403 Forbidden

I’ve often wondered what compelled the Moueix family to name their latest Californian project after the hero of the Trojan War. Odysseus (Ulysses in Latin) spends a decade-long journey battling monsters and storms while exploring themes of perseverance, loyalty and, above all, homecoming. The Moueix family themselves are from Bordeaux; surely California could not feel further from the familiar shores of the Dordogne?

A quick look back in time sheds some light. Christian Moueix, who purchased Ulysses in 2008 (then part of the famed Charles Hopper Ranch), first came to California to study viticulture and oenology at the University of California, where he fell in love with the Napa Valley and its wines. Fast forward to 1981, when he discovered the historic Napanook Vineyard, a 124-acre site that had provided fruit for some of Napa's finest wines of the 1940s and 1950s and would eventually become the vineyard of Dominus. It was here that Christian gained the experience and understanding that would later underpin his second great Napa Valley project.

Nestled amongst the verdant surroundings of the southern part of the Oakville AVA, the 14 hectares of the Ulysses project has a rather understated presence, with a single wooden structure overshadowed by the Mayacamas mountain range that forms the backdrop.

Similarly to the western part of Napanook, the vineyards here sit on an alluvial fan, with clay and gravel forming the upper soil layers. These fast-draining soils create the perfect foundation for Cabernet Sauvignon, which accounts for around 90% of the vines, with the remaining 10% devoted to Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

If Dominus is to be described as the family's first great venture in the US, the purchase of Ulysses, more than 20 years later, can be seen as a delayed return — an American homecoming, if you will.

Daniel Sensini
Fine Wine Buying
July 2026