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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.2 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 108 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by nywine68 on 5/10/2024 & rated 96 points: Remainder of the bottle after first Coravin sample. Drinking beautifully. Smokey nose like a Haut Brion. Tannins alive and well given it a solid structure. Full round dark fruit. Blackberry, eucalyptus and some wet ears on the finish. A nice core of acidity makes this feel 20 years younger than its 40 years. (65 views) | | | Tasted by nywine68 on 4/5/2024 & rated 94 points: Very "Bordeaux-like". Not a typical California fruit-forward Cab but more balanced with plenty of freshness and acidity. Very fine grained tannins give it a beautiful structure. Brambly blackberries and earth and leather. Medium-light body. Elegant. (289 views) | | | Tasted by galewskj on 1/25/2024 & rated 95 points: Semi-guys night (My house): ROCKNROLLERs bottle. it is a bit dark and brooding. Scorched earth, saddle leather, a bit of funk. It was quite smoky. (836 views) | | | Tasted by rocknroller on 1/25/2024 & rated 96 points: Guy's Night: Aged Bordeaux/Bordeaux Blends (Joe & Khem's Place, Mpls): Very dark red color, 4mm transition. Splash double decanted; drank a glass plus over 3 hours. This was firing on all cylinders for me tonight. It drinks youthfully in comparison to its 40 year age in fact. But this is in a sweet spot for my taste. Really perfumed on the nose, with leather and menthol in the forefront, mint, deep dark fruit of cassis and black cherry. There's still a juiciness to the palate's red and black fruits, very earthy, velveteen texture, dried wood, menthol, leather, lovely tannins, and very good length. One of my all time favorite Dominus vintages. This checks all the boxes for me, and in a flight of really outstanding, and comparable wines qualitatively, it was probably my favorite tonight. (873 views) | | | Tasted by MN Wine Junkie on 1/25/2024 & rated 94 points: 5 Guys and a Gal! (Casa Joe & Khem): See Rocknroller's notes for bottle treatment.
Let me start by saying this is the best bottle of this vintage Dominus I have tasted (and I have had this wine at least 3 times). This wine is (not surprisingly) dominated by tertiary flavors. However, there was a streak of red and black fruit (cherry and cassis) that even my palate could detect (which was a huge plus!)
Nose and show some cherry and lots of earthy notes, leather and tobacco. Palate follows suit with the addition of some cassis, tar and a streak of menthol. This was a very nice wine that I enjoyed (but I think others enjoyed even more than I?
94 points for me! Loved this bottle....a testament to the adage there are only good bottles of older wines, and this was a good one! (878 views) | | | Tasted by dchain on 10/1/2023 & rated 90 points: From original purchase. Mature brick red colour. Nose is dominated by furniture wood, with just a touch of mint. No fruit left. Still a lot of tannic/extraction structure and wood left in the palate which is basically all your get on the lengthy finish, like sucking on a wine dipped wood chip. No discernible fruit left on the palate. Was a great year but I think these are on their way to a slow decline. Drink up or sell given the auction value. (1027 views) | | | Tasted by skifree on 5/31/2022: This was slightly flawed. The cork was completely saturated, and though it passed muster on initial taste, the final glass showed some wet cardboard on the nose. The wine was all earth and mushroom at first, but then was flat through the mid-palate and finish. The flatness increased as the bottle was drunk. Darn - c'est la vie (2285 views) | | | Tasted by KLutt on 9/30/2021 & rated 94 points: This bottle keeps going. Have a few left, anniversary year. Beautiful bouquet after a 90 minute decant. Definitely has Bordeaux roots, earthy smooth long finish still. (2750 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 8/24/2021 & rated 93 points: TS’ Birthday Gathering (CdC/DP/old Dominus/Latour): Tasted double blind. This showed beautifully mature and well structured, full of tension but without the complexity of the best Dominus vintages. Everybody in the group guessed this to be a Bordeaux from the 80s, my guess was a structured 86 from Pauillac. It is drinking very well today and can develop for a few more years.
TN: Medium expressive, cool and fresh on the nose and palate with crushed rocks, herbs, leather and hints of barnyard all circling around a slightly timid but pure dark fruit core. Structured with noticeable tannins, a high but well integrated acidity, lots of tension, a classic, fresh and slightly creamy texture and feel and with medium length.
Decanting: Not decanted but this bottle could have needed a bit of air. (3756 views) | | | Tasted by fclarity on 1/1/2021 & rated 92 points: From a nice looking bottle with a fill into the neck, this wine had a very deep red center with some orange at the rims. The medium+ intensity nose generated black cherry, menthol, plum, and soil notes. You could smell the impact of the merlot in the blend.
In the mouth, this was rich and ripe with substantial tannin, crisp acidity, and a touch of heat. The finish was reasonably complex and quite long. After 2 hours of air, I was concerned that this wine might not turn the corner to come into balance.
An, in fact, that is what happened. This structure of this bottle was outsized given the amount of fruit and never fully resolved. Reasonably nice but disappointing. (3397 views) | | | Tasted by BoulderWine on 12/22/2020 & rated 90 points: Wedding year bottle purchased at K&L a few years back. Cork was tight and a bit moldy on top but came out in one piece with a careful pulling. Quick decant. Mature Cab color and aromas. Opened up quickly and showed some sweet mature fruit before becoming disjointed. But drank well with a ribeye steak early on. I don't see this getting any better. (2972 views) | | | Tasted by Diane (LI) on 3/28/2020: On its last legs. Still has some sweet fruit and cedar and really nice with our hanger steaks. (2941 views) | | | Tasted by Nanda on 2/29/2020 & rated 92 points: Wines with the HDH Auction (Spiaggia): Pretty consistent with a bottle tasted in a Dominus vertical a few months ago. Great aged traditional cab character with aromas of dried tobacco leaf, bell pepper and mature plum fruit. The palate is resolved though still fresh. No need to cellar further. (2614 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 2/29/2020 & rated 87 points: Wines Tasted at HDH Auction; 2/28/2020-2/29/2020 (Spiaggia - Chicago IL): Small glass, brief note. More earth than fruit with moderate supporting structure. A wine I enjoyed 15 years ago, but now it is past its peak if this bottle is representative. (3010 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 2/29/2020 & rated 90 points: HDH auction at Spiaggia (Chicago, IL): A little dirty and earthy on the nose, but it did clean up with some air. A little leathery, pretty classically styled Napa cabernet. Not as fruit-forward and powerful as I would have loved, this is starting to thin out a little on the palate. Drink up, I'm thinking. (3253 views) | | | Tasted by MC2 Wines on 2/21/2020: Wine in the Sunshine State; 2/20/2020-2/23/2020 (Florida): Really fun to get to try this and it was definitely a very good bottle. Opened and decanted. Great old world style. (2261 views) | | | Tasted by Rbtrage on 1/25/2020 & rated 88 points: Drinkable but clearly past prime. Very little fruit left and a bit sour. Considering its age, it is not bad. (1474 views) | | | Tasted by Elkcims on 12/10/2019 & rated 92 points: Medium body, earth, pepper, with red fruit underneath. Drank alongside an 08 Fairchild Sigaro with some beef fillets providing some nice tastes to explore and ponder. This 1984 -35 year old wine was good, but not one I would seek out again. (1501 views) | | | Tasted by SoundinBetween on 12/3/2019: Dominus Estate 1983-1995 Vertical (RPM Steak): Nose here is exceptionally green and full of pyrazines. Palate is all purple fruits, plum and red raspberry. Plus and fully resolved tannins. Showed the most positive evolution of the older wines this evening, and in my top 5 of the night. (1125 views) | | | Tasted by Nanda on 12/3/2019 & rated 91 points: Dominus: 1983-1994 (RPM Steak): 83/84/85: The least rich and fresh of the flight and more about the intense, attractive cedar. Tannins still have some grip. Good but not up to the 83 or 85. (1818 views) | | | Tasted by Bob H on 9/22/2019: Boy, this is singing tonight. (1794 views) | | | Tasted by BadOyster on 6/24/2019 & rated 97 points: Purchased online from K&L on June 5 2019, “from a private collection”. Mid-to-top shoulder fill, crumbly cork, tons of sediment, yet a pristine label (which was suspicious). Decanted and immediately served to enjoy over the following 3 hours. Assuming legitimacy, I am shocked by the freshness of this wine. Minimal bricking, with deep ruby color, vibrant nose of classic cab (mixed fruit and prominent bell pepper). Lively red fruits on entry that transitions to dried herbs and an earthy/mushroom finish with that tell-tale Dominus medicinal/green/cedar streak that lasted a good 60 seconds. If it weren’t for that streak and finish length, I would have doubted this was an old-vintage Dominus - it was just too alive to be 35 years old! Maybe someone spiked it with some young Dominus? The mouthwatering acidity went well with food, and the tannins were pure silk. Superbly balanced. Lots of life left, but those who crack one now will not be disappointed. I would love to have another bottle (from a different source) just to double-check! The somm remarked “this is what old Bordeaux tastes like”. When looking at my old notes, this one clearly showed better than the ‘99, ‘06, ‘07, ‘08, and ‘12 in the past - although now I wonder what those would have been like had I waited 35 years ... (2246 views) | | | Tasted by BMG Wine on 4/19/2019 & rated 94 points: Absolute pleasure to drink! At 35 yrs it was still vibrant and balanced. WOW! (2090 views) | | | Tasted by skifree on 12/31/2018 & rated 90 points: Cork was depressed on this bottle, and half saturated. It also was disintegrating. I think this affected the wine, which still had a good color though with a large clear meniscus. This was almost all secondary and tertiary flavors, with gentle forest floor, wet earth, and funghi. The fruit tried to poke its way through. (2229 views) | | | Tasted by Markus IWC on 8/17/2018 & rated 96 points: Christians second vintage of Dominus. Amazing wine, still vibrant and full of explosive fruit, feels at least 10 years younger than its age. Complex and sophisticated nose with elegant red fruit, cedar, black currant, tobacco and subtle spices. A creamy and velvety texture, lively fruit, powerful but well integrated tannins, beautiful long finish. Excellent wine!! 96p
BV=7, WV=2 (1191 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, May/Jun 2021, Issue #93, The 1984 and 1985 Vintages Of California Cabernet Sauvignon
(Dominus Red Table Wine (Napa Valley)) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, May/Jun 2013, Issue #45, Recently Tasted Old School and Neo-Classical American Wines
(Dominus) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (8/20/2009)
(Dominus Estate) Dark red violet color; tobacco, spice box, black fruit, mint nose; tight, tart cassis, tart raspberry, green chile palate, well structured, with a touch of green; medium-plus finish 93 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of View From the Cellar and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Dominus Producer websiteRed Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.EstateIn the United States, "Wines with “estate bottled” designations must: a) also designate an appellation of origin or an AVA, and both the vineyards and the winery must be located there; b) the grapes must come from vineyards owned or controlled by the winery; and c) the wine must have been produced, from crush to bottle, in a continuous process without leaving the winery’s premises."
- WINE LABEL FAQS: A QUICK SUMMARY OF LABEL DESIGNATION RULES" by David E. StollUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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