1987 Dominus
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Tasting notes
There was such leafiness to this wine that it tasted more Bordeaux than California, but then this was for long the accusation Californians made about Christian Moueix of LIbourne's Napa Valley wine. This was beautifully silky and fresh with, admittedly, a character those hooked on extended hang time might dismiss as 'green' but the balance and persistence were both impressive. This wine was a lot older than anything tasted in this recent vertical of Dominus but it had hung on gracefully. (JR)
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
There were 6,500 cases produced of the 1987 Dominus. It is one of the great wines of the vintage in a year when a handful of California producers made profound Cabernets (i.e., Robert Mondavi Reserve, Dunn Howell Mountain, and Chateau Montelena). The wine is beginning to shut down, but it still displays a rich ruby color and an intensely spicy, fragrant nose of toasty vanillin oak, cassis, and cedar. In the mouth, this medium to full-bodied wine displays considerable tannins, fine integrated acidity, and an opulent, rich, spicy finish. I would suggest cellaring it for another 3-4 years; it should easily keep through the first decade of the next century.
About the producer
Dominus Estate – the Napa property owned by Christian Moueix of Pétrus and La Fleur-Pétrus – has rapidly earned cult status.