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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 312 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by LNLeeV on 3/1/2024: Gifted to Menlo School auction (1140 views) | | | Tasted by GFischmann on 2/24/2024 & rated 94 points: Good balance acidity, black berries and tannins.
Secondary and tertiary flavors developed with residual earthy flavors. (973 views) | | | Tasted by Lipsman on 11/10/2023 & rated 89 points: First bottle was corked. Second is a bit ham fisted. Chocolate cherries, some dry oak with a hot, alcoholic finish, fore square flavor profile, perhaps tight at 18? Many bottles like this over the years. No reason to pull another cork just now. Try again in 2028. (1983 views) | | | Tasted by mick978@gmail.com on 10/13/2023 & rated 94 points: Very quality. (1870 views) | | | Tasted by toppcats@aol.com on 9/9/2023 & rated 92 points: Bottle level low neck. Cork removed intact with cork edge dark purple-->black with no evidence of seepage. Color opaque/dark garnet out to translucent edge with no bricking. Decanted for sediment (mild amount noted) - allowed for 1 hour post decanting. Nose of red fruits, mildy floral, with some secondary tobacco and spice notes. Wine was fruit forward and after 18 years of age I did expect a bit more complexity (and reflection of terroir) (which did not appear over time with this bottle). Palate showed ripe red fruit, silky with moderate to full body mouthfeel into a medium length finish. Mild dusty tannins noted on palate with the finish. Given its' pedigree, I expected a bit more here. Wine was very good and balanced , but at present in my opinion, not exceptional - and more 'Californian' in style than bordeaux-like. (2017 views) | | | Tasted by skurtz on 7/18/2023 & rated 95 points: Decanted for an hour at Christophers in SLC. This is luxuriant. Gorgeous floral berry bouquet with hints of tobacco and honey or honeysuckle, very perfumy. Smooth and velvety on the palate, beautiful red fruit, mineral, graphite, nice acidity and soft but appreciable tannins. A beautiful wine to pair with grilled filet, lobster, and garlic fries. 94/95 (2436 views) | | | Tasted by scotty_b on 6/24/2023 & rated 93 points: Elegant nose of integrated baking spice, cocoa, potpourri, and blueberry.. Waves of subtle taste on the palate including blackcurrant, plum, cedar, vanilla, Higher toned and lighter in weight than other Napa cabs of similar caliber. Silky smooth and properly dusty mouthfeel but still slightly austere and a little hot on the nose even after a 2.5 hour decant. I'm a big fan of acidic Italian reds, but the high acid seems slightly out of place on this Napa cab. Very delicious now but this should be better in 5-10 years. (2195 views) | | | Tasted by jsiegel on 6/24/2023 & rated 93 points: Simply fantastic (1670 views) | | | Tasted by Lipsman on 6/11/2023 & rated 91 points: Orange edge, saturated garnet otherwise. Flavors of chocolate and mocha, plums, supple and balanced, but a bit foursquare and uninteresting. No idea where this is going but it will hang on for at least another eight years. (1869 views) | | | Tasted by apg23 on 4/9/2023 & rated 89 points: Didn’t love it. May have just been the bottle. Flat and just no interesting flavor profile. (2313 views) | | | Tasted by rocknroller on 2/9/2023 & rated 95 points: Going Up The Country: Suburban Bliss & Wines to Match (Craig & Nita's Place): Very dark red/purple color. Decanted for 2 hours and recorked. Drank a glassover 90 minutes next to the '87. Another wow nose tonight, pretty cedarbox out front, dried wood, slightly medicinal cherry, cassis, boysenberry, dark chocolate, layered fruit with great purity, sleek and seamless on the palate. We had this last 3+ years ago and it was really good then, even better now, but with a very bright future this could eclipse the splendid '87 in time. (2508 views) | | | Tasted by chablis28 on 2/9/2023 & rated 97 points: Chef Don Saunder's food entices 7 city dwellers to our place in the exurbs! 8 of us plus Nita & Joe enjoyed Don's magnificent food tonight 30 miles from downtown Minneapolis. What a night!! CV,KB,SS,CS,DM,DD,LI, & DS. With plenty of air this wine was superb tonight! And, perfect timing as I was close to opening one of my own soon. Now I have the option for waiting a bit, or not. This is in its prime drinking window with air and showing no signs of falling off for at least another decade. Dave D had double decanted, but we opted to remove the cork on his arrival and let it further breath. In my opinion it started out great and even got a point or 2 better in my Reidel Burg glass. This is so much more than perfectly ripe fruit. This has layers of red & dark raspberry, earth, tobacco, cedar and spice that fans out and reverberates through to a long finish. Its 14.1% alc went unnoticed. The structure is no longer abrasive but really does a nice job of keeping this super fresh and ready for addl time in the cellar. 17+ yrs in, this is outstanding, with proper air. Delighted to still have 2 of my own. (2215 views) | | | Tasted by MWes on 2/4/2023 & rated 94 points: Stored in my cellar since release. Drinking very well now. Opened and let breathe for 30 min at the restaurant. Was ready to go. (1975 views) | | | Tasted by P.A. Cross on 12/4/2022: Deep red, with slight bricking on the rim. Pure on the nose, with dusty graphite, rose petal, exotic spice, and meaty iron. Firmly tannic, the earth notes of bakers chocolate, roasted meat, toasty plum and holiday spice are still somewhat reserved. Impeccably balanced, with purity and terrior type personality. Not a fruit bomb, but a full bodied, Bordeax-esque statue. (2342 views) | | | Tasted by Colorado Native 3G on 11/18/2022 & rated 94 points: Give this a 2 hour decant. It is worth waiting for. Beautiful, probably in a sweet spot now. The finish goes on and on... (1988 views) | | | Tasted by mchern02 on 10/10/2022 & rated 94 points: 2 Hour decant
Dark color with great depth. Aromas of mocha, chocolate, dark red fruit, and mint. Strong core, attractive tannins and in the zone. Good long finish, went down very quickly. Drinking well (2519 views) | | | Tasted by Philolesen on 10/6/2022 & rated 94 points: Super wine with amazing fruit and structure. Long life ahead but really ready to drink now imo. Pristine bottle as well. A friend brought it. (2233 views) | | | Tasted by LFCHALA on 6/30/2022 & rated 93 points: huge as ever, but with elegance and balance. many years ahead (3044 views) | | | Tasted by DrBad on 5/15/2022 & rated 95 points: Half hour decant this is drinking beautifully. Milk chocolate, blueberry, black raspberry. Silky smooth. (3341 views) | | | Tasted by grjas on 1/28/2022 & rated 92 points: Beautiful Cali cab drinking very well right now. No reason to wait. Couple of hours decant. (3671 views) | | | Tasted by MC on 12/17/2021: Austere out of the bottle, but with a couple of hours of air this was drinking well. In a lineup with '05 Montelena and '05 Monte Bello this was the most Bordeaux-like. In the end I think I preferred the Monte Bello first and then Montelena before this wine for drinking right now. Might stay that way or possibly this improves with more time. Would be fun to try this against an '05 Bordeaux and see how I feel. A- (3728 views) | | | Tasted by Kavine on 12/15/2021 & rated 92 points: Much preferred than my last bottle. Did not respect it enough with more airing time. Anxious to try it over a grilled beef dinner. Definitely Bordeaux style vs the other NAPA Cabs over the night. Had a Staglin 09 prior that also was very much enjoyed.The Dominus showed quite soft tones and a long finish. Not sure it is worth the cost today though. (3533 views) | | | Tasted by chuckos77 on 12/2/2021 & rated 92 points: Called ahead and restaurant decanted for 1 1/2 hours. Wine was served slightly above room temp and initial taste was disappointing. After it adjusted in glass, wine came alive. Great color, soft to medium tannin. Dark berry, cocoa, with fruit coming forward at finish. Wine is probably just past peak but still can muster a nice glass. I would drink up as I don’t see much advantage of continued cellaring. (3516 views) | | | Tasted by napasoutherner on 11/30/2021 & rated 91 points: Double Decanted before serving. Slightly disappointing. Not a Dominus I was expecting. Slighty fading wine. Had with friends on burger night. Didn't really shine. Had some depth compared to other Napa Reds but was expecting more. Black and Blue fruit. Medium finish (2977 views) | | | Tasted by Fatty Cat on 11/27/2021 & rated 92 points: Rarities dinner “Spectacular Californians” late Nov 2021: rubin red color; restrained start, opened up over 2 hours; cassis and red berries flavors mixed with mint notes; balanced and smooth on the palate accompanied by a mild Cabernet sweetness.
Excellent Dominus 2005. Dominus 2004 tasted at the same event provided very similar observations (see tasting note). (2241 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, Vintage Retrospective: 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (May 2016) (5/1/2016)
(Dominus Red Wine Napa) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Szabo, MS
WineAlign (7/8/2009)
(Dominus, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By David Lawrason
WineAlign (2/26/2009)
(Dominus, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By David Lawrason
WineAlign (2/26/2009)
(Dominus, Napa Valley, Estate Btld. red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2007, IWC Issue #132
(Dominus Estate Red Wine Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (5/31/2008)
(Dominus Estate) Bubbling cassis, cherry, red fruit nose; tasty cassis with depth, young but impressive; medium-plus finish 93 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and WineAlign and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Dominus Producer website2005 Dominus EstateDominus 2005
In 2005, weather, budbreak and set were ideal, allowing us to harvest quality grapes and to reduce intervention in the cellar.
Dominus 2005 is dark red, almost deep crimson in color. The nose is dense and compact, filled with dark berries, blond tobacco, black cherries and cacao. The entry is both powerful and supple, spherical in quality. Perfectly ripe, the enveloped tannins are firm, round and elegant. Black fruit and licorice linger throughout the evolution in mouth, well-balanced and harmonious. A superb vintage.
The 2005 blend consists of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot. No Merlot was used in the blend this year.
This wine clearly has tremendous aging potential. We recommend decanting the wine prior to serving, to allow it to develop its full potential. This is especially important when serving young Dominus wines.
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Vintage Summary
The winter was typical, with only slightly above-average rainfall. We received 28" during the winter, 6" in March and 4" in May. Rains were light and spread out over 68 days. Temperatures throughout the season were quite moderate; we saw a cool spring that delayed budbreak, and a summer without excessive heat. 2005 was a year with only 23 days over 90°F, and one day over 100°F – July 23rd. The beautiful weather contributed to a long growing season and very even ripening. With no threat of a heat wave or rain during the harvest period, the grapes reached full maturity at a slow, steady pace.
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Fact Sheet
Beginning date of harvest: September 29
Final date of harvest: October 20
Blend:
92% Cabernet Sauvignon
5% Cabernet Franc
3% Petit Verdot
Percentage of new barrels: 40%
Time in barrels: 17 months
Bottling date: July 2007
9-liter cases produced: 7000
Release date: June 2008Red 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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