A touch of France awaits visitors in the Southern Napa Valley district of Carneros. At Domaine Carneros, a grand eighteenth-century château-style building, architecturally inspired by the historic Château de la Marquetterie near Epernay, France, occupies a low hilltop overlooking their vineyards of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. This local landmark is the home of the joint venture between Champagne Taittinger of France and Kobrand Corporation. Domaine Carneros makes traditional-method champagne, French-style sparkling wine and a limited amount of Pinot Noir and Merlot.

You can park down at the base of the property or closer to the chateau if you don’t want to take the royal stairways up through the gardens. Out in front and along the sides of the château are patios with great views of the region. Inside is an updated visitor area with sit-down table service. Hospitality is clearly a focus at Domaine Carneros, as the staff tends to your every need. The spacious tasting room has two tasting counters, a fireplace, tall windows that take in the expansive view, and glass chandeliers, all creating a very upscale, regal environment.

Tasting is charged by the glass or by a choice of two different “sampler” programs. Also available are cheese plates and caviar for those so tempted. (Wine club members have customized caviar tastings that change monthly.) Tours are at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm and include tastings of three sparkling and one still wine. The price is $25 per person.

Domaine Carneros farms organic vineyards on four separate Carneros sites, growing the traditional Champagne grape varieties of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Their state-of-the-art facility produces handcrafted wines using labor-intensive traditional practices, and the winemaking style is geared toward achieving lightness and delicacy in the finished product. The winery also uses sun-powered photovoltaic systems to produce its own electricity. There are three sparkling wines made, as well as three different bottlings of their Pinot Noir.