1999 Dominus Estate
Community Tasting Note
f22nickell Likes this wine:
Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - Seattle Wine Group - Sep 2013 Tasting - Theme: Aged WA Bordeaux Blends (Amaroso Room - Wine Storage Bellevue): Setting: Bottle “D” in the blind tasting. Notes were taken before I knew the wine identity.
Sight: This wine is dull and hazy, with no evidence of gas or particles. Color is ruby at the core consistent to about an 1/8” from at the meniscus. Medium concentration of color. Legs are thick and move slowly down the glass.
Nose: This wine does not smell flawed. Light intensity. Aromas are of cassis and blue fruit, primarily plum and a little blueberry. The wine has secondary notes of dust, spice, and cedar. I do pick up some mineral traits. I detect some burnt oak that does always “quite fit” the wine, but not in any meaningful way. No alcohol on the nose to speak of.
Palate: This wine is light bodied. The palate follows the nose with flavors of blue fruit, dust, a little earthiness, spices, and dust. This wine has hints of vanilla and tobacco. I do taste some new oak, but it is well integrated into the wine.
Structure: This wine is dry. Acid is medium. Alcohol is medium. Tannins are medium and well integrated. Finish is long. Complexity is high.
Conclusion: This wine straddles the new/old world line; dull, hazy, and some mineral/earthiness, but cocoa flavors and light blue fruit. I guess this wine to be from WA, specifically Walla Walla Valley. Acid is medium and alcohol is medium suggesting a typical vintage. High quality producer.
Final Conclusion: This is very well made. Whoever made this wine did an excellent job bridging old world with the new. New world fruit flavors with controlled acidity; yet controlled alcohol with secondary notes of tobacco, earthiness, and spice that suggests old world. Just a little more "oomph" would place this wine as #1 of the night for me. Looking forward to finding out what this wine is.
My Ranking: 2nd out of 8 bottles
Group Ranking: 3rd out of 8 bottles.
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