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Saturday, February 3rd, 2024

Lowest Price in the Country

2020: The Smallest Vintage Ever for Dominus

= Rarest Vintage in History — Under 24 Bottles Allocated

Plus Last Bottles of 2017 & 2019

"We were limited with what we could use,” said current winemaker Tod Mostero. “Very few lots made it into this wine. The fruit was harvested before the Glass Fire. Again, the optical sorter saved us. We had to drop a lot of fruit in the vineyard. The real work was in the vineyard - having people go out and drop all the dried fruit. This was our smallest vintage ever, but we’re happy with the result.”

Hello Artisans,

We are pleased to offer a VIP collector's sale on the sensational 2020 Dominus Estate and Napanook releases. This was the smallest allocation we've ever received due to 2020 being the smallest vintage this legendary Napa Valley First-Growth producer has ever made. As such—these will be some of the rarest bottles of Dominus in history.

The 2020 Dominus offers a vivid expression of its unique site. It is a profound and powerful wine, exemplifying purity. With articulated fruit and polished tannins, the wine has elegance, complexity, great length and improves with age. Meanwhile, with its own distinct personality, little brother Napanook presents a bold and vibrant character. Its exuberant fruit, smooth structure, and medium-bodied texture lend to its immediate appeal. Both are outstanding wines that would grace your cellar!

About the Dominus Winemaker Tod Mostero

Director of Viticulture and Winemaking, the French connection runs strong through Mostero, who studied in Bordeaux and trained at Château Haut-Brion, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix. He worked with Baron Philippe de Rothschild in the Languedoc and at Almaviva in Chile before returning to his native California to join Dominus Estate in 2007.

About the History of Dominus

Dominus is created by French winemaker Christian Moueix, who crafted the wines of Chateau Petrus (a bottle of which recently sold at auction as one of the most expensive wines ever sold). The Dominus estate owns the historic Napanook Vineyard that was the base of so many of the historic Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignons of the 1950s and 1960s.

Robert Parker has described Dominus as a "hypothetical blend of a top Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and a serious Bordeaux, possibly a cross blend of a Pomerol and Pauillac."

2020 Dominus Napa Valley

99 Points - Decanter Magazine:

"With a good decant, the compact, quiet bouquet of this 2020 Dominus begins to show off, exhibiting perfumed aromatics of dark-toned berry fruit, blood orange, and cocoa nibs. It boasts impressive staying power with a real depth of concentration of fruit. Long strands of velvety tannins are interwoven around pure and symphonic black-toned fruit, while bright and present acidity provides the kind of lift that makes the wine seem almost featherweight. A beautiful red florality envelops the finish. Winemaker Tod Mostero said that hours before the Glass Fire on 27 September, they had just brought in the last of their grapes. It's a good thing, too, because it's a splendid wine and deserves to share the spotlight with the best wines of the vintage. Aged 16-18 months in 40% new French oak." - Jonathan Cristaldi (Sep 2023)

98 Points - James Suckling:

“Aromas of blackcurrants, black cherries, hints of graphite, wet earth, and lavender. Sandalwood. Full-bodied with an impressive and refined structure that runs deep and vertical in the wine. Chewy. Hints of chocolate and hazelnut at the end. Needs five or six years to soften.” (Feb 2023)

96 Points - The Wine Independent:

“A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Dominus has a deep garnet-purple color. It rolls out of the glass with expressive notes of baked blackberries, preserved plums, and kirsch, with suggestions of Indian spices, sandalwood, potpourri, and black truffles, plus a ferrous hint. The full-bodied palate delivers a firm, grainy texture with just enough freshness to support the generous fruit, finishing long and oh-so-spicy. Yum!” – Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Additional Scores: WA 95, JD 95, WS 95, VM 93

• Only 21 bottles left in stock

Bounty Hunter: $399.95

Total Wine: $389.95

Our Price:

$339.97

Aged Library Vintages Remaining:

2017 Dominus 750s + Magnums

• VM 98+, WA 97+, JS 97
• 3 x 750 mL & 9 x 1.5 L magnums left
• $298.99 / $519.97 btl

2019 Dominus 750s + Magnums

• TWI 100, VM 98+, WA 98, JS 98
• 22 x 750 mL & 7 x 1.5L magnums left
• $309.97 / $749.97 btl

2020 Dominus "Napanook" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

96 Points - Decanter Magazine:

"With a towering structure and solid composition, the Napanook delivers ripe red berries, gooseberry, and black cherry fruit. The aromatics possess a quiet intensity, which builds with good momentum on the palate, finding a broad and expansive medium to full-bodied palate with elegant strands of granular-textured tannins. Nicely delineated red cherry and blackberry fruits are infused with spicebush notes, an aromatic shrub brush surrounding the property, which layers in a distinct citrusy nuance. Quite compact upon opening, and decanting for at least half an hour is recommended—a solid effort in a challenging year." - Jonathan Cristaldi (Sep 2023)

95 Points - James Suckling:

"Aromas of currants, blackberries, fresh mushrooms and flowers. Medium-bodied with compacted fruit and integrated, fine tannins. Ripe fruit with reserve. Attractive and alluring. Excellent structure. 88% cabernet sauvignon, 7% cabernet franc and 5% petit verdot. Give it at least five years to open and soften, but very attractive now.” (Feb 2023)

92 Points - Wine Advocate:

"A blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, the fruit for the 2020 Napanook (like the 2020 Dominus) was picked prior to the start of the Glass Fire on September 27. Scents of redcurrrants and cherries lead the way, bolstered by notes of dark chocolate and mocha. It’s medium to full-bodied and silky in feel, despite a touch of warmth on the palate, while the long finish picks up a hint of red capsicum and a touch of coarseness.” – Joe Czerwinski (Jun 2023)

Additional Scores: WS 92, JD 91, VM 90

• Only 40 bottles left in-stock

Bounty Hunter: $99.95

Total Wine: $99.95

Our Price:

$84.97