Dominus Estate, Napa Valley, California, 1994

Overview of the Wine                                                                     
In the late 1960s, while attending the University of California at Davis, Christian Moueix fell in love with the Napa Valley and its wines. Son of Jean-Pierre Moueix, the famed wine merchant and producer from Libourne, France, Moueix returned home in 1970 to manage the family vineyards, including Chateaux Petrus, La Fleur-Petrus, Trotanoy in Pomerol and Magdelaine in Saint Emilion.

His love of Napa Valley lingered and in 1981, he discovered the historic Napanook vineyard, a 124-acre site west of Yountville that had been the source of fruit for some of the finest Napa Valley wines of the 1940s and 1950s. In 1982, Moueix entered into a partnership to develop the vineyard and, in 1995, became its sole owner. He chose the name 'Dominus' or 'Lord of the Estate' in Latin to underscore his longstanding commitment to stewardship of the land.

Winemaker
Christian Moueix

Grape / Blend
72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot

Origin
Yountville, Napa Valley, California

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
Comparable in quality to the 1991 Dominus, the 1994 is a deeply colored, dense wine with substantial but supple tannins.

99 Points - Wine Advocate
In this vintage, 174 days passed between bud break and the harvest, a remarkable period of time for any wine region in the world. The 1994 is a strikingly thick, compellingly rich wine with the texture of a great Pomerol, despite being made primarily from Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine exhibits a dense purple color, and an incredibly fragrant nose of jammy black fruits, spice, smoke, and loamy, truffle-like scents. In the mouth, it is full-bodied, with thrilling levels of extract and richness, but no sense of heaviness or harshness. This seamless Dominus possesses no hard edges, as its acidity, tannin, and alcohol are beautifully meshed with copious quantities of ripe fruit. This wine offers early drinking, yet has the potential to last for 30+ years. (RP)

99 Points - Wine Independent
A blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot, the 1994 Dominus has a deep garnet-brick color. It storms out of the glass with powerful notes of plum preserves, blackcurrant jelly, stewed cherries, and dried blueberries, followed by wafts of candied violets, licorice, unsmoked cigars, and crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate is completely coated with expressive black and blue fruit layers, supported by velvety tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing long and earthy. (LPB)

97 Points - Int'l Wine Review
The 1994 Dominus Estate Red is a simply magical wine from this legendary winery. After 25 years the '94 is showing incredibly well and even still has a ways to go. This stunning red is composed of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and instantly begins to impress with its seductive aromatics of dark cherries and dark plum fruit, which is laced with dried tobacco, dried sage, smoke and a wonderful savory-loamy edge. On the palate this simply gorgeous, with a wonderful round, opulent texture and well-integrated tannins add just enough structure to keep this going through the finish. This is an absolutely fabulous vintage for Dominus and readers who have any in the cellar should begin to seriously consider approaching it now, or over the course of the next few years, as it is showing remarkably well at this juncture. (JD)

95 Points - Decanter
Still a youthful, deep, ruby-black, the 1994 Dominus explodes with blackberry, cassis and truffle notes, along with some rustic sous bois and leather. This Bordeaux-styled wine is rich and intense but classically proportioned; though it is somewhat more rustic and heady than the stunning 1991. Edouard Moeiux advises serving this wine at a relatively cool temperature. (WK)

93 Points - Vinous
(14.1% alcohol): Full, deep red with an amber rim. Distinctly sauvage aromas of redcurrant, coffee, leather, game and spicecake. Suave, seamless and fully mature, offering a plush texture and moderate sweetness to its slightly decadent flavors of currant, leather, smoke, mocha, earth and fresh herbs. This wild boy is at its apogee right now, although some tasters may find it too funky. Finishes classically dry, with dusty sweet tannins and considerable sex appeal. (ST)

Product size: 750ml