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Silken and vibrant, with blueberry, black cherry, cassis and pomegranate, hints of orange zest, cacao and nutmeg, and earthy notes of graphite, tobacco leaf, wild sage and stone over polished, velvety tannins and a long, earthy finish.
Available in store
Close92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot
Food pairings: Grilled or roasted lamb chops, lamb shoulder with potatoes, herb-crusted rack of lamb, grilled steak and mushroom dishes.
Scores:
Winemaking: Napanook is the second wine of Dominus Estate, blended from blocks of the Napanook vineyard selected for their lively fruit, soft tannins and early-maturing character. The grapes are rinsed 10 to 15 days before harvest, picked by hand with small French shears into small baskets, and sorted cluster by cluster by hand and then berry by berry with an optical sorter. Each parcel is fermented separately with gentle pump-overs, pressed in a low-pressure vertical press, and aged in French oak (20% new) with hand racking from barrel to barrel. The 2023 season ran late and slow after a very wet winter, giving even, gradual ripening; harvest took place from October 7 to 18.
Vineyards and terroir: Napanook is made solely from the historic Napanook vineyard in Yountville, on the western side of the Napa Valley, where George Yount planted some of the valley's very first vines in 1838. The well-drained volcanic, gravelly clay loam soils suit Cabernet Sauvignon and the other Bordeaux varieties, and underground springs let the dry-farmed vines root deeply. The vineyard is certified organic and Napa Green, and the estate has restored Hopper Creek as a haven for native plants and wildlife.
Family and history: Christian Moueix, of the Bordeaux family behind some of Pomerol's most famous estates, fell in love with Napa Valley as a student at UC Davis. In 1981 he discovered the Napanook vineyard, once part of the historic Inglenook estate, and founded Dominus Estate, partnering at first with Robin Lail and Marcia Smith, daughters of Inglenook's John Daniel. The first Dominus vintage was 1983 and Napanook followed in 1996. The winery, built from local basalt stones held in wire gabions so that it melts into the vineyard, was the first project outside Europe for architects Herzog & de Meuron. Winemaker Tod Mostero vinifies each dry-farmed parcel separately.
In the pictures: Christian Moueix (center) walking the Napanook vineyard in winter with members of the Dominus team (courtesy of Dominus Estate); the entrance passage through the Dominus winery (photo: orphanjones, 2007, CC BY 2.0); and the Dominus barrel cellar (courtesy of Dominus Estate).
