95
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate
The
2003 Dominus has turned out even better than I thought from barrel.
There are 4,800 cases of this 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet
Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot blend. A big, sweet nose of roasted
coffee, Provencal herbs, black currants, cherry jam, plums, allspice,
and forest floor is followed by a spicy, rich, full-bodied, fragrant,
intense wine. The tannins are sweet, but noticeable in this beautifully
complex, strikingly aromatic 2003. It has much more similarity
to a great Bordeaux than anything from Napa Valley.
Anticipated maturity: '07 - '25.
The most European-styled of all the Napa Valley Bordeaux blends,
Dominus is owned by Petrus winemaker Christian Moueix, who works
from one of region’s most historic vineyards, the renowned
Napanook site from which many of the famed Inglenook wines of
the fifties and sixties were produced. Interestingly, I tasted
both decanted and recently opened bottles of each of these wines,
and the additional aeration unquestionably revealed more nuances
and character. I wouldn’t be surprised if 5-10 hours of
decanting resulted in significant improvement for these young
wines.
