The 2014 Dominus Estate is a structured and elegant Napa Valley red, offering layered aromas of blackcurrant, cedar, tobacco leaf, and spice. The palate is rich and polished, with silky tannins, deep blue and red fruit, and earthy undertones. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, it showcases the character of a warm, dry vintage with fine balance and a long, focused finish. Built for longevity, this wine combines purity, complexity, and finesse.

Jamessuckling.com | JS 98
Published: Jan 9, 2017

Loads of dark tobacco aromas with blackcurrants and black olives. Boysenberries, too. Full to medium body, ultra-fine tannins and lots of flavors of smoke, dried roasted chillis, black truffles, mushrooms and fruit. Bright acidity on the finish. Sexy and subtle austerity. Alluring. Very approachable now but better in 2021.

The Wine Advocate | RP 97
Published: Oct 29, 2016
Drink: 2016-2041

The 2014s, where the production of Napanook was only 2,200 cases and Dominus slightly more than the 2015 at 4,000 cases, was another early harvest, although somewhat later than 2015. The 2014 Dominus, which is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot really struts its stuff. Moueix?s belief in dry farming seems to be paying off with stronger and stronger vintages, each successive year, and the 2014 is a sexy, opulent, layered, multidimensional wine with notes of red and blackcurrant, cedar wood, tobacco leaf , spice box and licorice. The color is a dense plum/ruby/purple, much like the Napanook. This is a beauty that is already drinking gorgeously ? as most 2014s are ? and will continue to evolve for 25 or so years.

Christian Moueix’s Dominus Estate continues to be one of California’s leaders in turning out gorgeously elegant, complex and long-lived wines. A magnum of 1991 from my cellar tasted several weeks before I left for California was pure perfection and evidence that at 25 years old, before he had built his stunning winery, great quality was coming from this iconic vineyard. The 2015s are certainly going to be one of his all-time great vintages, rivaling 2013, 2012, 2007, 2002, 2001 and his earliest classics, such as 1994 and 1991. Production in 2015 was about 3,000 cases of Napanook and 3,800 cases of Dominus.

Decanter | D 95
Published: Jun 1, 2017
Drink: 2022-2042

An initially reticent bouquet opens in the decanter and glass to reveal notes of blackberry, rich spice, tobacco leaf, elderberry and lily pollen. On the palate, fine, powdery tannins frame an elegant, deep wine with a lovely core of cool fruit. This will require some time in the cellar to reveal all its potential.

Alcohol: 14.50%
Body: Full
Oak: Oaked
Grapes: 7% Cabernet Franc 86% Cabernet Sauvignon 7% Petit Verdot

Dominusestate.com

A vivid expression of its unique site, Dominus is a profound and powerful wine, exemplifying purity. With articulated fruit and polished tannins, the wine has elegance, complexity, great length and improves with age.

VINTAGE SUMMARY
2014 was characterized by a very dry early winter with heavy rains in February and continued rainfall in March and April (February: 11.7 inches | March: 4 inches | April: 2 inches). Average temperatures were higher than historical averages, with minor heat spikes in June (101 F) and in July (103 F). No heat spikes were recorded in August or September. 

TASTING NOTE
Dominus 2014 offers cardamom and forest floor aromas with deep blue fruit, silky tannins in focused layers and a beautiful, long nish.

Harvest Start: September 2
Harvest End: September 30
Bottling Date: July 2016
Percent New Barrels: 40%
Cases Produced: 4300
Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon: 86%, Cabernet Franc: 7%, Petit Verdot: 7%
Release Date: June 2017