1995 Dominus Estate Bordeaux Blend
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S$72897
Vintage: 1995
Region: Yountville, Napa Valley
Country: USA
Winemaker Notes
1995 Dominus shows intense ruby color and ripe, handsomely balanced avor. Lively and fresh, the nose has hints of raspberry and supple tannins lead into a long finish.
About Winery
The vineyards of Dominus Estate have connections to the original history of the Napa Valley as they date back to the mid 1850’s, or even earlier, when it was first cultivated. At the time, it was known as the Napanook vineyard.
In the late 1960s, while attending the University of California at Davis, Christian Moueix fell in love with the Napa Valley and its wines. Son of Jean-Pierre Moueix, the famed wine merchant and producer from Libourne, France, Moueix returned home in 1970 to manage the family vineyards, including Chateaux Petrus, La Fleur-Petrus, Trotanoy in Pomerol and Magdelaine in St. Emilion.
His love of Napa Valley lingered and in 1981, he discovered the historic Napanook vineyard, a 124-acre site west of Yountville that had been the source of fruit for some of the finest Napa Valley wines of the 1940s and 1950s.
In 1982, Moueix entered into a partnership with Robin Lail and Marcia Smith, the daughters of John Daniels who owned the vineyard. In 1995, he became the sole owner of the estate and chose the name Dominus, or “Lord of the Estate” in Latin to underscore his longstanding commitment to stewardship of the land.
One of the most respected wine producers in the world, Christian Moueix is on a personal quest for perfection in grape growing and winemaking. It is a journey that began in Bordeaux and continues today at Dominus Estate.
Winemaker Notes
1995 Dominus shows intense ruby color and ripe, handsomely balanced avor. Lively and fresh, the nose has hints of raspberry and supple tannins lead into a long finish.
About Winery
The vineyards of Dominus Estate have connections to the original history of the Napa Valley as they date back to the mid 1850’s, or even earlier, when it was first cultivated. At the time, it was known as the Napanook vineyard.
In the late 1960s, while attending the University of California at Davis, Christian Moueix fell in love with the Napa Valley and its wines. Son of Jean-Pierre Moueix, the famed wine merchant and producer from Libourne, France, Moueix returned home in 1970 to manage the family vineyards, including Chateaux Petrus, La Fleur-Petrus, Trotanoy in Pomerol and Magdelaine in St. Emilion.
His love of Napa Valley lingered and in 1981, he discovered the historic Napanook vineyard, a 124-acre site west of Yountville that had been the source of fruit for some of the finest Napa Valley wines of the 1940s and 1950s.
In 1982, Moueix entered into a partnership with Robin Lail and Marcia Smith, the daughters of John Daniels who owned the vineyard. In 1995, he became the sole owner of the estate and chose the name Dominus, or “Lord of the Estate” in Latin to underscore his longstanding commitment to stewardship of the land.
One of the most respected wine producers in the world, Christian Moueix is on a personal quest for perfection in grape growing and winemaking. It is a journey that began in Bordeaux and continues today at Dominus Estate.
The Napanook vineyard is nestled in a natural amphitheater at the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains on the west side of the Napa Valley. Fed by winter rains, its underground springs flow through ancient riverbeds and provide a natural supply of water to its grapevines, allowing them to develop deep roots. Over centuries this fertile benchland’s microclimate has provided ideal conditions for crops and grape growing. It was here, in 1838, that George Yount planted Napa Valley’s very first vines.
Best Vintage Wine rated by WINEHOURS
Fresh and lively and absolutely able to keep for another decade.
94 points Decanter
The 1995 Dominus is very much cut from the same cloth as the 1994, with a deep bouquet of baked black cherry, cassis, truffle and rich loamy soil, and a full-bodied, powerful and rather old-school palate impression. As in the 1994, there is just a touch of torrefection in the fruit tones here which the Dominus team have worked hard to avoid in more recent vintages, but this is a very compelling wine which certainly does nod towards Libourne. (WK)
93 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Christian Moueix and his talented winemaking team continue to rewrite the definition of a Napa Valley reference point wine. The 1995 Dominus (6,000 cases produced from a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot, and 4% Merlot) is a ripe, plummy, supple, expansively-flavored wine with copious quantities of black currant fruit. Full-bodied and low in acidity, it possesses exceptional concentration and purity. Qualitatively, it is built along the lines of the 1992 and 1990. (RP) (12/1997)
Jancis Robinson
This seemed much more obviously Cabernet and a bit drier and less hedonistic than the (riper) 1994 served (blind) alongside it. There was freshness on the finish after some obviously sweet fruit in the middle and some tannins still to be resolved. All in all this seems to be ageing at much the same rate as a good red Bordeaux 1995. (JR) 17/20 points