Dominus - Napa Valley Red 2017
Price: $259.85
Producer | Dominus |
Country | United States |
Region | California |
Subregion | Napa Valley |
Varietal | Proprietary Red |
Vintage | 2017 |
Sku | 06444 |
Dominus Description
TASTING NOTE: Dominus 2017 is filled with incense, blonde tobacco, blue plum, and rose petal. Sculpted, refined and very well balanced, its finish is long and polished.
VINTAGE SUMMARY: A very wet winter and spring, seasonal rainfall was twice the historical average. With soil water reserves full and warm temperatures in May and June, vines grew quickly and luxuriantly. Several significant heat waves were recorded in June, July, August, and September with a record-breaking 112 F on September 1st. Ripening was fast and homogenous. The severe heat wave before harvest induced significant crop loss. To maintain quality, fruit selection was critical and resulted in our smallest vintage since 1988.
Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon: 88%, Cabernet Franc: 7%, Petit Verdot: 5%
Vinous Media: 98 Points
The 2017 Dominus is one of the truly epic, grand wines of the vintage. Rich, dense and explosive, with tremendous concentration and sheer power, the 2017 Dominus captures all the personality of this site along with the natural opulence of the year. Inky dark fruit, lavender, menthol, licorice, plum, gravel and a host of dark spice notes infuse the 2017 with seemingly endless layers of nuance. Over the last two years I have tasted several hundred Napa Valley Cabernets, both from barrel and bottle. There is no question that Dominus belongs among the elite in 2017; it is simply a breathtaking wine. Certainly readers looking for a Napa Valley Cabernet to cellar should put Dominus at the top of their lists. -- Antonio Galloni
James Suckling: 97 Points
Very intense aromas of fruit, yet complex subtlety. Blue fruit, licorice and blackberries with flowers and perfumes. Full-bodied, round and chewy with black tea, currants and hints of leather and incense. Coffee undertones. Extremely long and exciting. Available April 2020. Drink in 2022.
Wine Advocate: 97 Points
There was about 50% of a normal crop this year for the 2017 Dominus, due to strict selection. Grapes were harvested from September 21 to October 3 and the wine was bottled in June 2019. This year the blend is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, aged in 40% new French oak barrels. Very deep purple-black in color, it sashays nonchalantly out of the glass with graceful notions of potpourri, forest floor, crushed rocks, Ceylon tea and licorice with a core of black currant cordial, chocolate-covered cherries, mulberries and preserved plums plus a waft of garrigue. Full-bodied, the palate has a beautifully impactful, wonderfully quiet intensity of black and blue fruits with loads of floral and spicy sparks, framed by firm yet plush tannins, finishing with long-lasting earthy notes. 2,800 cases were made.
Wine Enthusiast: 96 Points
#63 of Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2020
A blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, this classically structured red is luxurious in aromas of dried herb, cedar and clove. The palate balances rich fruit and dense oak with underlying freshness and longevity. The tannins are grippy yet seamless, and beginning to smooth out. Best from 2027–2037. Virginie Boone
Wine Spectator: 95 Points
This delivers a focused and refined core of cassis, damson plum and raspberry puree notes, laced with precise savory, sage and black tea threads. Shows lovely detail throughout, with a late iron minerality emerging slowly. Stylish, this seems approachable now, but there's some serious embedded grip here too. A wine that should expand with cellaring. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2022 through 2040. 2,800 cases made. — JM