Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Château La Dominique might be the finest I've tasted from this estate. Located in the northern part of Saint-Emilion, not far from Cheval Blanc as well as the Pomerol border, with plenty of clay in the soils, it's based on 88% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, raised in 50% new barrels. Gorgeous darker currant and black cherry fruit, chocolate, leafy herbs, and a Pomerol-like damp earth character all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, has incredible purity, silky tannins, and a great finish.
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Decanter
Clean and fresh on the nose with cool blue fruit notes. Succulent and supple, lovely energy and life, with high acidity that has a sweetness and juiciness that is so enjoyable backed up with liquorice and dark chocolate edges and a salty undercurrent. Feels well worked, still quite tight and tense, there's power here but it's being funnelled directly from start to finish with real purity and precision. Well worked, finessed and presented carefully. Sappy and vibrant, a joy to taste and a great success. Has a serious side no doubt, this will age well but will also be so great to drink young and fresh. Tasted three times. 3.7pH. 60% grand vin production. Yield of 38hl/ha. Ageing 14 months, 50% new French oak barrels, 40% one wine barrels, 10% in composite eggs, amphora and wine globe. Gwen Lucas director, Yann Monties technical director and Julien Viaud consultant. Tasted three times.
Barrel Sample: 96 -
James Suckling
Lead pencil, blackberry, thyme and violet aromas follow through to a full body with lots of tannins and a juicy finish. This needs some time to soften. A tannic and structured wine that will come together with time in the bottle.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A rich, heady wine, the 2022 La Dominique offers up aromas of sweet cherries, baked berries and plum liqueur mingled with notions of licorice and melted asphalt. Medium to full-bodied, broad and fleshy, with a rich core of sweet, somewhat jammy fruit but reasonably lively underlying acids, it's framed by plenty of powdery tannin. I had entertained higher hopes for La Dominique this year, but perhaps the pace of ripening was just too rapid for the estate's technical team.
Barrel Sample: 90-92
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.