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  • Domaine Carneros Sustainability Awards

Creating the best wines through healthy land, vines, and people.

Since its founding in 1987, Domaine Carneros has pushed the sustainability envelope to ensure the winery lives as lightly on the land as possible while producing world class wines. In pursuit of the highest standards, Domaine Carneros has sought and received certifications from numerous prestigious sustainability organizations. Annual assessments and audits seek out new areas to improve upon rigorous standards of sustainability not only for the winery, but for its place in the community and as an employer.

"We will never stop striving to make better wines with a lighter, more sustainable footprint." - TJ Evans, Pinot Noir Winemaker

Living Lightly On The Land

Domaine Carneros is Napa Green certified, one of the most rigorous sustainability certifications the wine industry offers. We hold both the Napa Green Vineyard and Napa Green Winery certifications for our numerous efforts in water and energy conservation and waste diversion. Water used in the production process is recycled and used to irrigate our estate vineyards. Through composting, recycling, and re-use, over 90% of the winery's solid waste is diverted from landfills. Utilizing a packaging re-use program, Domaine Carneros annually repurposes 20-25% of its cases and inserts, and we have recycled over a million pieces of packaging since the start of our program in 2010. We started composting company-wide in 2013 and have eliminated over 4,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

Domaine Carneros was one of the early adopters of solar power, installing the largest solar collection system of any winery in the world in 2003. Use of skylights, building into the earth, and employing night cooling systems to maintain cellar temperatures all contribute to energy conservation as well as robust employee involvement in daily conservation efforts.

In our efforts to utilize the newest sustainability technologies, in 2023 we were among the first wineries in Napa to install a solar microgrid and battery system. This system captures more solar energy and enables us to store that energy in a battery system which discharges throughout the night, so we are able to power the winery long after the sun goes down. With this system we are able to meet over 75% of the power needs of the winery and allow us to be self-sustaining during power outages.

Solar Panels for Microgrid Battery behind the Chateau

Sustainable California Winegrowing for over 30 years

At Domaine Carneros, sustainability isn’t just a practice, it’s a way of life. From the beginning, sustainability has been ingrained into our company culture and our employees actively make sustainable choices in the workplace, day in and day out. From reducing our single-use plastic usage with reusable water bottles and compostable plates, cups, and silverware in our break room to our annual Earth Day Clean-Up along the Napa River, we subscribe to the notion that even the smallest of efforts can have a major, collective impact.

Domaine Carneros has farmed sustainably since the late 1980s, implementing practices such as owl boxes to encourage natural pest management to taking grape pomace from every harvest and feeding it to local cattle. In 2013, we became certified sustainable by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, and in 2015 we were Fish Friendly Farming certified. This certification is gained through dedicated efforts by the farmer to restore fish and wildlife habitat and improve water quality. We plant cover crops to protect the soil, prevent erosion, and encourage beneficial insects in the vineyard, limit our use of chemicals to protect water quality, and revegetate with native plants to retain the natural biodiversity in our vineyards.

In 2019, we were honored by the California Green Medal Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership Awards for demonstrating "Smart business through efficiencies, cost savings, and innovation from implementing sustainable practices." Only four vineyards or wineries are awarded the medal each year in the categories of Leader, Community, Environment, and Business.

Domaine Carneros Property and Pond

2023 Napa RISE Leadership Award

In 2023, Domaine Carneros was the recipient of the Napa RISE Leadership Award in the category of Waste Prevention & Supply Chain in recognition of our Packaging Reuse Initiative. Through this program we are able to divert over 32,000 pounds of waste from landfills annually, reusing the diverted cardboard up to five times.

Our Values

Domaine Carneros is committed to diversity and inclusion. All visitors, vendors, customers, and employees will be treated equally, respectfully, and with a warm welcome of gracious hospitality, regardless of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, or ability.

Vineyard row with employee checking irrigation tubes

"We've always taken an active role to preserve the health of the land. Our first obligation is to produce delicious wines and we believe this is maximally achieved through healthy vines."

- Eileen Crane, Founding Winemaker