2001 Dominus

Dominus is a proprietary red wine produced in the heart of the Napa Valley by Christian Moueix. It has been produced since 1983 and has been a wine that has often received great press and accolades for it's bold structure and Bordeaux-like personality. The 2001 Dominus is composed of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot, and 4% Merlot. It's was aged 18 months in 40% new French oak and hand racked every three months.

This wine is one that benefits greatly from proper decanting and as the wine opened up and developed the complexities were far more prevalent then when the bottle was first uncorked. The bouquet expresses notes of pure Napa style red fruits, that dusty-like coco component, blackberry, and touches of tea leaf. I was expecting a bit more green or earthy aromas but was surprised to see that the main focus was fruit and of course a good dose of oak. Flavors of blackberry, sour black cherry, spice, oak, and ripe plum that finish dry and firm. The tannins are still firm and the wine maintains a high amount of acidity.

It's a good wine but to me it lacks a bit of fruit and although the wine in terms of power and acidity is superb, it is missing the lush silkiness that one might expect from an aged wine of this caliber. To say that it needs a bit more time before it really peaks might hold some validity, but where is the fruit my friends?? Perhaps the long barrel regime and new oak was just too much for the fruit to handle, or perhaps the wine just needs time to develop further. Where it is right now only deserves a 90 point score.

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