Tasting Notes
Antonio Galloni 95
The 2014 Dominus is a pretty, relatively delicate wine with soft tannins, notwithstanding its fine depth. Red cherry fruit, spice, cedar, leather and pipe tobacco all show the first signs of maturity. I imagine the 2014 will be at its best over the next decade, perhaps a bit more, even if it does not have the intensity of the very best vintages. Readers will find a Dominus of finesse more than power. I find the 2014 a bit hushed today and also not totally in balance, as the aromatics are a bit more forward than the palate. That could be how the wine is evolving, or simply how it is settling into its next phase. The August 2014 earthquake caused many creeks, some of them underground, to flow again, markedly changing the character of some wines, Dominus among them.
Anticipated maturity: 2024-2034
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.
Anticipated maturity: 2016-2041
James Suckling 98
(Dominus Napa Valley, Red, United States) 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. Very approachable now but better in 2021.
Jeb Dunnuck 97
(Dominus Dominus Estate) Coming from their valley floor site in Yountville, the 2014 Dominus is a rich, concentrated red, especially in 2014. A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot, it sports a deep ruby/plum color as well as a ripe nose of blackcurrants, unsmoked tobacco, lead pencil, licorice and smoked earth. With a ripe, full-bodied, concentrated style, sweet tannin, and a great finish, it has some similarities to the 1990 and will evolve for three decades or more. There’s 4,300 cases of this beauty.
Anticipated maturity: 2018-2048
