Dominus Estate

Pre Christmas Wine Dinner (Hawksmoor Guildhall, London) : Our third bottle and albeit ( could be perception) not as quasi perfect as the last ( Papies 98) still a magical bottle and such a joy to see it healthy and testament to the big man that his debut bottling of this great estate still outshines the youngsters of today. Ever so classic in style but with a proper reminder that is Napa Terroir though as the fruit was still ever …

1983 vintage

The wine that was promised! After one poor bottle a few months ago ( same original case of 6) this arrived and reminded us the beauty of old school Napa from its early days. The first vintage of Dominus and yet as alive for its age as ever. This is proper claret with the extra umph of Napa and was ever the joyous wine and in line with its heritage and pedigree. Needs some decanting or better as we did …

1983 vintage

An emotional first bottle of 6 we recently got delivered. The first vintage bottled of a wine icon we have come to love. The Bottle was not tip top ( very crumbly cork too albeit solid and well wet and the wine was in neck level) and left us wondering as had a touch of acidic notes. We will wait for the next bottle to pass judgement and rating.

1983 vintage

This is still very much alive and has a good amount of fruit left: it is quite amazing how long lived this wine feels. It definitely needs some air but once decanted for a while has a very complex nose. Some smokiness and tertiary aromas on the nose but very well integrated at this point.

1983 vintage

First ever vintage of Dominus and this is exactly why I love old Napas. Really fresh and vibrant on the nose. Ripe cherries, dark plums, green peppers, tobacco and leather. The palate is fading but still offers pleasure and all that tertiary notes hardly reflects the age. Got some alcoholic kick at the back. The ripeness probably suggests the origin of this bottle, and guesses were mostly around Loire Valley and 2013/2014. Held up well into Day 2.

1983 vintage

20 Top Wines of the 1983 Vintage : Dominus vs Opus 1983. The Dominus (93pts) is as Bordeaux-esque as a wine can be, though it is not showing that much complexity. Nevertheless, its debut vintage is noteworthy, especially considering 1983’s challenges in Napa Valley. The Opus (90pts) couldn‘t hide the difficult vintage that well, showing a bit simple, albeit without fault. TN: Medium- expressive nose with dark fruit and minerality. On the palate more expressive with intense minerality, a still …

1983 vintage

40 years on: A global 1983 retrospective : Not as great as another bottle I had a couple of years ago, but still very good. Intense, expressive nose, slightly lactic with some chocolate notes.

1983 vintage

1983 vintage horizontal with >20 wines, mostly from Bordeaux. Key observations: 1/ Acceptable vintage for Champagne with DP over-delivering, 2/ Laville Haut Brion is a masterpiece among the whites, 3/ Bordeaux is going strong at 40 years of age with stand-outs Latour and Margaux. 4/ No need to chase any Napa’s from the vintage, 5/ off-piste Italians kept up impressively with Soldera an undisputed medalist. Tasting note: Double-decanted. Cassis jam but also fresher type of fruit, without appearing too sweet …

1983 vintage

Perhaps the most surprising wine of the night due to how young it showed. Blind I might have guessed something like 2000. Still structured and fresh as a daisy. Lovely too, although predictably neither as complex nor as elegant as the Margaux or Palmer. It was similar in impression to the Latour.

1983 vintage

Heitz MV vs Dominus : 1983/1987/1991. Heitz Martha's won the battle (95.3 pts average vs 93.7pts for Dominus) thanks to more complexity and rounder, completer structural frames. My WOTN was the 1983 MV (rated 97 pts) thanks to an ever changing, highly complex aroma play, with a superb, elegant structure. In its first few years, Dominus (maiden vintage 1983) produced very classically shaped Bordeaux blends, great but often a bit square and with some hard edges. 1983/87 were no exception. …

1983 vintage

Cork came out clean with Durand - solid and soaked to less than one quarter - silty, fairly light sediment - last tried in 2012 - slightly past peak but delicious - nose of a mature Bordeaux... leather, mushrooms - no bricking - fruit alive but not shouting - lovely secondary flavors emerging - Margaux-like and good length but lighter than a big first growth - my last bottle of this first vintage of Dominus - the collector in me …

1983 vintage

A Cappella at Martin’s : Leather, barnyard, chocolate, malt, toasted barley, porcini, super expressive nose just jumping at you out of the glass. Notes continue in the palate enriched with humidor and smoked bacon notes. This is an Haut Brion lookalike and just flat out delicious! I assume there is quite a lot of bottle variation and one sees the importance of great storage with this one.

1983 vintage

Beautiful inaugural vintage of Dominus. Cork in terrific condition. Bottle had lovely secondary flavors. Very smooth. It lacked the pleasurable extremes of density and length, but was nevertheless a faultless time machine that took us back to earlier days of fine Napa winemaking.

1983 vintage

not blind, Best vintages of Dominus, all bottles perfectly stored (subcription) and decanted for 2 hours First vintage of Dominus, very accessible, some mint, tobacco, Graphite, the finish is sweet, more Cali cab than Bordraux, maybe a touch over his Peak, well to drink. 93-94

1983 vintage

Tasted at dinner with the 2010,07,91,90. Amazing wine, still with huge fruit, cassis, currants, hints of cedar, graphite, full mouth feel, soft tannins, long finish. Memorable wine.

1983 vintage

The nose is seamless and balanced with tones of cedar, dark red cherries, currants, leather notes, licorice, raspberries, tobacco leaf, smoke tones, and roses. There is excellent balance and poise to the nose, but it lacks a bit of depth. The Medium/full bodied feel shows off the balance of the nose, but it also shows off the depth issues as well with the mid-palate thinning out a touch. The Medium tannins have effectively resolved while the medium acidity provides an …

1983 vintage

Dominus Estate 1983-1995 Vertical (RPM Steak) : Nose is dominated by eucalyptus. Palate was thin and certainly past its best; others at the table enjoyed this more than I did.

1983 vintage

Dominus: 1983-1994 (RPM Steak) : 83/84/85: My favorite of the flight and a testament to the age worthiness of Dominus. The aromas leap from the glass -- tarry, herby, cedary mature plum fruit. The palate is still rich and plush. So fresh. Wow.

1983 vintage

Vinetasters- Dominus from 1983-2014 (Holiday Inn, Skokie IL) : Nose: The nose is mature and balanced with cedar, dark red cherries, raspberries, red and black currants, cassis, tobacco, and spice notes. Taste: The feel is Full bodied with medium acidity and silky, medium+ tannins. The tannins are pretty much resolved with dark red cherries, raspberries, cedar, tobacco, red and black currants, and spice notes. Overall: This was my #7 and the group's #8. This is drinking beautifully and didn't feel …

1983 vintage

Vinetaster's does Dominus 1983-2014 (Holiday Inn NorthShore) : Dark briery earthy aromas with a nice dry sweet earthy edge. Dark rustic mature claret. Reasonable concentration and very much alive yet fully resolved tannins and a bit lean with good hints of tobacco. Solid, yet overall a just bit too drying. I rated this #10/12 vs group rating of 8/12.

1983 vintage

Drank during lunch. The nose started of very funky, but after some time settled to smell like aged claret. Drinking pretty classically and pretty good in general! Not tired yet...

1983 vintage

Decanted and poured at Six Seven in Seattle. Beautiful flowery nose at the start, well integrated faded fruit on the palate, bitter chocolate finish. Transitioned several times and after an hour turned into a gorgeous mature left-bank Bordeaux. Reminded me of Mouton. My first Dominus, the first attempt and a bad year for Napa. Color me impressed.

1983 vintage

What a superb wine ! Amazing structure and fruit after 33 years and still a nice balance. Slightly decanted to remove sediment - it was a treat to have. Silly smooth , supple and velvety it made me smile to think I have 3 bottles left. The first effort in Napa by Mouiex this is a superlative wine IMHO. The nose has matured truffle, leather and saddle bag tones with underlying fruits - on the plate pure silk and velvet …

1983 vintage

Fill into neck. Capsule and cork in excellent condition for age. Not decanted. Allowed to breathe in glass 30 minutes before tasting. Clear deep youthful garnet-ruby color. Lovely bouquet of blackberry liqueur, creme de cassis, nutmeg, fennel, anise, bourbon vanilla, with hints of molasses and tobacco. Swirling the glass brings out more savory nuances such as saddle soap and meat juice. Medium-full body on the palate, balanced, seamless, outstanding wine, obviously fully mature but showing plenty of life.

1983 vintage

What a treat to be able to taste this inaugural bottling from Christian Moueix at Dominus. This wine is still holding up after all these years telling me that California wines can truly age well. While this wasn't nearly as profound as the '94 Dominus (my all time favorite), it didn't disappoint. Fully mature with secondary characteristics reminiscent of a Medoc Bordeaux. I don't recommend decanting this wine and you should drink it within the first hour after uncorking.

1983 vintage

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