Dominus Estate 2020 (750ML)

99 DE / 98 JS / 96 WI / 95 WA / 95 WS / 95 JD

#68 James Suckling's Top 100 American Wines of 2023

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, Decanter

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. - James Suckling

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, Wine Independent

An excellent wine, even if not a great Dominus, the 2020 Dominus delivers waves of dark fruit—think predominantly cassis. A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, it's full-bodied and richly textured, perhaps a bit warm and open-knit because of the summer's heat, but with a long, velvety finish attractively tinged with mocha and dark chocolate. - Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate

This throws off dense kirsch and linzer torte aromas and flavors, along with a mix of smoldering tobacco, leather, warm paving stone and licorice root hints that provide a brooding edge on the back end. Surprisingly backward for the vintage and impressively done. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2040. 1,600 cases made. - JM, Wine Spectator

I'd put the 2020 Dominus up with the best in the vintage, and Tod commented that he actually liked the 2020 more than the 2019. I wouldn't go that far, but there's no denying this is a beautiful wine loaded with darker currants, cassis, graphite, and chalky minerality. It's medium to full-bodied, has a dense, inward, concentrated style, fine-grained tannins, and a solid mid-palate of both power and finesse. It should benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age and have two decades of overall longevity.-Jeb Dunnuck