Dominus Estate

Dominus Estate wines: buy at the best price

Dominus Estate is one of the most prestigious estates in Napa Valley, founded in 1983 by Bordeaux native Christian Moueix, who also owns grand cru estates in Pomerol. Nestled in Yountville, at the foot of the Mayacamas Mountains, it is built around the historic Napanook vineyard, planted as early as the 19th century. Here, Bordeaux expertise meets Californian terroir to produce Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blended wines that are pure, precise, and built for very long aging. Farmed without irrigation and certified organic, this legendary estate produces three exceptional cuvées: Dominus, Napanook, and Othello. 

Read more
See more
Filters

Price

€260.00 - €280.00

Color

Vintage

Volume

Parker WA rating

87 - 97

Burghound rating

No choice available on this group

Revue du Vin de France rating

No choice available on this group

Bettane & Desseauve rating

No choice available on this group

Prices drop

No choice available on this group

Download this list
There is 1 product.
Download this list
  • Name, A to Z
  • Name, Z to A
  • Price, low to high
  • Price, high to low
  • By quantity
  • Latest Arrivals
Dominus 2000
New
3 in stock
129593
Red
75cl
87/100
87/100
Add to cart
Outside France | USA - Napa Valley

Dominus 2000

€264.00 inc-VAT per bottle
€220.00 ex-VAT

History of Dominus Estate

The history of the estate is intertwined with that of the Napa Valley. Everything begins at the Napanook site, where George Yount planted the valley's first vines around 1836. In the mid-twentieth century, this vineyard was one of the three grape sources for the legendary vintages of Inglenook, under the stewardship of John Daniel Jr. The son of renowned négociant Jean-Pierre Moueix, Christian Moueix discovered California during his studies in viticulture and oenology at the University of Davis in the late 1960s, and fell passionately in love with the region.

In 1981, he rediscovered the Napanook terroir and immediately sensed its exceptional potential. In 1982, he partnered with Robin Lail and Marcia Smith, the daughters of John Daniel Jr, to give birth to the estate, whose first vintage was produced in 1983. In 1995, Christian Moueix became its sole owner. He chose the Latin name Dominus — lord of the estate — to underline his deep commitment to this land. In 1997, a spectacular cellar designed by Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron, celebrated for its basalt gabion walls that naturally regulate temperature, completed this visionary project.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Dominus Estate

The Napanook vineyard extends over approximately 50 hectares, with around a hundred acres planted across fourteen plots on the western slope of Napa Valley, in the Yountville appellation. Nestled in a natural amphitheater at the foot of the Mayacamas Mountains, it rests on an alluvial fan crossed by Hopper Creek, offering a mosaic of soils. The most gravelly soils, close to the hills, give birth to the fine wine Dominus; the gravelly and silty soils of the fan feed Napanook, while the fine clays bordering the creek nourish Othello. The climate of Yountville, tempered by the cool breezes from San Pablo Bay, allows for slow and even ripening of the grapes.

The grape composition stays true to the Bordeaux spirit, dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (around 87%), complemented by Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, with a few Saint George rootstocks surviving from the Inglenook era. The estate stands out for a practice that is rare in Napa: entirely dry farming, with no irrigation whatsoever, which compels the vines to push their roots deep into the ground to draw water and minerals from the terroir. Certified in organic farming by the CCOF since 2021, the estate pursues an exemplary approach to biodiversity, with cover crops, indigenous species, wildflowers and restoration of Hopper Creek.

Winemaking at Dominus Estate

The estate's philosophy rests on one conviction: wine is made first and foremost in the vineyard. Winemaking is minimalist and respectful, in order to preserve the purity of the fruit and the personality of each terroir. The grapes are harvested at perfect ripeness, sorted by hand cluster by cluster, then berry by berry using optical sorting. Each plot is vinified separately, lot by lot, with gentle pump-overs that delicately extract aromas, color and tannins without ever forcing the material.

Aging takes place in French oak Bordeaux barrels, including a proportion of new casks, for approximately fifteen to eighteen months depending on the cuvée. The wines are racked by hand, barrel by barrel, every three months — a patient and exacting process that refines the texture and polishes the tannins. This high-precision approach, inherited from the expertise of Pétrus and perpetuated today by winemaking director Tod Mostero, yields wines of great finesse, combining power, balance and remarkable aging potential. The exclusive provenance from the Napanook vineyard grants these wines the rare designation of estate-bottled.

The Cuvées of Dominus Estate

Dominus: the estate's iconic Fine Wine, this Bordeaux-style blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, complemented by Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, comes from the noblest gravelly soils of the vineyard. Regularly acclaimed by international critics, with several vintages scoring 100 out of 100 (2010, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2021) and crowned Wine of the Year 2021 by Wine Spectator for the 2018 vintage, it embodies elegance and depth. The nose unfolds blackcurrant, cedar, pencil lead, violet and undergrowth, while the palate, ample and thoroughbred, reveals ultra-fine tannins and infinite length. A collectible wine with exceptional aging potential, often compared to the greatest classified growths of Bordeaux.

Napanook: the estate's second wine, it shares the pedigree of the fine wine and comes from the gravelly and silty soils at the heart of the alluvial fan. Dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (92% in 2021, complemented by Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot), it displays a resolutely Californian Bordeaux style, at once concentrated and charming. The deep garnet color precedes an expressive bouquet of blackcurrant, wild blueberry and cherry, lifted by notes of gentle spice, tea and freshly turned earth. The palate, rich and full, is adorned with velvety tannins and a beautiful freshness. More approachable than Dominus, it seduces in its youth while offering a fine aging potential.

Othello: the estate's third wine, produced since the mid-2000s and long reserved for export before its first release on the American market in 2021, it is born from plots of fine clay bordering Hopper Creek, at the front of the vineyard. This Bordeaux-style blend led by Cabernet Sauvignon (85% in 2021, with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot) stands out for its vibrant fruitiness and suppleness. The nose, indulgent, blends blackberry, black cherry and redcurrant with hints of graphite, menthol and lavender, while the palate, airy and luminous, offers silky tannins and a finish of refreshing mentholated freshness. Charming from youth, it nonetheless improves over ten to fifteen years and represents an ideal entry point into the world of the estate.

WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT US

5 good reasons to buy wines on V&M

...

EXPRESS DELIVERY

In a secure polystyrene packaging

...

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING

Find out more about VAT-EX sale for outside EU deliveries

...

COLLECTION NEAR PARIS & VAT REFUND FOR TOURISTS

Free collection in our warehouse near central Paris (92)

...