2013 Dominus Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend

“This is a beautifully balanced wine with an international appeal in a class of its own with undeniable quality. A wine so great hits you in the soul and supersedes any contextual notion of your own personal reaction. Pure and precise red and black currants aromas with fantastic earthy intensity and dried wildflower notes. Medium to full-bodied and plentiful, the range of expressive fruit shows a wine still holding onto its youth but finally inching into secondary territory, beginning to show what is in store for the long haul. Plenty of primary red and black fruit and a tremendous sense of its earthy-mineral expression imbued with a spine of racy, tart acidity with blood orange quality. The finish is exceedingly long and refined, balanced, balletic, mineral-driven, and floral, and resolves with crushed cocoa nibs and a kiss of minty freshness. Spectacular. (JC)” (01/2024)

“The aromas to this are multidimensional and fascinating with black truffles, bark, cloves, black currants, citrus, and even ginseng. Full-bodied, yet reserved and austere with chewy and powerful tannins that remain polished and refined. The flavors are more umami and savory. Then there are forest fruits and blood-orange undertones. The wine goes on for minutes. A wine to age for a lifetime. It's an experience to taste this. A new classic showing its history and tradition as a source of the greatest wines ever from Napa. A wine to enjoy forever.” (09/2016)

“The 2013 Dominus is, to my way of thinking, one of the most profound wines Christian Moueix has yet made in his rather brilliant winemaking history, both in France and in Napa Valley. This wine, with very low yields of only 3,500 cases and a final blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc, offers up notes of cedar wood, forest floor, loamy soil and oodles of blackberry and blackcurrant fruit. Very opaque purple in color, super-pure and intense, this wine has low acidity, but ripe, noticeable tannins. This is a 30- to 40-year wine and a profound effort from this famous vineyard in Yountville. (RP)” (10/2015)

“A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Petit Verdot, the 2013 Dominus is deep garnet in color. It needs a fair bit of swirling to bring out notes of black cherry preserves, crème de cassis, and blueberry jam, plus suggestions of mocha, cardamom, and fertile loam, with a hint of truffles. Full-bodied, the palate is still so, so tight, revealing tightly wound layers of black fruit, minerals, and spices, supported by a firm, grainy backbone, finishing with epic length. It still needs a good 5 years! (LPB)” (11/2025)

“The 2013 Dominus remains a huge, dense wine. A blast of scorched earth, tobacco, incense, dried herbs, licorice, black fruit and gravel saturates the palate. Brawny and explosive, the 2013 is still very young. It can't possibly be described as elegant but rather virile, somber and dark. All that said, the 2013 is not ready yet. I would not open this anytime soon. (AG)” (05/2024)

“This is rolling along, with tiers of cassis, crushed blackberry and boysenberry preserves forming the core, all wrapped in enticing sweet bay leaf, tobacco and savory notes. Delivers a terrific tug of earth that courses from start to finish, with a lilting violet note chiming in at the very end. Rock-solid. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. (JM)” (09/2023)