Wineries & Winefolk

The second flight: ’84, ’85, ’86, and ’87.

’84 Dominus – thick soy-sauced red & black currants, dry-cured cigar box, still alive, though mature (in the right way), yum, m+ acid, m+ to f body

       75% Cabernet Sauvignon/25% Merlot

       (Season – warm to hot, plump, best vintage since ’78)

       $200 A -111 ***

’85 Dominus – tar, burnt sugar, cedar, fireplace hearth, finesse, solid, heat quietly sticks out, m acid

       80% Cabernet Sauvignon/20% Merlot

       (season – long, mild growing season, well-balanced, vintage of decade?)

       $130 A -36 ****

’86 Dominus – full fruit, rugged, leather, very dry, integrated

       80% Cabernet Sauvignon/12% Merlot/8% Cabernet Franc

       (season – unusually large crop, excellent vintage, structure & firmness)

       $175 A+ -57 ****

’87 Dominus – George Clinton on tour, red & black cherry, Islay soy sauce, anise, slightly oxidized, little tired

       86% Cabernet Sauvignon/9% Cabernet Franc/5% Merlot

       (season – drought year, early maturity?)

       $175 B+ -119  **

The third flight: ’89, ’90, ’91, and ’92.

’89 Dominus – dense, tart blackberry, earth, coffee, cigar ashtray, fairly tannic, anise, acid in the cheek, against the grain of many of the ‘89s out there. It’s good.

       89% Cabernet Sauvignon/10% Merlot/1% Petit Verdot

       (season - “vintage from Hell”, rain, rain, rain at harvest)

       $175 A- -107 ***

’90 Dominus – black currant, saddle, something in common with ’91 and a departure from the 80’s, m+ acd, f body

       83% Cabernet Sauvignon/8% Merlot/7% Cabernet Franc/2% Petit Verdot

       (outstanding, drought year, smaller than normal crop)

       $200 – I left Gunslingin’ thoughts off of notes

’91 Dominus – sweet, big fruit, dill, earth, tobacco, pyrazine, 90’s turn the page, not as many dimensions (style-wise)

       53% Cabernet Sauvignon/22% Merlot/22% Cabernet Franc/3% Petit Verdot

       (Very long growing season, large crop)

       $240 A- -171 ***

’92 Dominus – youthful, ripe plum, black currant, cinnamon, smoke

       53% Cabernet Sauvignon/22% Merlot/22% Cabernet Franc/3% Petit Verdot

       (Little rain interference, not as ripe as ’90 or ’91)

       $160 A -76 ****