Wine Advisor
Dominus Estate (Christian Moueix), Napanook 2009
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2009 Napanook is simply glorious. Sweet dark cherries, mint, tobacco, wild flowers and licorice all jump from the glass. The 2009 is a juicy, extroverted Napanook that impresses for its sheer pleasure and total harmony. Layers of fruit continue to build to the huge, creamy finish. As good as the 2009 is today, I have a hard time thinking it won't be better in another few years. If anything, this is too serious a wine for an entry-level offering. The 2009 is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. Tel. (707) 944-8954
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2009 Napanook is rich, powerful and seductive. This is a more radiant, brighter style than the 2008. There is considerable fleshiness as the wine opens up in the glass. The 2009 is a very sexy Napanook endowed with tons of personality and sheer class. Despite its generous fruit, there is more than enough underlying structure to allow the wine to drink well for a number of years. In 2009 the blend is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2019. (Not yet released) Tel. (707) 944-8954
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2009 Napanook, which Moueix claims to be one of his favorite wines of the last decade, is among the finest they have made. A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, it exhibits a dark plum/purple color along with a big, sweet bouquet of licorice, incense, roasted herbs, loamy soil, kirsch, black currants and underbrush. Medium to full-bodied with silky tannins and a round, opulent mouthfeel, this beauty can be drunk now and over the next 12-15 years. Looking at the harvest dates for the 2009 through 2012 Napanook and Dominus reveals that none of these were early, very warm years, such as 2013 is promising to be in northern California. For example, in 2009 the harvest took place between October 5 and 12; 2010 between October 4 and 23; 2011 between October 15 and 24; and 2012 between October 9 and 21. Production has remained steady because the estate crop-thins as much as 50% of the harvest to ensure bunch regularity, even ripening and reasonable yields. The second wine, Napanook, tends to come in around 3,000 cases per year, and Dominus around 5,000 cases per year. I was joking with Christian Moueix when I visited the winery and I told him I am one of the geezers old enough to remember his first vintage of 1983, which was tasted at the Rombauer Cellars until he moved to what appears to be an old bank building in downtown St. Helena, after which they constructed a spectacular winery in Yountville that resembles an extension of their historic terroir. Another great vintage, the 2012s have slightly lower alcohols than the 2009s and 2010s, which surprised me given the exuberant nature of this vintage and its boisterous fruit and glycerin. I was shocked to realize that 2013 will mark over thirty vintages for Christian Moueix and Dominus, not to mention my visits each year. How time flies! Tel. (707) 944-8954
About the Producer
Dominus Estate, Yountville, California, was established in 1983 by Christian Moueix. Situated on the famed Napanook vineyard, it was, in the 1940’s and 1950’s, the source of fruit for some of the finest Napa Valley wines. In fact, the vineyard’s history can be traced back to Napa Valley’s beginnings, when in 1838 George Yount, for whom the town of Yountville was named, first planted grapevines there. Today, this historic vineyard produces three wines: Dominus, its flagship, Napanook, and Othello. Christian Moueix chose the name ‘Dominus’ (‘lord of the estate’ in Latin) to underscore his longstanding commitment to the land. Rooted in values of quality, stewardship, tradition and innovation, the Dominus Estate team shares a vision of producing distinctive wines that are expressive of this singular terroir. The vineyard is entirely dry-farmed, allowing the vines to draw deeply on the land’s unique geology. The viticulture and winemaking are undertaken meticulously, with the objective of producing wines that are pure, balanced and complex. Minimal intervention and restraint throughout the process of grape berry selection, fermentation and aging preserve the character of the fruit. The resulting wines, with a tremendous potential for aging, convey the very personality of this historic vineyard. Known for its complexity and balance, Dominus demonstrates the potential of a wine produced on exceptional terroir. Structured, seamless and perfectly integrated, Dominus is an elegant wine that improves with age. To celebrate the 30th vintage of Dominus Estate, the 2013 label dons a special portrait of Christian Moueix by South African artist William Kentridge. The 2013 Dominus recalls the ‘portrait series’ of the earliest vintages (1983-1990), when noted artists depicted Christian Moueix on the labels. In 2021, Dominus Estate received its CCOF ("California Certified Organic Farmers") certification for organic farming practices.
