appreciate the essential elements of inspired winemaking and well-crafted wines. Indeed, extraordinary fruit, painstakingly thoughtful winemaking technique, and great French Oak are foundational; ...with our accumulated experience, time-nurtured relationships, core operating values, and unwavering commitment to excellence as the difference-makers.

Welcome to Moone-Tsai. We are proud to share these remarkable limited production wines, whose subtle balance of elegance, structure, power and finesse are a striking embodiment of the noble lion, protector of Bacchus, who graces our label.

Our approach to vineyard sourcing takes full advantage of our long-standing relationships with some of the finest growers in Napa Valley. Within this, we identify and source extraordinary fruit available from coveted vineyard blocks that can be found across Napa Valley's most heralded AVA's and districts. Among these vineyards, for our:

Cor Leonis Cabernet: Draws its prized fruit from Oakville's heralded To Kalon Vineyard, Pritchard Hill, and Caldwell Vineyard's legendary Block-15 – whose vines have flourished in the rocky, volcanic soils of the heralded Coombsville District for over 30 years.

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: Much of the fruit for this wine was sourced from the Caldwell Vineyard in Coombsville, an area of southeast Napa Valley where soils are characterized by a unique blend of red volcanic soils and clay. The vineyard is planted on a gently sloping plateau, and the comparatively temperate climate of the area, versus the warmer territory up valley, serves to lengthen the growing season. The grapes are allowed to achieve full ripeness without the pressure of heat extremes common in warmer areas, and low vigor soils throughout the vineyard create small, dense clusters.

Howell Mountain Hillside Blend: The grapes that made this wine were grown in an east-facing hillside Howell Mountain vineyard perched 2100 feet above the Napa Valley floor. The terraced vineyard is planted on an extreme slope, producing thick-skinned clusters capable of creating a wine with intensity, structure, elegance, and weight.

Napa Valley Chardonnay: Bald Mountain, a neighbor of Mount Veeder, is situated in the Mayacamas Mountains on the western border of the Napa Valley. The south-facing vineyard sits at nearly 1600 feet above sea level, and offers stunning views of both the Sonoma and Napa Valleys, as well as of Marin's Mt. Tamalpais to the south. Cool sunshine is abundant throughout the growing season, allowing the grapes to ripen slowly while varietal character evolves completely.

Sonoma Coast Chardonnay: The backbone of this wine hails from the Charles Heintz Vineyard located in Occidental, near the rocky Sonoma County coastline. The 30-year-old Chardonnay vines are planted on deep, desirable Gold Ridge Sandy Loam top-soils – to which many attribute the unique varietal expression shown by Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grown in the Sonoma Coast and Russian River appellations. The nearby Pacific brings deep and cooling fog over the vineyard nightly during the growing season, encouraging patient ripening and the development of delicate flavors.

With our mission to craft the finest wines we-know-how, our philosophy is rooted in our approach to winemaking. Straightforward in concept, but requiring meticulous attention to detail, we leverage our long-standing grower relationships to secure extraordinary fruit available from Napa Valley's most notable vineyards and districts, including Coombsville's Caldwell Vineyard, Oakville's To Kalon, along with coveted blocks on Pritchard Hill and Howell Mountain.

With the "best of the best" fruit at the wine's core, our winemaker, Philippe Melka then painstakingly plies his craft; making sure that: "Where possible, ...the winemaking techniques in the cellar can create a wine that tells the story of the vineyard." Carrying this approach through every aspect of winemaking, from harvest, to declassification, blending, and barrel/bottle-aging; the end result is a stunning reflection of a core philosophy grounded in a simple, elegant design, and practiced with ardor, persistence, and inspired winemaking.