Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
Ripe, fragrant nose, chocolate, cherries and roses. Enjoyably textured, this has energy and focus as well as fruit concentration. Touches of vanilla and cream come in to give smoothness, ending on a softly salty note with liquorice and dark cocoa powder. Juicy, fruity and enjoyable, still with licks of oak so will need time but has ageing potential.
-
James Suckling
Dark plums, cherries, grilled citrus and a touch of dark earth decadence and mushrooms on the nose. Subtle dark spices, too. Medium to full body on the palate with dusty tannins and a lengthy, intricate finish. Refined and layered. Already complex.
-
Wine Enthusiast
There is a light touch to this wine, typical of 2021. From a 25-acre vineyard to the northwest of the Saint-Emilion core, it has ripe licorice and pepper aromas and jammy black-fruit flavors from the dominant Merlot. It is a fine wine, full of potential.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Château La Dominique comes from 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon that spent 14 months in 50% new French oak. It has a deeper ruby hue as well as gorgeous aromatics of darker currants, truffly earth, ripe herbs, and flowers. More medium-bodied on the palate, it has a supple, layered mouthfeel, ripe, polished, and nicely integrated tannins, and flawless balance. This is a very complete, balanced, seamless, and incredibly complex 2021 that has the density and class to evolve and drink well for two decades.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 La Dominique opens in the glass with notes of minty berries, plums and cherries, framed by a discreet touch of new oak. Medium to full-bodied, suave and polished, with an attractive core of cool, layered fruit, it's framed by powdery tannins that assert themselves on the gently structured finish. While it will show well out of the gates, this will also reward at least a modicum of bottle age.
Rating: 92+ -
Vinous
The 2021 La Dominique has a very Left Bank-inspired nose, which is surprising as the Cabernet components comprise only 15% of the blend—I suspect this originates from the growing season. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and notes of cracked black pepper, a little austere toward the finish but there is a sense of class and restraint here that enhances the freshness and precision. –Neal Martin
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.