Christian Moueix of Petrus fame also makes wine in California, including that which has just been popped:
2000 Dominus
This has incredibly concentrated cassis fruit on the nose, and what can only only be described as a bitch load of toasty new oak. The alcohol is high, but does not dominate. This is a large-scale wine, but oddly all the components balance quite well. The chewy tannins do dry the mouth, but there is a lot of fruit that is very ripe. It is a big, tannic beast, but underneath there beats the heart of an elegant Siamese cat. I am not much of a Cabernet fan, but this I find to be well balanced and cannot deny it is a fun-tastic wine. It’ll age really well, but tonight this bottle will soothe my nerves as the evening passes. It definitely reaches the interesting and thought-provoking level of merit.
It was hilariously under-priced in a shop in New York City. If airlines and arms did not have weigh restrictions I’d have got more for the cellar.
As an aside, the usual ‘ooohh fancy’ New World Cabernet I buy to have a bit of fun now and again is Moss Wood from Western Australia. It is a wine I like very much and have purchased for years. The price of 2000 Moss Wood was pretty much what I paid for the Dominus. The Dominus is far more refined and complex, much sexier too. Although, I admit it is less themed on booze. I really like these wines, but neither of them gives a really convincing answer to the question “Cabernet Sauvignon, just what is the point?” as far as I am concerned.
