Pop and pour one small glass, initially already opening. Decanted for 1.5 hour. Body, intensity and finish all medium to medium plus. Can be better compared to the other bottles of Dominus I had.
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Opaque ruby red with pink rim. Blackcurrant, cassis, blackberry, blueberry, violet, dried spices, cedar and mild tobacco. Medium-full bodied, medium high acidity, medium high tannin, medium structure, medium-high alcohol and long finish. Concentrated yet elegant and silky.
Decanted an hour before consumption. Smooth texture and velvet on the palate. I was surprised by the gentleness as I had expected a massive, bold wine, which it was not.
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there was a rather unpleasant grapefruit skin taste that left an astringent taste on the palate. Was hard to look past and seemed to be an issue with the bottle given my experience and the experience of others tasting with this wine.
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Lovely, smooth and silky if quite subdued. Decanted and drank over two nights, though most was with Christmas dinner. Some tannins lurking, but the saline notes were very prominent at the finish.
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[Served blind to others at blind night] Deep ruby red, no noticeable age visually. Nose of cassis, dark red and black fruit, black currants, touch of herbaceousness and spices. Pronounced intensity on palate with ripe and sweet dark fruits, morello cherries, blackberry compote, cassis, oak spices, not any tertiary development yet. The wine was balanced, acid was still showing as med+/high, and the med tannins were small and supple.
I thought this tasted more modern/Napa-like rather than Bordeaux, which seems to be an anomaly for Dominus. The others immediately pin pointed it to Napa and ended up guessing the 2013 vintage as well as Opus or Caymus Special Select. Upon learning of the wine, they were also surprised that the Dominus seemed more bold and modern to its usual self. A great wine, although not following what I usually expect of Dominus. I would say this was drinking nicely, but more time or age would add complexity as it's mostly primary right now and the big fruits overshadow any nuances at this point of time. I would suggest decanting for a couple hours if opening today. 94 showing, with 94-95+ potential.
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Horizontal tasting: Dominus 2016 vs. Insignia 2016
Initial p&p: Dominus Ruby with slight purplish tinge. Med+ intensity. Zero sediment. Very secondary driven: oak, dark chocolate overtones with some black plum and blackberry, briefly turning vegetal and green pepper as the oxygen works its way into the glass. Can’t say the 14.5% alc is all the noticeable. Good sign. Super tight on palate although you can sense a finish behind it. Can’t wait till it opens.
Insignia: Ruby with ever so slight garnet haze to it. Deep intensity. Primary fruit driven driven: super juicy black plum, black cherry. More floral, like a right bank Bordeaux although no merlot here. Same alc of 14.5% Similar tightly wound palate. Medium body Med to med+ FI
Dominus with meal Med+ acidity, ripe, polished tannins integrating well into the wine. Long finish. Perfectly balanced, worth the wait. Med+ to pronounced flavor intensity. A greater complexity.
In the end Dominus displayed many more layers. After the meal at the the 5 hour mark the the green bell pepper worked it’s way into the wine to move very much to the background with plum, blackberry, blueberry, toast all sharing the spotlight. It took on a sweet effect. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say the Dominus appears to me to be the more classic of the two where as the Insignia is the more modern version of what we’ve come to expect from Napa. Powerful.
The Insignia was more linear in development, frankly little change over the course of the evening. Insignia after meal got more extracted. Probably the biggest change was that the alcohol continues to stick out more, ultimately giving it an off balanced effect.
The evening was full of surprises: First, I was fully prepared to prefer Dominus and was shocked that I actually preferred Insignia right off the bat (so too did my father in law although my wife preferred Dominus from the start). Second it wasn’t until well after I had thrown in the towel and pronounced the Insignia as the WOTN, after the 5 hour mark, that the Dominus quietly kicked it into the next gear and effectively surpassed Insignia. New layers of fruit unfurled and this time totally integrated in a way that each smell evoked something new and different. Nothing stood out by itself and instead everything perfectly balanced and integrated.
Both are elite wines and so we’re splitting hairs here. If you want to get up and go then I suppose Insignia might be for you. But if you want to take your time (5+ hours in a large decanter, that is) and you relish the challenge with a restrained classic then it’s Dominus for you. But to be clear you can’t go wrong with either and the only reason I sound discerning or particular about either is because I had the wonderful opportunity to compare both in one setting.
The best element of the night was the horizontal tasting of two impressively strong Napa wines. There is something about relative comparisons, for me, that takes it to the next level. I don’t yet have the experience or insight to comprehend a wine in absolute terms but comparing and contrasting allows me to a consider the wine form different vantages and angles that brings allows for a significantly sharper focus.
Insignia Bottled in January 2019, the 2016 Insignia is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec, aged for 24 months in 100% new French oak barrels.
Dominus Cabernet Sauvignon: 84%, Cabernet Franc: 8%, Petit Verdot: 8% Aged 22 months in 40% new barrels Cases Produced: 5500
This is such a beautiful vintage of Dominus that's already layered with ultra-smooth tannins and gorgeous flavors of black fruits and graphite minerals. Still needs a a few years to completely integrate but this is as fine a Dominus as I've ever tasted. Very similar to the excellent '09 but with perhaps greater potential. 94+
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I feel like this wine always ends up as the wine of the night no matter how stiff the competition. Tonight it beat out: Cliff lede poetry, tor black magic, and colgin IX estate (although it was neck and neck with the colgin).
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This is an excellent example of Napa Cab at its finest. Still young and can definitely age more - decant plenty if you drink now. Black cherry and currant on nose and mid palate, tobacco, oak, soft berry. My first ever bottle of Dominus and I look forward to drinking more in the future.
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A delicious, bold, balanced Napa wine. I am starting to see why Dominus is so highly regarded. I wonder if we had decanted this wine if it wouldn’t have been even more magnificent. We shall try that on the next bottle!
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NYE tasting of 2016 Dominus, Harlan and Shafer Hillside select. All three were magnificent but the D edged out the others by a hair. The Harlan was second but a bit closed - expect it will develop over the years to give the D a run for its money. Shafer was the most fruit forward and the archetype of a napa cab. Absolutely delicious but perhaps not as integrated as the other two due to the powerful fruit.
It was an absolute blast and a privilege to try these three together. Oh what fun!
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Just another evening of good wine and cheer (Chilly Noe Valley): A_M's wine contribution to our tasting (only A_M could say he didn't want to bring something fancy then come with a 100 Pt. Dominus!). On the nose and palate, explosive black cherries and mixed dark and red berries, wet soil, intense dark florals, lavendar and mixed sweet spice with a charcoal note on the back end giving the wine a solid spine. Deep magenta, full bodied, medium legs. Medium+ tannins and acidity which integrated well with A_M's 5 hour decant (then the overnight per the below), no heat. Great complexity, very good persistence and intensity. Having had at least a half dozen vintages of this wine in some form or another, I've found that there's no such thing as a Dominus that's less than outstanding, full stop, and this wouldn't be the first. I don't know what this tasted like out of the bottle, and I've never had anything other than a small taste of a Dominus this young, but by the time it arrived, it was singing, immaculately balanced, elegant, yet with deceptive power: the proverbial iron hand in the velvet glove. While all of this is opinion, this is mine: THIS is what Bordeaux (at least good Bordeaux) in the 707 tastes like. I wouldn't be surprised but that this has another gear, but unlike the VV, still CS but otherwise an animal of an entirely different sort, it's not obvious that this isn't drinking at its best, thanks to A_M's massaging. Kind of wish I had some of the Crocker & Starr next to it, as I sit here fortunately sipping the remainder of this on the second night, as that wine had a much more similar profile to this than the VV, and by just an eyelash, I've scored it higher, but it's close, and if we redid the tasting again, in another day, another week or another decade, I'm not sure I'd come down on the same side of that trade. This will probably continue to be drinking well long after I get to the point of dribbling non-fortified grape juice down the front of my shirt. Great with charcuterie, great with pasta on night #2, great as a standalone, and just pretty great, period. Even when A_M doesn't bring the WOTN, he's always right there, and a great guy to lift a glass with, and for that, I say, thank you, my friend, and I hope we have many more tastings together. 96+++
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This is an intense full bodied wine with lots of black cherries and berries as well as black and red currants. There is smoked tobacco, tonnes of oak, and way too much vanilla. Maybe should have decanted the wine more than 2 hours, but at this stage it is too much new world, too much of everything. It is an orange Lamborghini among luxury cars - a great car/wine, but not what I would spend my money on.
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High End Napa Valley Tasting hosted by TCWC (Virtual): Amazing. There's no other way to put it. Aromas of red berry, rose petal, currants, vanilla, bell pepper and green, herbal elements. Nuanced and complex- stunning. Full-bodied. Mixed red and black fruit flavors intertwined with cedar and vanilla qualities. Impeccably balanced. My last note, I think, sums this up best- this wine exudes class.
Someone had told me that Dominus had changed style slightly around the mid '00s, becoming a touch more "modern" and forward. I've now tasted 23 vintages of Dominus back to the 1984, granted very few of those young, but to me this seems very much a classically-styled wine. Yes, the fruit is there, but so are those "old school" Dominus qualities.
I love this, and I don't often say this, but yeah, it's worthy of every point that has been bestowed upon it-even that perfect score from LPB.
High End Napa Valley Tasting hosted by TCWC (Virtual): Blind. Opens with a hint of mocha, along with black fruit and barrel spice. Full-bodied. Flavors of black fruit with a long finish. Somewhat straightforward by comparison to the others, but the balance here is what stands out- this one is absolutely seamless. The spice notes fade, leaving abundant black fruit with mocha taking a back seat as well. Clay and subtle earthy elements emerge. The palate reveals more red fruit than black as it opens in the glass. Long finish; balanced. Guess: Maybach.
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Rich, powerful, flamboyant and tough are words that can be linked to the wine in the aromas, but still in this refined way that impresses. Great fruit of blackberries, plums, cinnamon, graphite, blood, leather, licorice and deeper salts. Pretty full-bodied and really powerful plug of a wine with a great tight fruit image of blackberries, blackcurrants, plums, licorice boat, leather, coffee, coarse salts and a deep touch of exotic spices. Nice acidity and coarser finish, but still with a good cut on the tannins. Long and complex finish. Lacks enough little bit of details today. but this will recover. Great Dominus.
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A curious red. Had first taste after 40 mins of decanting. Smooth on the front and mild truffle notes then heavier blackberry on the back. First taste, too young. Needs until at least 2023.
Second taste 90 mins of decanting. Nose had a new bike seat type smell along with very mild appenzeller. Still young but showing growth.
Third taste 120 mins of decanting. No improvement. Legs developed more in the glass.
Get together with friends to drink some higher-end reds. Dark purple fruit - currants/cassis, blackberry, dark cherry, and blueberry. Smooth mid-palate with a nice purity, however, I expected a bigger/fuller profile in light of the 100 rating from WA - medium/medium plus body. Nice flavors of dark berries, some tobacco/spice, a little floral profile, and a graphite component. However, there were also some green notes which I believe should dissipate with more time. In addition, the finish was somewhat lacking - fairly short/not much depth. Decanted for one hour and drank over a couple more. Improved a little with time but as stated by WA and WS this vintage needs more time which isn't a surprise in consideration of the producer and style. According to WA, anticipated maturity 2024 to 2054. In addition, according to WS best from 2023 to 2040. I’ll refrain from rating this bottle because I don’t believe it’s in the best place and needs to develop further. Drank next to a 2016 Corra cab and 2016 Myriad Dr Crane Elysian cab and both of those wines were quite a bit better but also at a better drinking point. 84% cab sauvignon, 8% petit verdot, and 8% cab franc.
So trying to tie up loose ends from previous reviews, I think Dominus can be summed up like this: if you like old world style Cabs then you'll like Dominus. If you like new world big style Cabs like Shafer HS, Quilceda Creek, Cardinale, etc. then you're most likely not going to be impressed by Dominus, especially for the price. It is definitely more old world than new world in style.
I recently hosted a Cab tasting at my house where we did 5 Cabs ranging from $6 box wine to $300 Dominus. This was my first time trying Dominus and I chose the 2016 since it was highly rated. The other three were Rodney Strong, Faust, and Odette. The tasting was blind but I told everyone ahead of time they were all new world, which was immediately questioned after people thought the Dominus was a French wine. Now I will say the people at this tasting are like myself, they like the big new world style. No one picked Dominus as the favorite, Odette was the clear winner.
I myself agree and liked the Odette, which I had had many times before, as clearly more my style. In my opinion, Dominus was definitely different, much more vegetal notes than big fruit, and is quite unique and good but for $300, clearly not worth it for someone who likes the new world style and I'm spending that kinda money elsewhere.
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I continue to have trouble enjoying Dominus; something about the nose and flavor profile doesn’t mesh with my preferences. It’s unique, so at least you know what you’re getting, though, and some people do appear to love it.
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Terrific edition of Dominus. This label seems to be polarizing on here, with some loving it and others not so much. I would guess that's because you've got the old world BDX folks drinking it, alongside new world lovers. This vintage has a bit more to love for new world, but you will never mistake it for a Carter, Bevan etc. I thought it was terrific.
Decanted for 2 hours. Stunning floral aromatics predominate on the nose, complemented by hints of tobacco, menthol and blackberries. Showing wonderful purity and absolutely amazing precision, the palate is packed with fabulous energy and tension. Mostly blue fruit is in abundance, along with deep mineral driven flavors and lots of earthy complexity. Super long finish.
Showed best in the first 3 hours, then started to shut down a bit at the end. Long life ahead, but fun to drink one now. Had next to a 16 Shafer HSS, and they were both excellent.
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not blind, Best vintages of Dominus, all bottles perfectly stored (subcription) and decanted for 2 hours Similar to 2015, back to the roots, more elegant style, not too much extraction and oak. 95+
Bordeaux Blind Tasting pirate: slightly artificial scent of Juicy Fruit chewing gum, lactic yoghurt notes, cranberries, very juicy style, some heat but also seems fresh with its acidic red fruit profile, slightly green, overall low tannin level, easy-drinking, feels quite modern. Ready for consumption. - 91 points
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At Tasting Event...Much better than the 2015 they served us last year per my palate, less fruit forward, way more complex. From the more classic 2016 vintage and distributor honed in on that being what came out of this bottle as well. Very glad to have (1) each of the best vintages on stash from 2013 & 2016. Served to us decanted. Tasting score 94-95 if dig deep into all aspects; future potential 97-99 with time, lots of time.
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Nose: Initial generous amounts of ripe red fruits (think cherries, slight cranberries and dark plums), mushrooms, fresh forest floor and scents of a cedar box.
Palate: The fruits are darker, deeper earth, bitter tannins, graphite (in a nice way actually), some heat, some oak and a very subtle apple juice (the real stuff, not that fake carton stuff.. take that last note with a grain of salt, I could taste it but my friend doesn't pick it up.. could be just me).
Medium dark Ruby. Dry with medium amount of fine, smooth tannins. Medium body with with medium to medium-minus acidity. Good finish of about 8-10+ seconds, finishing with decent fruit, some oak, bitter tannins. The nose was amazing for good amount of time when initially opened and poured. If tasted blind, I would have guessed Old World. There's quality here for sure. I might not just be able to appreciate this style yet or maybe just not my preference.. coming back to this in two hours (91-92 in the meantime but I have to be honest that I'm being influenced by the producer and the price here.. and possible backlash from the community).
.. 2 hours .. The heat settles and the earth becomes more intense and rich. Dark and bitter chocolate seems to have surfaced a little and the fruits are still dark. A spice surfaces after time in the glass. Slightly better than it was a few hours ago.
Overall, enjoyable. I get it.. it's still young and I can imagine this definitely getting better with age (est. at least 10 yrs). I'm curious how this will be in like 15 years but for the price tag.. not so much. If money isn't a thing to you, more power to you. Not my preference.
Another one I tasted at Wallys Napa event. Had a few pours by now but two things I recall are 1) the LONG LINE and 2) the very funky taste (mushrooms). Its hard to say I'm not a fan of funk when talking about such an expressive wine but I will say Keeping It Real (who is a fan of that taste) really really really enjoyed it. HE SMILED! Hahaha
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3/29/2024 - ttchan2024 wrote: 87 Points
Pop and pour one small glass, initially already opening.
Decanted for 1.5 hour.
Body, intensity and finish all medium to medium plus.
Can be better compared to the other bottles of Dominus I had.
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3/17/2024 - GuanYu Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opaque ruby red with pink rim. Blackcurrant, cassis, blackberry, blueberry, violet, dried spices, cedar and mild tobacco. Medium-full bodied, medium high acidity, medium high tannin, medium structure, medium-high alcohol and long finish. Concentrated yet elegant and silky.
Decanted an hour before consumption. Smooth texture and velvet on the palate. I was surprised by the gentleness as I had expected a massive, bold wine, which it was not.
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3/1/2024 - mfimiani47 wrote: flawed
there was a rather unpleasant grapefruit skin taste that left an astringent taste on the palate. Was hard to look past and seemed to be an issue with the bottle given my experience and the experience of others tasting with this wine.
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2/16/2024 - LBDWine wrote:
KIS young vintage
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12/26/2023 - skifree wrote: 94 Points
Lovely, smooth and silky if quite subdued. Decanted and drank over two nights, though most was with Christmas dinner. Some tannins lurking, but the saline notes were very prominent at the finish.
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12/7/2023 - Michael Hung Likes this wine: 94 Points
[Served blind to others at blind night]
Deep ruby red, no noticeable age visually. Nose of cassis, dark red and black fruit, black currants, touch of herbaceousness and spices. Pronounced intensity on palate with ripe and sweet dark fruits, morello cherries, blackberry compote, cassis, oak spices, not any tertiary development yet. The wine was balanced, acid was still showing as med+/high, and the med tannins were small and supple.
I thought this tasted more modern/Napa-like rather than Bordeaux, which seems to be an anomaly for Dominus. The others immediately pin pointed it to Napa and ended up guessing the 2013 vintage as well as Opus or Caymus Special Select. Upon learning of the wine, they were also surprised that the Dominus seemed more bold and modern to its usual self. A great wine, although not following what I usually expect of Dominus. I would say this was drinking nicely, but more time or age would add complexity as it's mostly primary right now and the big fruits overshadow any nuances at this point of time. I would suggest decanting for a couple hours if opening today. 94 showing, with 94-95+ potential.
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9/29/2023 - El_Dougo Likes this wine: 94 Points
Horizontal tasting: Dominus 2016 vs. Insignia 2016
Initial p&p:
Dominus
Ruby with slight purplish tinge. Med+ intensity. Zero sediment.
Very secondary driven: oak, dark chocolate overtones with some black plum and blackberry, briefly turning vegetal and green pepper as the oxygen works its way into the glass. Can’t say the 14.5% alc is all the noticeable. Good sign.
Super tight on palate although you can sense a finish behind it. Can’t wait till it opens.
Insignia:
Ruby with ever so slight garnet haze to it. Deep intensity.
Primary fruit driven driven: super juicy black plum, black cherry. More floral, like a right bank Bordeaux although no merlot here.
Same alc of 14.5%
Similar tightly wound palate. Medium body
Med to med+ FI
Dominus with meal
Med+ acidity, ripe, polished tannins integrating well into the wine. Long finish. Perfectly balanced, worth the wait.
Med+ to pronounced flavor intensity. A greater complexity.
In the end Dominus displayed many more layers. After the meal at the the 5 hour mark the the green bell pepper worked it’s way into the wine to move very much to the background with plum, blackberry, blueberry, toast all sharing the spotlight. It took on a sweet effect. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say the Dominus appears to me to be the more classic of the two where as the Insignia is the more modern version of what we’ve come to expect from Napa. Powerful.
The Insignia was more linear in development, frankly little change over the course of the evening. Insignia after meal got more extracted. Probably the biggest change was that the alcohol continues to stick out more, ultimately giving it an off balanced effect.
The evening was full of surprises:
First, I was fully prepared to prefer Dominus and was shocked that I actually preferred Insignia right off the bat (so too did my father in law although my wife preferred Dominus from the start).
Second it wasn’t until well after I had thrown in the towel and pronounced the Insignia as the WOTN, after the 5 hour mark, that the Dominus quietly kicked it into the next gear and effectively surpassed Insignia. New layers of fruit unfurled and this time totally integrated in a way that each smell evoked something new and different. Nothing stood out by itself and instead everything perfectly balanced and integrated.
Both are elite wines and so we’re splitting hairs here. If you want to get up and go then I suppose Insignia might be for you. But if you want to take your time (5+ hours in a large decanter, that is) and you relish the challenge with a restrained classic then it’s Dominus for you. But to be clear you can’t go wrong with either and the only reason I sound discerning or particular about either is because I had the wonderful opportunity to compare both in one setting.
The best element of the night was the horizontal tasting of two impressively strong Napa wines. There is something about relative comparisons, for me, that takes it to the next level. I don’t yet have the experience or insight to comprehend a wine in absolute terms but comparing and contrasting allows me to a consider the wine form different vantages and angles that brings allows for a significantly sharper focus.
Insignia
Bottled in January 2019, the 2016 Insignia is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec, aged for 24 months in 100% new French oak barrels.
Dominus
Cabernet Sauvignon: 84%, Cabernet Franc: 8%, Petit Verdot: 8%
Aged 22 months in 40% new barrels
Cases Produced: 5500
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8/22/2023 - watcheslover wrote: 97 Points
1) 2018 100/100
2) 2017-2019 98-99/100
3 )2013-2016 97-98/100
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7/1/2023 - ayalao3 wrote: 99 Points
98-100. It’s all in there.
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5/27/2023 - Bolzano2022 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very intense aroma of black fruits with cedar, coconut, and some spice. It felt very young. The tannins were smooth.
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4/24/2023 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is such a beautiful vintage of Dominus that's already layered with ultra-smooth tannins and gorgeous flavors of black fruits and graphite minerals. Still needs a a few years to completely integrate but this is as fine a Dominus as I've ever tasted. Very similar to the excellent '09 but with perhaps greater potential. 94+
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11/5/2022 - Hppr Cellar Likes this wine: 100 Points
I feel like this wine always ends up as the wine of the night no matter how stiff the competition. Tonight it beat out: Cliff lede poetry, tor black magic, and colgin IX estate (although it was neck and neck with the colgin).
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10/15/2022 - Hppr Cellar Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wine of the night against a Bond, Opus, Harlan and Far Niente. Decanted 1 hr. So complex and super well integrated.
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9/13/2022 - The Wine Sherpa Likes this wine: 97 Points
This is an excellent example of Napa Cab at its finest. Still young and can definitely age more - decant plenty if you drink now. Black cherry and currant on nose and mid palate, tobacco, oak, soft berry. My first ever bottle of Dominus and I look forward to drinking more in the future.
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7/16/2022 - ASMB Likes this wine: 94 Points
Excellent potential. Would wait at least 5 years.
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7/14/2022 - Baxterna Likes this wine: 95 Points
A delicious, bold, balanced Napa wine. I am starting to see why Dominus is so highly regarded. I wonder if we had decanted this wine if it wouldn’t have been even more magnificent. We shall try that on the next bottle!
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3/17/2022 - ayalao3 wrote: 99 Points
98-100
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1/1/2022 - Hppr Cellar Likes this wine: 100 Points
NYE tasting of 2016 Dominus, Harlan and Shafer Hillside select. All three were magnificent but the D edged out the others by a hair. The Harlan was second but a bit closed - expect it will develop over the years to give the D a run for its money. Shafer was the most fruit forward and the archetype of a napa cab. Absolutely delicious but perhaps not as integrated as the other two due to the powerful fruit.
It was an absolute blast and a privilege to try these three together. Oh what fun!
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12/10/2021 - hprphf wrote: 95 Points
Ripe, dense, deep, quite a beautiful expression. 95
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12/3/2021 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Just another evening of good wine and cheer (Chilly Noe Valley): A_M's wine contribution to our tasting (only A_M could say he didn't want to bring something fancy then come with a 100 Pt. Dominus!). On the nose and palate, explosive black cherries and mixed dark and red berries, wet soil, intense dark florals, lavendar and mixed sweet spice with a charcoal note on the back end giving the wine a solid spine. Deep magenta, full bodied, medium legs. Medium+ tannins and acidity which integrated well with A_M's 5 hour decant (then the overnight per the below), no heat. Great complexity, very good persistence and intensity. Having had at least a half dozen vintages of this wine in some form or another, I've found that there's no such thing as a Dominus that's less than outstanding, full stop, and this wouldn't be the first. I don't know what this tasted like out of the bottle, and I've never had anything other than a small taste of a Dominus this young, but by the time it arrived, it was singing, immaculately balanced, elegant, yet with deceptive power: the proverbial iron hand in the velvet glove. While all of this is opinion, this is mine: THIS is what Bordeaux (at least good Bordeaux) in the 707 tastes like. I wouldn't be surprised but that this has another gear, but unlike the VV, still CS but otherwise an animal of an entirely different sort, it's not obvious that this isn't drinking at its best, thanks to A_M's massaging. Kind of wish I had some of the Crocker & Starr next to it, as I sit here fortunately sipping the remainder of this on the second night, as that wine had a much more similar profile to this than the VV, and by just an eyelash, I've scored it higher, but it's close, and if we redid the tasting again, in another day, another week or another decade, I'm not sure I'd come down on the same side of that trade. This will probably continue to be drinking well long after I get to the point of dribbling non-fortified grape juice down the front of my shirt. Great with charcuterie, great with pasta on night #2, great as a standalone, and just pretty great, period. Even when A_M doesn't bring the WOTN, he's always right there, and a great guy to lift a glass with, and for that, I say, thank you, my friend, and I hope we have many more tastings together. 96+++
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9/11/2021 - Anchun wrote: 93 Points
This is an intense full bodied wine with lots of black cherries and berries as well as black and red currants. There is smoked tobacco, tonnes of oak, and way too much vanilla. Maybe should have decanted the wine more than 2 hours, but at this stage it is too much new world, too much of everything. It is an orange Lamborghini among luxury cars - a great car/wine, but not what I would spend my money on.
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6/24/2021 - vcc wrote: 100 Points
Best ever Dominus! Tasted several times. Buy, hold and enjoy!
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3/31/2021 - Handy1 wrote: 95 Points
Great cab dark red fruit very silky and vanilla/ oak on the nose and palate. Needs some time for oak to integrate but certainly very drinkable now.
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3/31/2021 - jimyeni Likes this wine: 96 Points
Light on its feet with great mouthfeel and it uplifts through the middle to the finish. In time will open even further and be formidable
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2/3/2021 - lescrooks wrote:
Meh....
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1/14/2021 - Bruce 1er wrote: 100 Points
Has a pleasant distinct soil element (minerals, earth) that counter balances the outstanding rich fruit. Silky. Very Bordeaux-like. Amazing.
(TCWC Tasting)
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1/14/2021 - AllRed wrote: 97 Points
High End Napa Valley Tasting hosted by TCWC (Virtual): Amazing. There's no other way to put it. Aromas of red berry, rose petal, currants, vanilla, bell pepper and green, herbal elements. Nuanced and complex- stunning. Full-bodied. Mixed red and black fruit flavors intertwined with cedar and vanilla qualities. Impeccably balanced. My last note, I think, sums this up best- this wine exudes class.
Someone had told me that Dominus had changed style slightly around the mid '00s, becoming a touch more "modern" and forward. I've now tasted 23 vintages of Dominus back to the 1984, granted very few of those young, but to me this seems very much a classically-styled wine. Yes, the fruit is there, but so are those "old school" Dominus qualities.
I love this, and I don't often say this, but yeah, it's worthy of every point that has been bestowed upon it-even that perfect score from LPB.
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1/14/2021 - AllRed wrote: 94 Points
High End Napa Valley Tasting hosted by TCWC (Virtual): Blind. Opens with a hint of mocha, along with black fruit and barrel spice. Full-bodied. Flavors of black fruit with a long finish. Somewhat straightforward by comparison to the others, but the balance here is what stands out- this one is absolutely seamless. The spice notes fade, leaving abundant black fruit with mocha taking a back seat as well. Clay and subtle earthy elements emerge. The palate reveals more red fruit than black as it opens in the glass. Long finish; balanced. Guess: Maybach.
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1/14/2021 - Gkautry Likes this wine: 95 Points
Big wine. Needs more time, but already drinking well and showing great promise. 95
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11/23/2020 - Andre Brattland wrote: 95 Points
Rich, powerful, flamboyant and tough are words that can be linked to the wine in the aromas, but still in this refined way that impresses. Great fruit of blackberries, plums, cinnamon, graphite, blood, leather, licorice and deeper salts. Pretty full-bodied and really powerful plug of a wine with a great tight fruit image of blackberries, blackcurrants, plums, licorice boat, leather, coffee, coarse salts and a deep touch of exotic spices. Nice acidity and coarser finish, but still with a good cut on the tannins. Long and complex finish. Lacks enough little bit of details today. but this will recover. Great Dominus.
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10/24/2020 - Njcct84 Likes this wine: 90 Points
A curious red. Had first taste after 40 mins of decanting. Smooth on the front and mild truffle notes then heavier blackberry on the back. First taste, too young. Needs until at least 2023.
Second taste 90 mins of decanting. Nose had a new bike seat type smell along with very mild appenzeller. Still young but showing growth.
Third taste 120 mins of decanting. No improvement. Legs developed more in the glass.
For 300, go elsewhere
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10/3/2020 - Badmonkey wrote:
Get together with friends to drink some higher-end reds. Dark purple fruit - currants/cassis, blackberry, dark cherry, and blueberry. Smooth mid-palate with a nice purity, however, I expected a bigger/fuller profile in light of the 100 rating from WA - medium/medium plus body. Nice flavors of dark berries, some tobacco/spice, a little floral profile, and a graphite component. However, there were also some green notes which I believe should dissipate with more time. In addition, the finish was somewhat lacking - fairly short/not much depth. Decanted for one hour and drank over a couple more. Improved a little with time but as stated by WA and WS this vintage needs more time which isn't a surprise in consideration of the producer and style. According to WA, anticipated maturity 2024 to 2054. In addition, according to WS best from 2023 to 2040. I’ll refrain from rating this bottle because I don’t believe it’s in the best place and needs to develop further. Drank next to a 2016 Corra cab and 2016 Myriad Dr Crane Elysian cab and both of those wines were quite a bit better but also at a better drinking point. 84% cab sauvignon, 8% petit verdot, and 8% cab franc.
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9/28/2020 - msf6msf6 wrote: 92 Points
So trying to tie up loose ends from previous reviews, I think Dominus can be summed up like this: if you like old world style Cabs then you'll like Dominus. If you like new world big style Cabs like Shafer HS, Quilceda Creek, Cardinale, etc. then you're most likely not going to be impressed by Dominus, especially for the price. It is definitely more old world than new world in style.
I recently hosted a Cab tasting at my house where we did 5 Cabs ranging from $6 box wine to $300 Dominus. This was my first time trying Dominus and I chose the 2016 since it was highly rated. The other three were Rodney Strong, Faust, and Odette. The tasting was blind but I told everyone ahead of time they were all new world, which was immediately questioned after people thought the Dominus was a French wine. Now I will say the people at this tasting are like myself, they like the big new world style. No one picked Dominus as the favorite, Odette was the clear winner.
I myself agree and liked the Odette, which I had had many times before, as clearly more my style. In my opinion, Dominus was definitely different, much more vegetal notes than big fruit, and is quite unique and good but for $300, clearly not worth it for someone who likes the new world style and I'm spending that kinda money elsewhere.
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9/20/2020 - Escalus wrote: 91 Points
I continue to have trouble enjoying Dominus; something about the nose and flavor profile doesn’t mesh with my preferences. It’s unique, so at least you know what you’re getting, though, and some people do appear to love it.
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9/19/2020 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Terrific edition of Dominus. This label seems to be polarizing on here, with some loving it and others not so much. I would guess that's because you've got the old world BDX folks drinking it, alongside new world lovers. This vintage has a bit more to love for new world, but you will never mistake it for a Carter, Bevan etc. I thought it was terrific.
Decanted for 2 hours. Stunning floral aromatics predominate on the nose, complemented by hints of tobacco, menthol and blackberries. Showing wonderful purity and absolutely amazing precision, the palate is packed with fabulous energy and tension. Mostly blue fruit is in abundance, along with deep mineral driven flavors and lots of earthy complexity. Super long finish.
Showed best in the first 3 hours, then started to shut down a bit at the end. Long life ahead, but fun to drink one now. Had next to a 16 Shafer HSS, and they were both excellent.
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9/6/2020 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 95 Points
not blind, Best vintages of Dominus, all bottles perfectly stored (subcription) and decanted for 2 hours
Similar to 2015, back to the roots, more elegant style, not too much extraction and oak. 95+
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7/5/2020 - rlove wrote: 88 Points
A green shroud tints everything in the 2016 Dominus. Elegant and silky but lotta green.
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6/28/2020 - jwolfe wrote:
Entered wrong wine - never had this
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6/26/2020 - isbjoern wrote: 91 Points
Bordeaux Blind Tasting pirate: slightly artificial scent of Juicy Fruit chewing gum, lactic yoghurt notes, cranberries, very juicy style, some heat but also seems fresh with its acidic red fruit profile, slightly green, overall low tannin level, easy-drinking, feels quite modern. Ready for consumption. - 91 points
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11/9/2019 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Pretty green notes. Pronounced. A little tight but elegant.
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10/28/2019 - Vinomazing Likes this wine:
At Tasting Event...Much better than the 2015 they served us last year per my palate, less fruit forward, way more complex. From the more classic 2016 vintage and distributor honed in on that being what came out of this bottle as well. Very glad to have (1) each of the best vintages on stash from 2013 & 2016. Served to us decanted. Tasting score 94-95 if dig deep into all aspects; future potential 97-99 with time, lots of time.
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10/17/2019 - peeks13 wrote: 94 Points
Cellar Night at Binnys South Loop (Chicago, IL): Open just enough to know it will be great, but it's not yet. Good length.
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4/19/2019 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nose: Initial generous amounts of ripe red fruits (think cherries, slight cranberries and dark plums), mushrooms, fresh forest floor and scents of a cedar box.
Palate: The fruits are darker, deeper earth, bitter tannins, graphite (in a nice way actually), some heat, some oak and a very subtle apple juice (the real stuff, not that fake carton stuff.. take that last note with a grain of salt, I could taste it but my friend doesn't pick it up.. could be just me).
Medium dark Ruby. Dry with medium amount of fine, smooth tannins. Medium body with with medium to medium-minus acidity. Good finish of about 8-10+ seconds, finishing with decent fruit, some oak, bitter tannins. The nose was amazing for good amount of time when initially opened and poured. If tasted blind, I would have guessed Old World. There's quality here for sure. I might not just be able to appreciate this style yet or maybe just not my preference.. coming back to this in two hours (91-92 in the meantime but I have to be honest that I'm being influenced by the producer and the price here.. and possible backlash from the community).
.. 2 hours ..
The heat settles and the earth becomes more intense and rich. Dark and bitter chocolate seems to have surfaced a little and the fruits are still dark. A spice surfaces after time in the glass. Slightly better than it was a few hours ago.
Overall, enjoyable. I get it.. it's still young and I can imagine this definitely getting better with age (est. at least 10 yrs). I'm curious how this will be in like 15 years but for the price tag.. not so much. If money isn't a thing to you, more power to you. Not my preference.
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4/15/2019 - All Is Whale wrote: 96 Points
Another one I tasted at Wallys Napa event. Had a few pours by now but two things I recall are 1) the LONG LINE and 2) the very funky taste (mushrooms). Its hard to say I'm not a fan of funk when talking about such an expressive wine but I will say Keeping It Real (who is a fan of that taste) really really really enjoyed it. HE SMILED! Hahaha
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