Dominus

Dominus Estate, Yountville, California, was established in 1983 by Christian Moueix. Situated on the famed Napanook vineyard, it was, in the 1940’s and 1950’s, the source of fruit for some of the finest Napa Valley wines. In fact, the vineyard’s history can be traced back to Napa Valley’s beginnings, when in 1838 George Yount, for whom the town of Yountville was named, first planted grapevines there. Today, this historic vineyard produces three wines: Dominus, its flagship, Napanook, and Othello.

A vivid expression of its unique site, Dominus is a profound and powerful wine, exemplifying purity. With articulated fruit and polished tannins, the wine has elegance, complexity, great length and improves with age.

Winemaker notes

2019: Dominus 2019 opens gradually with sweet tobacco, marjoram and jasmine leading to a resonant core of iron and black plum.

2020: Floral, jasmine tea, saddle leather, blue plum, weightless, lifted with a resonant finish.

2012

Wine Advocate 98+: The exuberance and drama in the stunning nose of the dense plum-colored 2012 Dominus offers up notes of Asian spice, ripe, black currants, kirsch, tobacco leaf and Christmas fruitcake. It is full-bodied and opulent, with no hard edges, a seamless integration of acidity, wood and tannin and a density and richness that are built to go on for 25-30 years.

James Suckling 98: Fabulous purity and clarity of fruit. Black currants, blackberries and violets. Full body, big soft tannins and a chocolate, hazelnut and dark fruit character. Some hot stones too. Ripe, velvety and fruity finish. Better in 2020 but delicious to drink now. Wonderful Dominus.

Vinous 98+: The 2012 Dominus is a real head-turner. Flashy, voluptuous and intense, but with tons of underlying concentration, the 2012 is simply magnificent. A towering, vertical Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2012 Dominus is one of the most concentrated wines of the vintage, yet it also maintains considerable freshness, the signature of a late-ripening vintage with no heat spikes. Sweet red cherry, raspberry and floral notes add lift on the perfumed, expressive finish.

Decanter 98: It rained a lot in the spring of 2012, and as of early 2024, the wine is still very compact. There's a cheerful quality, with black fruit, dried violets, and lilacs. A deep sense of earthy richness is just beginning to show itself, but as much as the 2013 suggestion, there is real cellar potential. 2012 is an overlooked vintage, stuck between the cool and rainy 2011 and the highly-praised 2013 vintage, but if you have any 2012 in your cellar, try it today and try it again in 5, 10, and 15 years. It will still be going. It has the balanced acidity and integration of precise tannins to age, and it's delivering a host of upfront pleasure right now in a soft, velvety and refreshing form, with such scintillating acidity as to be one of the most food-friendly Dominus reds in the last couple of decades. Not to be overlooked.

2014

Wine Advocate 97: The 2014s, where the production of Napanook was only 2,200 cases and Dominus slightly more than the 2015 at 4,000 cases, was another early harvest, although somewhat later than 2015. The 2014 Dominus, which is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot really struts its stuff. Moueix’s belief in dry farming seems to be paying off with stronger and stronger vintages, each successive year, and the 2014 is a sexy, opulent, layered, multidimensional wine with notes of red and blackcurrant, cedar wood, tobacco leaf , spice box and licorice. The color is a dense plum/ruby/purple, much like the Napanook. This is a beauty that is already drinking gorgeously – as most 2014s are – and will continue to evolve for 25 or so years.

James Suckling 98: Loads of dark tobacco aromas with blackcurrants and black olives. Boysenberries, too. Full to medium body, ultra-fine tannins and lots of flavors of smoke, dried roasted chillis, black truffles, mushrooms and fruit. Bright acidity on the finish. Sexy and subtle austerity. Alluring.

Vinous 96: The 2014 Dominus is endowed with tons of depth, power and muscle. Black cherry, plum, smoke, menthol, licorice, chocolate, dried herbs and dark spices are all pushed forward. Deep, pliant and exquisitely layered, the 2014 possesses tons of concentration and mid-palate depth. Like so many wines in this vintage, the 2014 comes across as a hybrid of 2013 and 2012. I very much like the energy and focus in this wine. This is a fabulous wine in every way. With time in the glass, the flavors gain in brightness and focus. There is certainly much to look forward to.

Decanter 95: An initially reticent bouquet opens in the decanter and glass to reveal notes of blackberry, rich spice, tobacco leaf, elderberry and lily pollen. On the palate, fine, powdery tannins frame an elegant, deep wine with a lovely core of cool fruit. This will require some time in the cellar to reveal all its potential.

2016

Wine Advocate 100: A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot and 8% Cabernet Franc aged in 40% new oak, the 2016 Proprietary Red Wine is deep purple-black in color and quite reticent at this youthful stage to begin, offering up subtle notions of potpourri, Indian spices, cigar box and iron ore over a core of crushed blackberries and black cherries with intermittent wafts of black and red currants, new leather and smoked meats. The palate is medium to full-bodied with a densely packed mid-palate and oodles of freshness framed by very ripe, finely grained tannins and laced with compelling earthy accents. It offers incredible vibrancy with tons of black and red fruit sparkle in the mid-palate leading to a provocative mineral element on the very long finish. If I could give more than 100 for this one, I would.

James Suckling 98: The opulence of fresh flowers and dark fruit is so impressive. There’s so much going on, from flowers to currants. The palate is full and powerful, but what impresses most are the ripe tannins and the amazing poise at the finish. Tightens down at the end. A blend of 84 per cent cabernet sauvignon, eight per cent petit verdot and eight per cent cabernet franc.

Vinous 97: The 2016 Dominus is a dark, somber wine. I don't quite see the explosive energy of the 2013 or 2010, not the seductiveness of the 2012, but the 2016 has a distinct charm that is all its own. Quite frankly, I can't remember a young Dominus with this combination of fruit density, freshness and polished tannins. A huge center of fruit emerge with time in the glass in a big, large-scaled Dominus that should provide readers with a long drinking window of pure pleasure once some of the baby fat wears off.

2018

Wine Advocate 99+: Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Dominus slowly emerges from the glass with profound notes of blackcurrant cordial, ripe black plums, boysenberries and Black Forest cake with hints of violets, star anise, cracked black pepper, raspberry leaves and pencil lead, plus a touch of garrigue. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers impactful black fruit layers, creating a beguiling sense of richness that is beautifully countered by invigorating freshness and great poise, framed by super ripe, plush tannins and beautiful tension, finishing on a lingering fragrant earth note and, finally, lots of mineral sparks. For all that it is at the moment, one cannot help but feel that this 2018 is holding something back. Give it a good five years in bottle, at least, and then get set for what I suspect will be a mind-blowing transformation over the next 30 years+.

James Suckling 100: This is incredible on the nose, offering hot stones, blackcurrants, iodine and wet earth. Full-bodied with a tight center palate, then it opens with a tannin structure that is weightless and spreads across the palate. Totally integrated on the palate. This is a magic-carpet wine. Really incredible. One of the reference points for the vintage.

Vinous 97: The 2018 Dominus is wild and exotic from the first taste. Lifted aromatics make a strong opening impression. There is something exuberant about the 2018 that is hard to describe. The 2018 is not a huge Dominus, nor is it massively structured, but the intensity of the flavors is remarkable just the same. Dark raspberry, spice, leather and cedar are some of the many notes that open over time.

Decanter 97: Ripe blackcurrant and vegetal aromas of tomato leaves and aubergine. So distinguished on the nose with discreet notes of cassis, tertiary spicy aromas and that earthy undertone. A full-bodied and long red wine with fine fruit tannins and extra layers of texture from oak ageing. A classic style of a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon blend. 

2019

Wine Advocate 98: The 2019 Dominus is blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc, aged in 40% new French oak. Impressively dark-hued in the glass, it yields scents of cherries and cassis on the nose—or is it black cherries and redcurrants? Subtle notes of mocha, pencil shavings and almost Graves-like earthiness wind through the concentrated, medium to full-bodied palate, giving it a sense of savory gravitas, while the finish is silky and long, leaving a lingering residue of soft tannins and mouthwatering freshness.

James Suckling 98: Lots of crushed stone, lead pencil and licorice aromas that are extremely aromatic and bright. Black cherries, cloves and purple fruit, too. Full body and a round and ripe center-palate with a juicy interior. It opens at the end with a savory and juicy finish. Layered and beautiful.

Vinous 98: The 2019 Dominus is shockingly primary. A wine of tremendous density and power, the 2019 is also a wine for readers who can be patient, as it won't be ready to drink for another 10-15 years! Dark fruit, leather, tobacco, incense, dried herbs and scorched earth lend striking complexity. The 2019 is a huge wine that needs time to come into its own. This is impressive, to say the least.

2020

Wine Advocate 95: An excellent wine, even if not a great Dominus, the 2020 Dominus delivers waves of dark fruit—think predominantly cassis. A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, it's full-bodied and richly textured, perhaps a bit warm and open-knit because of the summer's heat, but with a long, velvety finish attractively tinged with mocha and dark chocolate.

James Suckling 98: Aromas of blackcurrants, black cherries, hints of graphite, wet earth, and lavender. Sandalwood. Full-bodied with an impressive and refined structure that runs deep and vertical in the wine. Chewy. Hints of chocolate and hazelnut at the end.

Vinous 93: The 2020 Dominus is one of the wines of the vintage in this crazy year marked by drought and fires. There’s plenty of upfront richness and fruit, but the mid-palate and finish taper off faster than they would in a higherquality vintage. Here, too, the balance is notable, even if there is no escaping the reality that the 2020 is a relatively small scaled Dominus.

Decanter 99: With a good decant, the compact, quiet bouquet of this 2020 Dominus begins to show off, exhibiting perfumed aromatics of dark-toned berry fruit, blood orange, and cocoa nibs. It boasts impressive staying power with a real depth of concentration of fruit. Long strands of velvety tannins are interwoven around pure and symphonic black-toned fruit, while bright and present acidity provides the kind of lift that makes the wine seem almost featherweight. A beautiful red florality envelops the finish. Winemaker Tod Mostero said that hours before the Glass Fire on 27 September, they had just brought in the last of their grapes. It's a good thing, too, because it's a splendid wine and deserves to share the spotlight with the best wines of the vintage. Aged 16-18 months in 40% new French oak.