Description
Made solely from grapes grown at the historic Napanook Vineyard in Yountville, Napanook is blended from vineyard blocks carefully selected for their lively fruit, soft tannins, and early maturing characteristics. The wine is created to be consumed young and enjoyed with food, but will also age well for more than a decade. Dominus Estate, Yountville, California, was established in 1983 by Christian Moueix. Situated on the famed Napanook vineyard, it was, in the 1940’s and 1950’s, the source of fruit for some of the finest Napa Valley wines. In fact, the vineyard’s history can be traced back to Napa Valley’s beginnings, when in 1838 George Yount, for whom the town of Yountville was named, first planted grapevines there. Today, this historic vineyard produces three wines: Dominus, its flagship, Napanook, and Othello.
The vineyard is entirely dry-farmed, allowing the vines to draw deeply on the land’s unique geology. The viticulture and winemaking are undertaken meticulously, with the objective of producing wines that are pure, balanced, and complex. Minimal intervention and restraint throughout the process of grape berry selection, fermentation and aging preserve the character of the fruit. The resulting wines, with a tremendous potential for aging, convey the very personality of this historic vineyard.
Tasting Notes
Very deep purple-black in color, the 2016 Napanook Proprietary Red Wine is composed of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot and 7% Cabernet Franc aged in 20% new oak. A beautiful perfume of violets, aniseed, truffles and lavender is just starting to emerge over a core of warm cassis, blackberry preserves and ripe plum plus hints of cedar chest, chocolate box, rare beef and cardamom. The palate is medium to full-bodied and firmly textured with very ripe tannins, gradually revealing layers of black and blue fruits plus loads of earthy sparks, finishing with amazing freshness and depth. 3,500 cases produced.. [93 Points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown – October 2018, robertparker.com]
