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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.9 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 54 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by seethree on 5/1/2024 & rated 93 points: Agree with comments that say this is still young. Will open my next bottle in 2026. Opened and needs at least 2 hours of decant. (243 views) | | | Tasted by Skotto on 4/19/2024 & rated 92 points: Ignoring my last note, popped this with a quick decant and some steaks. This is way too young and doesn’t present the best QPR today, but I’m very confident there’s a flip coming in another 5-10 years when secondary notes come in. This wine is all about quality, finesse and restraint and has potential to be 95+ with time. (684 views) | | | Tasted by HOS on 4/6/2024 & rated 94 points: Decanted and began drinking. Plum, currant with earth and herb notes. Seamless medium bodied. Early in the drinking window and certainly has upside. (1123 views) | | | Tasted by Twarsaw on 12/17/2023: Drank at Kari’s. Tracy DOES NOT Like. Maybe too young? Some reviews said that. (2402 views) | | | Tasted by steveiiiiii on 9/20/2023 & rated 92 points: Found its balance after 3 hrs in wide decanter. Black fruits, violets and some green notes. Grippy tannins, a little heat on the back palate, but in general a round mouthfeel. This has upside with cellar time, and I will wait at least 5 years until I open my next bottle. (3041 views) | | | Tasted by garywonghk on 9/1/2023 & rated 92 points: Dark ruby, pronounced, black current, black cherry, bell pepper, mint, vanilla, cedar, slightly forest floor,
Dry, high acidity, high alcohol, high tannin, full body, balanced, pronounced flavor of intensity, black current, black cherry, bell pepper, mint, vanilla, cedar, slightly forest floor, long finish, complex, outstanding
Took 5h to enveil it’s true beauty (2875 views) | | | Tasted by Skotto on 7/22/2023 & rated 91 points: Initially all fruit on the nose and palate, lacking complexity. Over the hour plus, things started taking shape. The wine developed more body and secondary notes began to emerge. For me on this day, this bottle - 91. Others at the table were much more complimentary. Will do my best to hold the second bottle for a few years in hopes secondary notes develop more presence. (3239 views) | | | Tasted by wino_tim on 5/2/2023 & rated 90 points: Medium to dark ruby. Double decanted and tasted about five hours later. Very fresh, very fruit-driven and still quite primary, this seems to have changed very little since I tasted it last August. On the nose it is notably forward with aromas of fresh blackcurrants, fresh blackberries, violets, chopped parsley, black olives, and a touch of oak spice. Full bodied on the palate, with medium+ acidity, the tannins here are round and very ripe, and while the texture isn't opulent, it is very smooth and almost succulent. This isn't the most complex Napanook I have ever had but it is tasty and crushable. (4007 views) | | | Tasted by Shrewsram on 1/10/2023 & rated 93 points: Dark and glossy appearance
Herby-tinged sweet red fruit, sort of spicy and stemmy, lifted, fruity and pure.
Full and rich on the attack but greater lift and elegance vs 2017. Pretty fruit and spicy too, lovely acidity and a sense of gravel, a touch of chalk to the tannins a little sap too. Perhaps a little tighter than 2017, but plenty juicy and supple.
on return:
Good nose, more reticent than the 2017 and notably herby and fresh, ripe fruit alongside a little capsicum and perhaps a touch of mint – the blue/black fruit is so pure. Full and rich, smooth and supple on the palate, creamy chocolate notes from the oak. yum!
Couple of days later:
Still has that distinctive perfumed high-tone… herby/confected/really lovely nose.
Palate too shows this character and has a similar volume and rounded quality of the 2018 but with the barest touch of astringency to the tannins. Does feel a touch lighter than ’18 in the most positive way, this should cellar well but that note may not appeal to everyone. (3625 views) | | | Tasted by dcox100 on 12/31/2022: Decanted 1hr. Maroon color. Beautiful. Blackberry, olive smell. Fresh, light on your tongue with a lingering flavor. Citrus and acid notes on the tongue. Finishing notes of cedar and smoke. I would buy it again for the price. (3758 views) | | | Tasted by HOS on 11/16/2022: Decanted and began drinking. Seems too young and closed down. Not rating. (4151 views) | | | Tasted by agdphd on 9/24/2022 & rated 94 points: Immediately after opening this was all face-ripping acidity and tannins, but it opened up nicely after a few hours of air. Really interesting nose--classic Cab notes of course, but with some savory notes too--cured black olives, maybe?--and a hint of menthol or wintergreen. Very sturdy tannins on the palate, with enough sugar and acidity to support them, but this is still *very* young--I'd love to revisit it in ten years and see how it settles in. 94 points for me today and a worthwhile buy at the $80 I paid for it--probably a lot of upside if you're patient. (4414 views) | | | Tasted by Michael Hung on 9/21/2022 & rated 92 points: [Blind Night at Kevin's]
Initially, funneled into Cab Franc blended Bordeaux blend. It has a freshness/greenness that I know is not from Bordeaux proper. Went towards South America instead, just a little surprised when revealed to be Napanook.
I really enjoy Dominus, so the Napanook was a fun wine to try. A typical Bordeaux blend, but with a distinct herbaceousness and bell pepper to the nose. I was convinced this had a heavier blend of Cab Franc, but apparently it wasn't that much. Palette of dark fruits, cherries, cassis, blackberry, herbaceouness, green bell pepper, tomato leaf, and oak that is integrating well with its baking spices in the background. Med/Med- body was lighter than I expected for a wine like this. Quite a lot of tannins, but not astringent. Opened up quite well throughout the night, with the greenness shedding with time. If that is any indication of its potential with age, I think this is one that goes in for 5 years and maybe we see 94+ pts. (3873 views) | | | Tasted by wino_tim on 8/23/2022 & rated 89 points: Medium to dark ruby. Decanted about three hours. Pretty, fresh and almost zesty with ripe black fruit, grilled herb and salt-cured olive flavors set on a medium bodied frame with a medium+ level of ripe, chewy tannins. This isn't the last word in complexity but it is tasty and the savory flavors are welcome amid the flood of fruity wines one finds in Napa at this price point. (4118 views) | | | Tasted by Mscrank on 7/10/2022 & rated 92 points: Bordeaux style, everything is in balance, and will improve with age. Much better value than a lot of “boutique” California vineyards. (3662 views) | | | Tasted by Sieegs on 6/20/2022: will be buying more (3656 views) | | | Tasted by Vinolsen on 6/18/2022 & rated 95 points: - Garnet color. (3152 views) | | | Tasted by gkrueger on 5/24/2022 & rated 92 points: Good but needs more time in bottle. (3680 views) | | | Tasted by Agunner23 on 5/23/2022 & rated 95 points: I have read multiple posts that say Napanook over Ulysses and I agree for the price point you can't go wrong, amazing wine for around $79 a bottle. 6 pack OWC is around $71 at my local store and I bought 2 cases and am looking forward to trying a bottle every year and seeing how it progresses. 2019 was just released and I bought a 6-pack plus one bottle and can't wait to open it, and there is a high probability that I will get another 6-pack. (3220 views) | | | Tasted by ssbelgo on 5/14/2022 & rated 92 points: Gedronken met meme en Pépé in Hamptons 2022 (2942 views) | | | Tasted by FoMoCo on 5/1/2022 & rated 90 points: Opened by mistake (intended to grab a 2017). We still enjoyed the wine but felt it could have used more time. Will hold a second bottle two more years and revisit. (2763 views) | | | Tasted by Nova5400 on 4/16/2022 & rated 92 points: Beautiful, masterful red California Bordeaux style blend with mild notes of boysenberry. Owned by the same family that owns Petreus. (2944 views) | | | Tasted by Philip67 on 4/9/2022 & rated 91 points: A little disappointing. Elegant feminine and perfumed roses. Mid weight, nice soft mouth filling easy drinking wine. High acidity, highish tannin. Palate of blackberries, cassis and hints of vanilla. Medium finish and straightforward. Drink now and over the next 10 years. (2741 views) | | | Tasted by Bob23 on 4/6/2022 & rated 91 points: Too soon. Flavors were muted and uninspiring one day one, but rounded out nicely on day two (2648 views) | | | Tasted by TRueNOLA on 4/1/2022 & rated 92 points: Had this at a dinner. Drank this way too young. Big wine. Nose needed air just to open. Packed some serious red fruit and tannins, still didn't open up by the end of the dinner. Definitely has potential, but needs a few years in bottle. (2051 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Jonathan Cristaldi
Decanter, Cristaldi-March 2024 (1/29/2024)
(Dominus Estate, Napanook, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, The 2019 Napa Valley Cabernets: A Deep Dive (Jan 2022) (1/1/2022)
(Dominus Napanook Napa Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com (5/29/2021)
(Dominus Napa Valley Napanook , United States) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Napa Valley’s 2018s (1/27/2021)
(Dominus Napanook) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Napa Valley’s Thrilling 2018s & 2019s, Parts 1 & 2 (Jan 2021) (1/1/2021)
(Dominus Napanook Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Decanter and Vinous and JamesSuckling.com and JebDunnuck.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.Napanook RedThe Napanook Red Wine was first created in 1996. It is a 'second wine' to the main Dominus Estate wine. Confusingly, some mid-90's vintages of the Dominus Estate (1991 through 1996 we believe) were labeled as Napanook Vineyard, so people often try to create older vintages of this wine. None should exist before 1996.USAAmerican 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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