December 17, 2023 - This wine continues to drink well, with notes similar to my last tasting: cassis, currant, spice, damp earth, well balanced with soft tannins. Long finish. Paired with grilled lamb chops.
November 15, 2023 - Popped and poured. Drank alongside a 1990 Latour and this is just a tad behind in quality. Opens with a fantastic nose. Black cherry, tobacco leaf, herbs. Refined, pure, balanced and long
October 14, 2023 - Thanks brother Joe Yee Wong, amazing aged Napa!
Nose was singing with leather and blackberries, classic claret! In the first decade or two of Dominus, this was described as one of the finest vintages along with the 1991.
Perhaps 2-3 years past its prime, however for those who love the secondary notes of aged Bordeauxs.. it is still a delight!
🍇 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot
Classical aged Bordeaux blend nose, and with the light rim which showed how beautifully preserved this wine was.. I guessed early 2000, perhaps late 1990s.
Amazing that this turns out to be a wine of over 3 decades.
Love the medium body mouthfeel, acidity medium+. This is clearly a wine with great structure which has mellowed over the years to now demonstrate the beauty of well rounded and super fine tannins.
Medium to long finish very enjoyable too. In conclusion, at this stage.. This wine is lifted by the beautiful acidity, truly a privilege to try this.
Christian Moueix (PĂ©trus)'s journey in Napa dates back to 1983, from the historic Napanook vineyard in Yountville. Always a privilege to have any of his family wines!
Robert Parker 98 pointer, from his review in the early 1990s. He wrote - Moueix's minimal interventionist philosophy follows such traditional practices as:
(1) severe crop thinning to guarantee conservative yields,
(2) a late harvest in order to obtain physiologically ripe grapes,
(3) minimum or no acid adjustments,
(4) avoidance of sterile filtration that eviscerates and denudes a wine, and
(5) refusal to rely on a heavy cosmetic overlay of toasty new oak to flatter wine writers!!
14 Oct 2023
Dinner with JY, LN, LMC, DQ, and curator/master-mind Ramesh
Napa Cult Wines night, Stoked in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
October 13, 2023 - From an excellent looking bottle, this wine had a deep red center and oranging rims. The medium+ intensity nose generated currant, caramel, cherry, and mineral notes.
In the mouth, this wine was rich and ripe with notable tannins that were just ever so slightly rough. It had solid acidity and very good length.
This bottle seemed like it was just coming into its zone. It did not seem as polished as some later vintages but it was certainly good. This will last for 10 years easily.
August 23, 2023 - Les Degustateurs last tasting for a dear friend (Smyth and the Loyalist Chicago, IL): Dominus in all my years of tasting is the finest blend showing of a wine from CA that I have enjoyed. Also, this wine continues to out class many Bordeaux wines in blind tastings. Deep color, so smooth on the palate, long finish. BUY or drink what you have.
August 16, 2023 - Fra Jacob. Blød og rund. Dejlig balance og tannin. Blyant duft. Vil vælge Bourgogne hvis jeg får muligheden.
Til Damis 50 ĂĄrs
April 8, 2023 - Out of a magnum and decanted for an hr. Continued developing in the glass. Served with grilled tenderloin. Deep dark color, all cab nose, sweet finish ala CA. Delightful but ready to drink.
March 24, 2023 - Popped and poured. This needs a decant. Quite austere at first for an aged California Cabernet. Classically styled. Black cherry, tobacco weed and lead pencil. Long complex finish. I kept coming back to this and it kept changing. Excellent wine.
December 24, 2022 - Had one of these two years ago and didn’t write a note - the note that follows shows why. It’s excellent. Fully mature, mushroomy, earthy nose. Tannins resolved. Fruit still alive, secondary spicy flavors emerging. Good length, not near end of life. But… it lacks that extra gear of profundity that makes a great wine. Parker gave it 98, but imo, that’s too much. Terrific bottle, and glad I have two more, but it’s short of true greatness.
July 2, 2022 - On release , cost $36! Loved it, more than the late model Dominus. Ditto to the last review’s taste profile