Dominus is the proprietary red wine produced by Christian Moueix, from grapes grown on a single vineyard in the heart of the Napa Valley. The wines reflect both the California terroir and the spirit of a great Bordeaux chateau, with its attention to detail and devotion to quality in every aspect of winemaking.

Rating

The 2005 Dominus (a 7,000-case cuvee of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest equal parts Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot) has come of age, and is one of the strongest efforts they’ve made. It is possibly the best Dominus since the 2001, and perhaps even the 1997 or 1991. A beautiful, sweet nose of roasted coffee interwoven with kirsch, black currant, cedar, and spice box emerges from this deep ruby/purple-colored wine. The wine has fabulous intensity, a layered, opulent, full-bodied mouthfeel, well-integrated acidity, and a stunningly long finish. The layering of this wine as it builds incrementally on the palate is something to behold. An outstanding, sexy, ageworthy Dominus, it will benefit from 2-3 years of cellaring, and last for at least 25 or 30 years. When I am tasting at Dominus, they always present a wine opened the day before and decanted, and one just opened, and the extended aeration version always seems to be the better example of the wine, so plenty of decanting seems to be in order. Robert Parker 96 points