2017 Dominus Estate
By Dominus
2017 Dominus Estate from Dominus, Napa Valley, USA
The 2017 Dominus Estate from Dominus embodies the sheer artistry and craftsmanship that defines wines from this iconic estate. Despite the challenging vintage conditions of 2017 - a year marked by high heat spikes and wildfires across California - this expressive offering brings an enticing balance between concentration and finesse.
Unconventional brilliance from a challenging year
This vintage stands as testament to the estate's exceptional winemaking abilities, managing to proficiently convey the terroir's distinct character amidst climatic adversity. The result is a wine with a sure-handed expression of bold fruit flavors and an intriguing layer of complexity.
From the first scent, it offers an intense bouquet of dark fruits intermingled with hints of cocoa and earthy undertones. The palate carries forward these intense flavors, delivering them with balance and sophistication to create one of the finest expressions of Bordeaux blended wine in Californian soil.
Rising above trials to deliver excellence
While many vineyards across Napa Valley struggled under 2017's harsh weather conditions, Dominus Estate rose up and harnessed the heat, pushing their vines to deepen their expression in new nuanced ways - culminating in a fine wine of prominence.
The 2017 vintage delivers profound depth and intricate layers of blackcurrant, plum, graphite and spice giving investors a reason to appreciate the creative dimensions that challenging vintages can bring forth in top-quality producers such as Dominus.
Meticulous in its making, compelling in its complexity and remarkable in richness, this vintage reaffirms Dominus' position as a leading producer of fine wines from USA. Celebrating distinctive individuality, the 2017 Dominus Estate is truly a testament to wine investment that rewards the discerning palate and appreciates in value over time.
From challenge comes opportunity, and this vintage undoubtedly turned adversity into advantage - a story captured within each sip, encapsulating the exceptional spirit of 2017 Dominus Estate from Dominus.
Market price (GBP)
£1,940.00
12x75cl
Highest score
97
POP score
114.12
Scores and tasting notes
There was about 50% of a normal crop this year for the 2017 Dominus, due to strict selection. Grapes were harvested from September 21 to October 3 and the wine was bottled in June 2019. This year the blend is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, aged in 40% new French oak barrels. Very deep purple-black in color, it sashays nonchalantly out of the glass with graceful notions of potpourri, forest floor, crushed rocks, Ceylon tea and licorice with a core of black currant cordial, chocolate-covered cherries, mulberries and preserved plums plus a waft of garrigue. Full-bodied, the palate has a beautifully impactful, wonderfully quiet intensity of black and blue fruits with loads of floral and spicy sparks, framed by firm yet plush tannins, finishing with long-lasting earthy notes. 2,800 cases were made.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate, 31 October 2019