Dominus, Napanook

Todd’s wine. I always love Dominus 1994. I would say that this maybe wasn’t the greatest example, But a great bottle none the less. It was by far the darkest wine of the night and I think the highest ABV. My notes say rich, dark, dark, red and black cherry. This had a hint of good greenness, and a grainy, crunchy texture.

1994 vintage

Incredible. I’ve had probably four or five bottles of this over the past few years and they’ve hit every time. They need about a 90 minute decant for the funk to blow off but then IMO it’s Napa at its best: still fruit forward with integrated tannins and barely perceptible oak and an earthiness that you don’t get in the sweeter Napa wines. Consumed over two hours with steaks at Matū Kai and it was just liquid velvet. If you …

1994 vintage

Still elegant and graceful, but showing its age. The excitement is gone.

1994 vintage

Drank this by Caymus Special Selection and Beringer 1994. Dominus blew them away.

1994 vintage

No detailed notes taken. This 1994 remains in a glorious drinking window, showing waves of beautiful tobacco and truffle aromas woven around a still vibrant fruit core. It continues to be the most consistent wine I have encountered in the past decade, with all but two of the close to 20 bottles delivering different shades of greatness. A benchmark wine. As a side note: This was part of a four-wine test to assess the performance of The Fu glass from …

1994 vintage

Very impressive. Only slight visual hints of its age. Cassis, dark cherry, a hint of licorice, lead pencil with a solid backbone of acid for a med+ body and long finish. Happy to have more.

1994 vintage

Had lower expectations given some of the recent reviews. Popped and poured; enjoyed by three of us. We all agreed that we drank this at its peak. The nose was spectacular, the fruit prominent but extremely well integrated. Wonderful colour. A great wine from start to finish.

1994 vintage

Pristine cork, still deep red color though starting to show some signs of age, tannins fairly well settled down, still a very energetic wine with strong fruit but secondary/tertiary notes are fully developed, green and earthy notes, very well balanced. At peak.

1994 vintage

Blow out Blind night (Corkbuzz, Union Square) : The 1982 made this show better than it was. Riper conditioned fruit and decidedly new world vibes that held its balance back from greatness. 1994 is a vintage I collect, so bummed. The more CA folks at the table enjoyed this much more than I did so - ymmv.

1994 vintage

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1994 vintage

Drinking brilliantly, dark fruit, slight vegetal character with chocolate, mint and tobacco all integrated in a delicious way. This drank out of magnum, this has lots of life left.

1994 vintage

Elegant, harmonious, absolutely beautiful. Fading red color, with some bricking. Earthy nose. Smooth and silky on the palate - earth, cigar, leather. Great balance, long finish. Wow. (Coravin pour)

1994 vintage

Still very good. Last bottle. Full bodied and lean at the same time. Not fruit driven like 2 years ago. Ripe tannins. Liked by most guests. I found it to be quite a character.

2005 vintage

My last bottle of this beauty and it did not disappoint. The fill on this bottle was very high and the cork was perfectly intact. This bottle, like the others, was ready to go right out the bottle but did not show signs of age, as this was fully open and expressive for 2 hours of dinner. LB Bordeaux style all the way, with leather, cedar, pencil shavings, and deep earthy backbone with the lovely dark berries stitching it all …

1994 vintage

excellent wine, again. lots of old world characteristics

1994 vintage

Good color and resolved tannins. Ready to go.

1994 vintage

Edward brought this 20 YO wine to J’s dinner. Everyone enjoy this ripe BDX class A wine.

1994 vintage

Amazing freshness, complexity, earth and fruit balance, very "ripe Bordeaux" like. Dense yet balanced, cassis, leather, spces, cigar, etc. Great stuff and still has many years ahead of it. EWG 10-20-40-50 year+ retrospective.

1994 vintage

Spectacular showing. Seemingly ageless, this is developing along the lines of great Bordeaux. Cedar cigar box, roast plums, leather, a touch of mer spring. Richer than a left bank Bordeaux, but utterly drinkable, hugely layered, and in a gorgeous equilibrium. At a peak, but may be interesting to age further, in a cold cellar.

1994 vintage

This wine just keeps on truckin'. No let down from my last 2 notes. Shared with two experienced wine collectors who were duly impressed. Truly a wonderful wine.

1994 vintage

Bordeaux - I said, just upon smelling it. Others were guessing Burgundy, even Spain ... but this is so much a Bordeaux with being from Bordeaux. Complely classical left bank with tobacco, chocolate, black berries, truffles. Still going strong, this one, very impressive indeed, a treat, certainly. #Jean-Luc#CPisBack

1994 vintage

Band aids!! Aaack. Recently purchased from Winebid (( Open opening the som smelled the cork and the look on his face said it all. That look of complete shock and awe. Uh oh. He looked like he put his face in a big pile of horse manure. I smelled the cork and immediately understood his reaction. Was so bad he asked if I wanted it poured or should it go straight to the trash. Said may as well go through …

1994 vintage

It’s no secret that the 1994 vintage always delivers: highly layered, with a great blend of tertiary and fresh aromas, good freshness and tension, pure elegance with beautiful balance, and particularly a lots of drinking pleasure. But this specific bottle set a new benchmark: it had all that and much more: even more expressiveness, an even broader aromatic spectrum down to olives (where did those come from?) and a irresistible hint of brett (at least to my palate), meaty notes, …

1994 vintage

OMG this was so good. Super layered and complex, showing notes of cassis, dark fruit, menthol, some black truffle, forest floor, leather, tobacco and also a touch of pyrazine (reminding me of Cab Franc). It‘s medium-full bodied, ripe but classic at the same time, with some medium super silky tannin, medium+ acidity adding freshness and just a mouthfeel of creaminess and richness without weight. Super long finish. An epic bottle and a testament to the greatness of Napa. Too bad …

1994 vintage

Tasted blind at a social event. Obviously guessed beautifully aged Bordeaux as always with this one. Clear fruit of blueberry, cherry and lighter red berries on a bed of wet earth. Toppings of black truffles and spicy seasoning, sweet pipe tobacco and contrasting vegetal notes. Palate impresses with great tension and soft, caressing tannin. Aromatically showing seductive sweet fruit and leathery elements. Bottle nr. 8 in the last 6 years (from various sources) and this one was the best so …

1994 vintage

Ich habe an diesem Abend nicht mitgeschrieben aber dieser Wein war nicht von dieser Welt - schreibe diese Notiz auch hauptsächlich um dieses unglaubliche Aroma (das ich immer noch so klar präsent habe) nicht zu vergessen. Böse Zungen mögen sagen „könnte meine Nase auch in einen Pferdearsch stecken“, ja, der Wein war in der Nase wie auch am Gaumen von deutlichen Stallaromen geprägt. Aber diese war mit umwerfenden Waldbeerentönen, Trüffel, Honig und Teer kombiniert, Fruchtdruck wie ein Jungwein und eine …

1994 vintage

Wiedermal mit altem bordeaux verwechselt. Schöne tertieräre aromen. Erinnert am figeac 1993. Scheint ein warmer 30 jähriger Bordeaux. Rote frucht, herbal, tabacco

1994 vintage

This wine is singing, with smooth dark fruit and hints of earth, coffee and chocolate. delicious!

2005 vintage

I was hoping form a more balanced and better finish for this price, not impressed

2011 vintage

Very smooth!! Drink NOW on the verge

2011 vintage

Brownish rim. Dark berries, smoke. Intense. Smooth tannins. Full bodied but neither thick nor juicy. 14 vol are nicely balanced. A lot better than 5 years ago. No edges which might add character. Will please many people at this stage.

2005 vintage

Bright and vivid, especially the nose, though maybe a touch on the "green" side but not in an offensive way. Would buy again!

2011 vintage

Poivron vert 😕

2011 vintage

I know 2011 was a tough vintage for Napa - but at 9 years old this wine is really hitting its stride. The nose is elegant with lots of red cherries, leather, licorice, baking spice, tobacco, and a bit of green pepper. The palate is medium bodied, smooth, nicely integrated tannins a really nice finish. I had the flagship Dominus 2011 also - and it was a bit more fuller and more opulent compared to this, but this is still …

2011 vintage

Light

2005 vintage

Big wine, enjoyable.

2002 vintage

Regular dinner group. Many wines based on the book “1001 wines you must try before you die”. (By EM @ Bottles) : In the bouquet dark berries and sweet spices like cinnamon. On the palate creamy dark berries and chocolate, vanilla, some earth and autumn impressions, good acidity and full bodied.

2011 vintage

I stumbled upon this at my local liquor store and looked suspiciously at the bottle. The cork was in perfect shape with no seepage. Secondary notes escaped with leather and cigar box, hint of vegetal (bell pepper) note but good.. Some brick around edge and no water table. Velvety, round and supple. Although a little light in the mid pallet and a shorter finish - it delivers. And for less the $50 - a no brainer. It's not going to …

2011 vintage

Opulent with velvety oak veil. Inky background, black currant and what I’m sure to be the cab franc’s contribution in forms of roasted bell pepper. Sweet fruit and spice on the palate with soft structure. Better than the last 2011

2011 vintage

On the thinner less ripe side. Clear herbaceous element but holds it together nicely. Decent depth and complexity but probably less than more “stellar” years. Enjoyed. Probably at peak.

2011 vintage

If you didn’t know already, this is the second wine of Dominus. The nose reveals; sour dark cherries, blackberries, baked strawberries, sugar style plum, black raspberries, sweetened, lean pomegranate, candied raspberries, blue fruits, vanilla, light clove, anise, steeped, black fruit tea, graphite, dark, rich, turned earth,sweet tarriness, limestone, alluvial soils, dry top soil, leathery notes, cedar, moist crushed rocks, dash of dry herbs with withering, dark, red flowers and old violets. The body is medium full. The tannins nicely resolved …

2005 vintage

Needs drinking sooner than later. Nicely à point today. Unfortunately the alcohol is showing a bit too much. Other than that I would say this is a great "Bordeaux"

2005 vintage

This wine is nearing the end. Drinkable but very little happening and short finish

2002 vintage

My last bottle. Wish I had more. Currants, plum, spices, tobacco and forest floor. Greener and more bell pepper than the later vintages but still very enjoyable in it's own way.

2011 vintage

Corked but held together.

2002 vintage

Popped and poured. Dark red but translucent. Green bell pepper, blackberry, garrigue and herbal notes on the nose; green bell pepper overwhelms the attack; blackberry, sage and dusty herbs on the finish. Some others cite the vintage, I think this is typical of a second wine - clumsy and unsubtle. Either pay up for the Dominus or stick with the real deal from Bordeaux! Better quality at a similar price.

2011 vintage

Couleur violet avec légère teinte brune. Nez sur les cerises confites, avec un côté floral et végétal. En bouche, attaque vive sur les cerises confites, mures, avec un côté terreux et boisé. On perçoit un goût végétal en fin de bouche qui est très agréable. La finale est longue, la saveur perdure pendant plusieurs minutes. Très très agréable.

2005 vintage

This is drinking very well. Sweet tobacco, red currant, bell pepper and spices.

2011 vintage

Ive drank a case of this wine since release, and if you're not giving this wine 90 plus points you're crazy. Don't mean to insult other tasters but this is a $30 12 yr old napa cab that can hang w wines 4x the price. Still plenty of fruit (coffee, chocolate), balanced w good acidity - everything you'd want from an aged napa cab with new world fruit and old world charm. Last bottle unfortunately.

2005 vintage

Found at a great price at PA state store (<$40). Was reluctant to purchase given poor vintage and some poor reviews but eager to try napanook for the first time while my 2013s age. Pleasantly surprised. Although the nose was green, there were interesting earthy and vegetal notes (fall forest floor and jalapeño). Some subtle bubble gum emerged as it opened in decanter.

2011 vintage

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Dominus, Napanook

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