As winegrowers, we are continually reminded of the profound importance of place. At Realm, where we steward three distinct vineyard Estates in Napa Valley, expressing the character of each site through our wines lies at the heart of who we are. That same fascination with sense of place and its influence on craft naturally extends beyond wine, sparking our curiosity about how place reveals itself in other disciplines. It is this spirit of exploration that inspired our latest collaboration: Realm x Dandelion Chocolate.
We discovered Dandelion, a small-batch producer based in San Francisco’s Mission District, several years ago when we noticed its single-origin, vintage-dated chocolate bars at the city’s Ferry Building. We were drawn in immediately. The idea that chocolate could express place and vintage, like wine, was such an unexpected parallel. Just as we source fruit from singular vineyards, Dandelion builds its chocolate from just two ingredients, cocoa beans and organic sugar. Each bar tells the story of its origin.
Nick Bonamico, Dandelion’s Head Chocolatier, understands the significance of place, having spent 17 years at Bouchon Bakery, including a role as pastry chef for Bouchon in Napa Valley. As he explains, cocoa beans, like wine grapes, reflect where they are grown. Always cultivated near the equator where it is hot and humid, cocoa grows in pods, its seeds encased in a gelatinous pulp. Upon harvest, the cocoa beans are fermented in the cacao fruit pulp in tiered wood boxes lined with banana leaves. The cocoa beans are then dried prior to shipping. Dandelion, one of the first small producers to make its own chocolate from just two ingredients: cocoa beans and sugar, has developed close relationships with specific farms, cooperatives, and growers from several countries, among them Colombia, Madagascar, and Ecuador.
“Each country and grower imparts a signature flavor that’s impossible to miss,” says Nick. “And like wine, the style is further influenced by the length, temperature and handling of the fermentation.”
As we learned more about Dandelion and its dedication to craft, we developed the idea of a Realm x Dandelion Chocolate inspired by our three Napa Valley Estate vineyards: Moonracer, Houyi and Farella. To our delight, the chocolatier was game. In 2024, Nick and the Dandelion team came to our Houyi Estate on Pritchard Hill to meet us, taste through the wines and learn about our three Estate properties. Their impressions sparked conversation and shared ideas, and eventually, three Estate-inspired bonbons:
- Houyi: A tribute to Pritchard Hill’s rocky terrain evoked by a crunchy hazelnut floating in velvety ganache, infused with French lavender and coffee, and wrapped in Colombian chocolate.
- Moonracer: An homage to this quintessential Stags Leap District vineyard featuring Madagascar chocolate with juicy cherry pâte de fruit and rich acorn praline.
- Farella: Silky Ecuadorian chocolate and a porcini ganache with candied chestnuts capture this cool, forested Coombsville site.
As Nick notes, “Our inspiration wasn’t about pairing chocolate with wine, but about translating a sense of place into flavor. It’s another way of storytelling.” We couldn’t agree more. These bonbons aren’t just sweets; they’re an invitation to experience our wines from a different perspective, to reflect on the places behind them. They embody curiosity, craftsmanship, and the belief that place can be tasted in many forms.
Available exclusively through Realm and released in October 2025, the limited-edition set of 15 bonbons (five of each flavor) arrives in a bespoke box beautifully wrapped in Japanese linen with a custom tag and insert.
To access our Realm x Dandelion Chocolate collaboration, click here.
