On March 2 and 3 the James Beard Foundation will honor winemaker Christian Moueix of Dominus Estate and Chateau Petrus at the third Legends of Wine fundraising event in Napa Valley. Hosted by Ken Frank of La Toque in Rutherford Legends of Wine will be a weekend of wine tastings, wine dinners and a vineyard tour with Moueix.  Proceeds from the event benefit the James Beard Foundation and the La Toque Scholarship in wine studies.

 “With Legends of Wine we recognize influential professionals within the wine industry,” says Legends of Wine Chairman George Sape. “We are thrilled to be honoring the legendary Christian Moueix whose winemaking style simultaneously respects and emphasizes the unique qualities of the terroir, the grape, and finished wines produced on his many estates.”

As wine production explodes globally, expanding numbers of wine professionals are referring back to Bordeaux and the elegant wines produced from this famed region. In Bordeaux, the names of a few classic producers are evoked,

but none more so than Moueix. A leading proponent of wines as an expression of their terroir, Moueix is zealous about making wines which have a ‘sense of place’ and is fighting against the ‘standardization’ of wines around the world.  Under his direction are a dozen chateaux in St. Emilion and Pomerol, the most renowned of which is Petrus.  In 1981, he discovered the historic Napanook vineyard in Yountville, California and launched Dominus in 1983.

For more information, visit: http://jamesbeard.org/events/other/2008/legends_of_wine.shtml or call the James Beard Foundation at (800) 36-Beard or (212) 627-2308.  

The Carneros Wine Alliance presents its second annual trade auction, Pinot Plus at the Carneros Inn in Napa on March 29. The auction will feature barrel lots and special offerings from established and newly established wineries and vineyard-winery partnerships.

Pinot Plus tickets are available to the trade only and may be purchased through the auction   Web site, www.pinotplus.com. Tickets for the event are $200 per person before March 1; after March 1, tickets will be $250.  Ticket includes tasting from 3-5 p.m. followed by the auction and dinner.)  For information, visit www.pinot plus.com, www.carneros.comor call 253-2678.