Wine: 2007 Dominus Napanook
Region: California
Sokolin Price: $44.99
Rating: 91 RP
Happy New Year to our readers! Even though a new year has arrived, we'll once again be sticking to our firmly planted roots. The heart and soul of our business model for the past 76 years has been selling highly rated wines from acclaimed producers of Bordeaux, Burgundy, California, Italy, Spain and newly emerging viticultural areas. There are thousands of wines on the market, and we do our homework and sift through the masses to find the best ones.
On the first business day of the New Year, Sokolin brought 2007 Dominus to our Collectors' Corner subscribers. This wine happens to be highly sought-after since it comes from one of the finest producers in California and from one of the finest vintages ever to come out of the state. Christian Moueix, the owner of the famed Chateau Petrus, happens to also be the owner of Dominus. The 2007 vintage was rated 98 points twice in a row by Robert Parker - once in December 2009 and then again recently in December 2010. At $139 / bottle, this wine sold like wildfire, and we are completely sold out of it. If this 98 point wine came from Moueix's Chateau Petrus, it would never see a price tag of $139 / bottle.
If you missed this wine, you still have a shot at tasting Dominus pedigree. We just so happen to have the 2nd wine of Dominus - 2007 Dominus Napanook Vineyard. As part of our research, we recently re-tasted the 2007 Dominus Napanook and shared it with some out of town guests over the holidays. This predominant Cabernet Sauvignon wine was paired with a rather simple, old-fashioned, Irish recipe called Dublin Coddle. It consists of sausage, bacon, potatoes, sautéed onions and carrots that were slow-cooked in chicken stock for over six hours.
This hearty meal was the perfect accompaniment to the 2007 Napanook, which on the nose possessed aromas of dark fruits, smoke, earth and vanilla. The color was a very dark ruby/garnet color and on the palate it was full-bodied with a ton of gusto. This wine is not for the weak of heart. You can immediately detect the pedigree of this legendary winemaker. Even with all the power of this wine, with the proper decanting, it shows its elegance and complexity.
And, you'll be happy to hear that it's only $44.99 / bottle - that is only 1/3rd the price per bottle than its sister wine. It also comes with a respectable rating of 91 points from Robert Parker. When Christian Moueix takes part in the making of a wine, you know you will taste superb quality. His winemaking skills are well-known across the world. It is a sublime wine for the price. Only 3,600 cases of the Napanook were produced in 2007, compared to 5,400 of the Dominus.
Our Recommendation: Buying the 2007 Dominus Napanook makes perfect sense. You can taste and experience wine of Dominus pedigree for a fraction of the price. Who wouldn't want to try that? We hope you take our recommendation, and we wish you a wine-filled New Year.