Professional Ratings

• 100 Decanter
  A captivating bouquet of violets, lilac, black fruit, blood orange and meaty soil tones is striking for its extravagent range and amplitude; and on the palate, the wine is three-dimensional, sophisticatedly savoury, and massive but refined. Tod Mostero remarks that, having crafted the 2013 Dominus, he can die happy as a winemaker. Selection here was especially rigorous, as the team wanted to realise the vintage's unparalleled potential as fully as possible, so only 3,500 cases were produced. A special label commemorates the 30th anniversary of Dominus Estate.
• 100 James Suckling
  The aromas to this are multidimensional and fascinating with black truffles, bark, cloves, black currants and citrus - even ginseng. Full-bodied, yet reserved, even austere, with chewy and powerful tannins that remain polished and refined. The flavors are more umami and savory. Then there's forest fruits and red orange undertones. It lasts 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 always enjoy.
• 100 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  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. Drink it over the next 40+ years.
• 100 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
  When I first met Christian Moueix—shortly after the release of the Dominus Estate 1983—I was just a bit anxious and excited to meet someone who has made some of the greatest wines on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. Here I was in the company of Christian, owner of Dominus Estate, as well as Jean-Pierre Moueix, the President of Etablissements— the leading wine company of Bordeaux’s Right Bank. This group included the prestigious estates Pétrus, Trotanoy, Hosanna, and Belair-Monange. I have tasted most, if not all, of the Dominus Estate and Napanook wines and have seen their significant evolution over time—initially it was more about what a Frenchman could do in the Napa Valley, but now the story line has shifted to one about a local vintner understanding what makes his adopted land so special. The 2013 Dominus Estate could very well be the most important wine Christian Moueix has directed and brought into the marketplace. The wine shows power, finesse, and the beauty of the Napa Valley—black fruits, dried herbs, expansive textures, and a demonstrative finish. Few Napa Valley Cabernet blends have been able to corral the wide array of potential nuances that this variety is capable of, but in this case they range from the entire spectrum of berries to savory earth tones without losing finesse or elegance. Mr. Moueix once told me, "Wilfred, I am just a gentleman farmer and a resident of the Napa Valley." Well, this man of the land has done well in our backyard. (Tasted: October 24, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
• 92 Wine Spectator
  Dense and earthy, with a submerged core of rich blackberry, currant, anise and sage flavors. The dusty, loamy earth character lends balance and definition. Ends with cedary tannins and good length. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2032.