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One of the first Napa wines that I fell in love with and still going strong at almost 30 years old, with a good long while ahead of it still. This is delicate yet powerful, a wine that just gets better and better in the glass, showing off the black truffle and undergrowth flavours of a fully mature wine with melted tannins, leather, saffron and rich blackberries. It’s intense and balanced, still opulent and sexy. 40% new oak. Harvest in 1991 was October 6 to 18, but even so they harvested a little earlier in those days than they do today. Dominus is in the Yountville AVA (which was granted in 1999) but in 1991 still Napa Valley AVA. Drinking Window 2019 - 2040.Decanter | 100 DECAs for the 1991, 6,500 cases were produced of this potentially perfect wine. While this vintage of Dominus contains no Merlot in the blend, every time I taste it I am reminded of a great vintage of Petrus such as 1982, 1989 or 1990. Although different, the 1991 Dominus possesses extraordinary intensity, remarkable opulence, and amazing fruit extraction, all welded to a full-bodied structure. The wine’s sensational purity and inner-core of depth must be tasted to be believed. The 1991 will be approachable young because of its sweet tannin, yet it exhibits the potential to last for 25 years. Perhaps 1994 will rival it, but for now, the 1991 is unquestionably the greatest Dominus, as well as a potential legend in the making.Robert Parker | 99 RPThis set the benchmark for the estate early on and is still a stunner today, with a still-youthful core of cassis and plum puree notes coursing through, flanked with mature hints of warm earth, paving stone and tobacco. Shows a sparkle of savory in the background, with a long, subtle iron spine holding the finish together. While rich, this is a very piercing, persistent wine overall. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. -- Non-blind Dominus retrospective (August 2022). Drink now through 2031. 6,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThis 1991 Dominus was poured blind in Meursault and had me guessing Right Bank, perchance Cheval Blanc! Showing light signs of bricking on the rim, the bouquet unfurls gracefully with melted red fruit, cooked meat, ash and very subtle hints of hung game, all exquisitely defined. Mercurial in the glass, the aromatics seem to broaden out. The palate is beautifully balanced, with a perfect marriage of acidity, fruit concentration and harmony—a wine at that liminal point between primary and secondary phases. Quite savory, I suspected there was more Cabernet Franc in the blend than there actually is (around 10%, to the best of my knowledge). Red fruit, cigar box, touches of rosemary and sage open on long and sensual finish. With one foot in Bordeaux and the other in Napa, the 1991 captures the best of both and is at its absolute peak now.Vinous Media | 96 VM(Dominus (Napa Valley)) It had been more than six years since I last had the pleasure to drink a bottle of the 1991 Dominus, but this bottle popped up at a mixed lineup of wines that included such items as 1978 Trapet Chambertin and 1975 Latour à Pomerol and the wine held its own very well indeed. The bouquet is deep, refined and very polished, wafting from the glass in a blend of black cherries, cassis, salty soil tones, cigar wrapper and new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and fairly complex, with a ripe core of fruit, melting tannin and fine length and grip on the wide open and à point finish. This is a very high quality vintage of Dominus. (Drink between 2016-2040)John Gilman | 94 JG

The 1997 Harlan Estate is one of the greatest Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines I have ever tasted. A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the rest Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this enormously-endowed, profoundly rich wine must be tasted to be believed. Opaque purple-colored, it boasts spectacular, soaring aromatics of vanilla, minerals, coffee, blackberries, licorice, and cassis. In the mouth, layer after layer unfold powerfully yet gently. Acidity, tannin, and alcohol are well-balanced by the wine's unreal richness and singular personality. The finish exceeds one minute. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2030.Robert Parker | 100 RPSaturated ruby. Liqueur-like superripe nose combines roasted cherry, black raspberry, minerals and Valrhona chocolate; distinctly port-like notes. Voluptuous and huge in the mouth, with explosive fruit bordering on confectionary; flavor of chocolate-covered currants. Much more powerfully structured than the estate second wine but the backbone is hidden under a tidal wave of lush fruit. Endless finish features extraordinarily fine, suave tannins. Like the '97 Bryant Family Vineyard cabernet, this freakishly ripe wine reminds me of a great '47 Pomerol.Vinous Media | 97 VMA great bottle, ripe, intense, structured, focused and concentrated, with youthful, vibrant, layered flavors, gaining velocity and length. There's a tremendous finish.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThe 1997 Harlan Estate is a difficult wine to review, as the nose and palate present something of a dichotomy. The bouquet is quite torrefied and tertiary, with notes of caramel, dried fruit, chocolate and a hint of California prune. But on the palate the wine is very exciting and vibrant, with an ample chassis of fine-grained tannins, vibrant acids and an intense, penetrating finish. Notable bottle variation is reported with this vintage. Drinking Window 2017 - 2025.Decanter | 92 DEC

The youthful dark ruby/purple-colored 2004 Madrona Ranch(500 cases produced) reveals a slight touch of lightening at the edge along with beautiful blueberry, black currant and floral notes. The enticing entry is followed by a medium to full-bodied, lush, opulent, Pomerol-inspired wine (despite the fact it is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc rather than Merlot). There is enough stuffing in this 2004 to hold it for another decade.Robert Parker | 96 RP

The nearly perfect 2002 Proprietary Red Wine is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and the rest dollops of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. This exotic, full-throttle, nearly over-the-top red wine’s intensity, richness and smoky coffee notes intermixed with notions of chocolate, graphite, and jammy blackberry and black currant fruit ooze from the glass. This rich, concentrated beauty tastes more like a top-notch, young Right Bank Bordeaux from a vintage such as 2009 than a wine dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon. With stunning purity and awesome potential, it can be drunk now or cellared for another two decades.Robert Parker | 99 RPDisplaying extraordinary aromatics, this shows a wealth of flavor, finesse, richness and grace. Pure, sleek cherry, berry and pomegranate notes are woven together with enticing floral scents. Keeps gaining depth and dimension without weight. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. -- 2002 California Cabernet blind retrospective (May 2012). Drink now through 2022. 2,621 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS(75% cabernet sauvignon, 22% merlot and 1% each cabernet franc, petit verdot and malbec) Full medium ruby. Brooding, medicinal aromas of black fruits. Sweet, chewy and deep, with flavors of dark berries, violet, minerals and game freshened by harmonious acidity. Finishes long and ripe, with fine, sweet, building tannins. Green notes that the merlot in this blend is actually tighter and less fleshy than the cabernet.Vinous Media | 94 VM

There are 6,500 cases of the superb 2006 Dominus (91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot). Its dark plum/purple color is accompanied by aromas and flavors of truffles, forest floor, black cherries, black currants, and Asian spices. One of the finest wines of the vintage, it is complete, full-bodied, and seamlessly built with beautiful ripe tannins, low acidity, and a luscious, layered mouthfeel. The aromatics are even more evolved and complex than the 2005’s. The 2006 should drink well for 20-25 years.Christian Moueix, Dominus’ owner, has purchased the 35-acre Swanson Vineyard, which is situated between the well-known California bistros, Brix and Mustard’s. I suspect that will result in a third label from Dominus. At present, the production from these large holdings in Yountville is approximately 10,000-12,000 cases, with the second wine, Napanook, representing 3,500-4,000 cases, depending on the vintage. It is ironic that Christian Moueix, the great Merlot specialist at his flagship chateaux in Pomerol, especially Petrus, prefers the other Bordeaux varietals at his Napa property. Interestingly, when I visit Dominus, they always open a fresh bottle and serve it alongside a bottle that has been decanted for 24 hours. On each occasion, the more complex, open wine is the one that has had 24 hours of aeration, something buyers of this wine should take into consideration. These are the two strongest back to back vintages for Dominus since 1990-1991 and 2001-2002.Robert Parker | 96 RPStarting to take on the tertiary character of ripe fruit and savory components with dusty tannins. Full and round with a lovely texture and a light salty, meaty and tobacco character. Forest floor. Sweet and sour. Just opening.James Suckling | 96 JSBright red-ruby. Lovely floral lift contributes precision to the aromas of raspberry, rose petal and licorice. Sweet, high-pitched and sharply delineated; velvety but not thick. There’s a juicy quality to the ripe red fruit, mineral and graphite flavors, not to mention a firm underlying spine, that promises a long and positive evolution in bottle. Quite young but not austere, finishing with building tannins and lovely lift. The lingering perfume of red fruits, pepper, flowers and licorice is unusually complex. A really superb 2006, seemingly every bit as good as the sensational 2005.Vinous Media | 94+ VMUnless you knew that this was Dominus and had tasted older vintages, you might not be impressed. In its youth the wine is tannic and dry and linear. However, it is Dominus and it does need cellaring. Right now it shows blackberry, black currant, cedar and baker’s chocolate flavors. Will slowly open and reach maturity after 2011, and could easily develop for far longer.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEYouthfully floral and tight, this vintage of Dominus is a big wine that holds all of its weight behind a powerful structure. And it’s the power of that structure that is front and center-red apple-skin acidity and walnut-skin tannin-needing a ribeye with plenty of fat to bring the fruit out of its cage. Stay with it and the wine’s earthiness begins to meld with the blueberry and chocolate richness. But it’s all completely primary. Put this away for ten years, and drink the Napanook while it matures.Wine & Spirits | 93 W&S

There are 550-cases of the perfect 2007 Cariad (original rating was 99), a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and the rest equal parts Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. One of northern California’s watershed vintages for Bordeaux varietals, according to Allison Tauziet, this wine revealed great potential from the day the first grapes were crushed. It possesses a dense purple color, massive fruit, soft but high tannin, and a structural profile somewhat similar to the 2002. There appears to be more underlying minerality in the 2007, but the sweetness of the tannin, the enormous concentration of fruit (blackberry, blueberry, cherry) intermixed with graphite, chocolate, coffee and crushed rock characteristics is striking. This is a compelling, even prodigious wine that hits all the palate’s sweet spots, possesses phenomenal upside potential, and is a modern day legend in the making. Approachable now because of its flawlessness and seamless characteristics, it should drink well for three decades or more.Robert Parker | 100 RPI am not sure what to say. This is like standing in a perfectly tended vineyard with stoney soil on a beautiful sunny day. Gorgeous nose of cardamon and cloves. Full bodied, with a breathtaking depth of fruit. The texture is perfect. The tannins are perfect. This is mind blowing wine that has left me speechless. Please don’t touch this until 2015. I am in love with this. Find the wine.James Suckling | 100 JSDense, chewy and extracted, rich and layered, with tightly wound blackberry, melted black licorice, new leather, shoe polish and herbal notes that are expansive and gain traction on the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2012 through 2020. 550 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSBright, dark red with ruby highlights. Spectacularly complex aromas of roasted plum, cassis, currant, graphite, anise, licorice and tobacco. Wonderfully sweet, youthful and lively, with perfectly integrated acidity giving the wine an enticing combination of cool and warm qualities. Finishes very young and very long, still in need of more time in bottle to unwind. This perfumed blend reminded me of a Bordeaux from the RIght Bank owing to its seductive plum, dark berry and licorice notes and sexy sweetness. But its dusty tannins are still quite firm and in need of patience.Vinous Media | 94+ VM

Medium garnet in color with a hint of purple, the 2007 Maya Proprietary Red Wine possesses the most alluring nose of blueberry compote, Black Forest cake, crème de cassis, licorice and espresso with suggestions of truffles, beef drippings, dried sage and forest floor. Powerful, rich and substantial on the palate, it explodes with profound black fruits and earthy layers with a rock-solid frame of ripe, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 2007 Maya is deep garnet-brick in color. Notes of blackberry pie, creme de cassis, and black cherry preserves pop from the glass, followed by hints of cinnamon toast, red roses, and fallen leaves. The full-bodied palate is packed with bold black fruit layers, supported by plush, beautifully ripe tannins and bags of freshness, finishing long and opulent. Andy Erickson started here in January 2007 and it was also the first year of organic farming.The Wine Independent | 97 TWIWhat a difference a year makes. The 2007 Maya is a drop-dead gorgeous beauty. Sexy and racy to the core, the 2007 captures the sensuality of the year in spades. Raspberry jam, white flowers, mint and spices are nicely shaped by silky tannins. Production was tiny, at around 270 cases, partly because 2007 is the vintage in which Dalla Valle introduced their second wine, Collina Dalla Valle. It’s great to see Maya back on track after the less than stellar 2006.Vinous Media | 96 VMShows a juicy side to the loamy earth, tobacco, cedar and tar flavors. Complex and layered, if starting to show signs of age and a drying edge. The initial burst of fruit is captivating. -- Blind 1997/2007 California Cabernet retrospective (January 2017). Drink now. 300 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Deep garnet in color with a touch of purple, the 2007 Proprietary Red Wine flaunts wonderfully expressive, vibrant blackberries and black cherries scents to begin, giving way to black raspberries and redcurrants with touches of Indian spices, potpourri, chargrill, sage, espresso, unsmoked cigars and tilled soil plus a waft of cloves. Medium to full-bodied, the elegantly styled palate offers tantalizing restraint with a firm frame of very fine, pixelated tannins and compelling freshness, finishing very long with an invigorating lift. Although this wine will handsomely reward a further 5-7 years in cellar, it can offer a lot of pleasure now but will need a couple of hours of decanting.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RPThis mature wine remains dark black-red in colour. Dark chocolate, roast meat and forest resins haunt the blackberry and plum fruits, but it’s surprisingly vital too, with ringing, resonant, ripe acidity in orbit with the flesh, soft textures and overall amplitude. Pure Napa class. Drinking Window 2018 - 2028.Decanter | 97 DECEasily the greatest Dominus in memory. Comes down on the drier, lower alcohol and less ripe side than many Cabs in its league, yet lacks for nothing in complexity and sheer deliciousness. Tantalizes with blackberry tart, cherry, carob bean and a Pinot Noir-esque cola-rhubarb richness that retreats behind rich tannins and an earthiness suggesting sweet blond tobacco and dried sage. Clearly ageable, it will develop bottle complexity over the next 12 years, at least. It’s 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, with a few drops of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEPure Cabernet in its curranty blackness, this is a top vintage of Dominus: It has the precision and elegance of a wine from a great vineyard. The aromas of currants and black figs meld with the mineral tightness of the tannin; there’s suppleness to the tannin that points up red tones in the fruit, seeming to glow from within. The wine is comforting and challenging at once, holding its freshness and bearing as it evolves over the course of several days. This should thrive in the cellar for two decades or more.Wine and Spirits | 96 W&S((14.1% alcohol): Saturated dark red with ruby tones. Bordeaux-like scents of currant, black cherry, blackberry, cedar, mocha and spicecake, with a cool medicinal note adding interest. This very suave, fine-grained wine starts closed but juicy, then builds steadily along its length (like a good Cuban cigar!), with flavors of dark berries, licorice and sweet spices continuing through a juicy, rising finish that leaves the palate vibrating. A very subtle wine of great finesse and insidious intensity, though not particularly Napa-like in its texture or weight. The tannins really dust the palate and linger. This very distinctive wine has a long life ahead of it.Vinous Media | 95 VMLots of forest berries and flowers in the nose. On the palate, it is thick and very rich, with big plummy fruit and a light raisin aftertaste. Chewy, round, and very generous on the palate. This still needs some time to come together. Leave this alone for another three to four years. 14+24+23+32. Find the wineJames Suckling | 93 JS

Made in a more masculine style, the 2008 Dominus has all of that along with bigger body and more structure, fat, density and texture. Both are brilliant wines and they represent the finest back-to-back vintages for Dominus since 2001 and 2002 or 1990 and 1991. Both the 2007 and 2008 Dominus should drink well for 25-30 years.This estate, owned by Christian Moueix, includes the famed Napanook Vineyard that was the base of so many of the historic Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignons of the 1950s and 1960s. Interestingly, they have completely eliminated Merlot from the bottling. The 2007 Dominus is a 5,400-case blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. There are 4,200 cases of the 2008 Dominus which is composed of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Lower yields resulted in a denser, more concentrated wine. The remarkable thing about these cuvees is that they smell like a hypothetical blend of a top Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and a serious Bordeaux, possibly a cross blend of a Pomerol and Pauillac. Both wines possess silky sweet tannins, which is the big difference between Dominus post-1990 and the first seven vintages, where the tannin content was relatively high. About 40% new oak is used in their upbringing.P.S. In a couple of years, readers should be on the look-out for a new estate wine from Christian Moueix. One mile north of the Napanook Vineyard, Moueix has purchased a 36-acre, already planted parcel known as the Schmidt Ranch. I tasted some of the 2009 barrel samples and this appears to be another promising venture with a completely different personality a more obviously Napa Valley/Cabernet Sauvignon, ripe style of wine than the more elegant, complex Dominus. I’m not sure what the name will be, but it will definitely not be called the Schmidt Ranch.Robert Parker | 99 RPNow 30 years old, this venture is a Californian classic. But the real success is how Christian Moueix, proprietor of Pétrus, so fine-tuned his approach with Cabernet while turning his back on Merlot. The 2008 is 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. While oak may be Napa’s mainstay, Dominus sees just 40% new barrels, leaving its fate more to a relentless focus on sorting and the Napanook vineyard’s sublime soils. A sweet floral edge enlivens creamy blackberry, sandalwood and gravelly mineral, with wellrobed tannins that only appear at the finish. For all the flesh, this has long-lived savoury nuance. Drinking Window 2013 - 2028Decanter | 97 DECThis is very pure fruit for Dominus. This will be interesting to see how it develops in the future. 2008 was a very small crop. Very perfumed and beautiful, with currants, flowers, and notes of mint. Full-bodied, with round velvety tannins that lead up to a chocolate and ripe berry finish. This is showing great fruit, and a great finish. Structurally this is like a 2005 La Mission. Best after 2014.James Suckling | 95 JSVery Bordeaux-like in its makeup and structure, this firm wine offers good acidity and tight tannins, delivering complex flavors of loamy earth, vivid dried currant and berry, with anise and mineral notes sprinkled in. My favorite young Dominus of late. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2022. 4,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS(a blend of 83% cabernet sauvignon, 13% cabernet franc and 4% petit verdot): Good full red-ruby. Fresher on the nose than the Napanook, showing raspberry, plum, mocha and tobacco aromas. Round and plummy in the mouth, with a restrained sweetness to the flavors of milk chocolate, mocha and licorice. A wine of moderate ripeness for the vintage, and in a shell today. Finishes with substantial dusty tannins and notes of plum, mocha and chocolate. I don’t find quite the structure or grip of the best years.Vinous Media | 93 VMA short crop of concentrated berries produced this grand vintage of Dominus, one that will need long aging to show its best. Decant it if you open the bottle now, allowing the initial cabernet franc scent of green herbs to integrate—Josiah Baldivino of Michael Mina in San Francisco described it as “adding a fine detail, like a pocket square in a suit.” Air brings out the full stature of the wine, its black cherry richness, violet scents and silken texture. For provençal lamb.Wine & Spirits | 93 W&SAnother fine Dominus, dry, well-structured and ageworthy. Lacks the flashiness of the dramatic 2007, but is still ripe and rich enough to drink now, and should develop over the next six years. Rewards for the depth of blackberries, cassis, blueberries and cedar, wrapped into plush tannins.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

The 2010 Proprietary Red is very deep garnet colored with a hint of purple. It offers up wonderfully bold, expressive notes of crème de cassis, black cherry compote and mincemeat pie with wafts of bay leaves, incense, Chinese five spice and hoisin plus wafts of chargrill and yeast extract. Full-bodied, rich and opulent, the palate is laden with layer upon layer of exotic spice-laced black fruits with a firm yet plush frame and very long finish with some licorice notes coming through.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPFull medium ruby. Very ripe but reticent scents of black fruits, minerals, mocha, espresso and spices. Voluptuous and plush on entry, saturating the palate with a slightly unrefined wave of black fruits, minerals and mocha. This outsized, full-bodied, plummy wine shows lovely mineral verve, surprisingly restrained sweetness and a complicating saline element. Finishes with sumptuous, building tannins and terrific plum and graphite persistence. This wine is ripe enough to give great pleasure now but I’d still hold my bottles for the tannins to be further absorbed. It certainly has the stuffing to go on for many more years.Vinous Media | 94 VMA big and rich red with black currant and blueberry and chocolate. Full and vast. A more typical Napa cab of the period. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JS

The 2012 Thorevilos is flamboyant, phenomenally concentrated, full-bodied, majestic and totally prodigious. It can be drunk young, but most readers will probably prefer to give it a few years of bottle age and consume it over the following 30+ years.Robert Parker | 99+ RPAbreu’s 2012 Thorevilos boasts remarkable depth, power and intensity. Distinctly ferrous, savory notes open up in the glass, followed by game, tobacco, smoke and bright red stone fruits. A huge, explosive wine, the Thorevilos is the most tannic and structured of Abreu’s 2012s. Accordingly, it is likely to require the most time to come around. When it does, it will be magnificent.Vinous Media | 99 VMA juicy and savory red with black fruit, pomace and toasted oak. Powerful and tannic. Muscular with amazing form. Full body, bright and beautiful fruit. Grabs your attention, yet subtle. Persistent. Try in 2020. About 300 cases made. March release.James Suckling | 98 JS

Another perfect wine from Ann Colgin and her winemaking team is the 2013 IX Proprietary Red Estate, a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot. An absolutely compelling wine, with notes of lead pencil shavings, spring flowers, blueberry, blackberry and cassis, it has the full smorgasbord of black and blue fruits, wonderfully integrated, toasty oak, acidity and tannin, a floral note that is unmistakable, and great richness, density and purity. It is an utterly exceptional wine and a tribute to not only a great vineyard, but impeccable winemaking and upbringing. It should drink well for 30+ years as well.Robert Parker | 100 RPI probably would have rated the 2012 IX Estate a triple-digit score if it hadn’t been followed by this otherworldly 2013 IX Estate. One of the finest wines to ever pass my lips, this insanely good effort offers a complex, layered bouquet of darker currants, white truffle, iron, tobacco, graphite, and lead pencil. Possessing more than a passing resemblance to the 2009 Château Latour, it’s full-bodied, has a deep, concentrated mouthfeel, gorgeous tannins, and a great, great finish. It doesn’t get any better, and this legendary Napa Valley red can be drunk any time over the coming three decades or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDDeep garnet-black in color, the 2013 IX Estate needs a LOT of swirling to begin to bring out notes of beef dripping, charcuterie, garrigue, mossy tree bark, and black truffles, giving way to a muted core of stewed plums, blackcurrant pastilles, candied violets, and dried mulberries. The full-bodied palate explodes with a powerhouse of black fruits and earthy layers, framed by super velvety tannins and amazing tension, finishing very long and multilayered. It needs time!The Wine Independent | 100 TWIThe 2013 IX Estate is a wild, exotic wine. In a sense, it marries the savory aromatic intensity of the Tychson Hill with the fruit richness found in the Cariad. It is another wine that has aged impeccably. There’s plenty of mountain tannin and savoriness, along with the underlying structure to age well for many years to come. In a word: magnificent!Vinous Media | 99 VMThe aromas to this are perfect with black truffle, sage, blueberry and wet earth. Changes all the time. Full body with lots of richness and fruit. The intensity is electric. Chewy tannins yet polished and silky. It lasts for minutes on the palate. A joy to taste (drink) now but it’s made for long-term aging.James Suckling | 98 JSThis has an exotic edge, with a burst of chocolate-covered açaí berry leading off, followed quickly by plum and blackberry puree flavors. Delivers a deeply buried cast iron note, but feels overall open and very friendly through the finish, with a kiss of sweet toast and a flash of Black Forest cake. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Blind 2013 California Cabernet retrospective (February 2023). Drink now through 2034. 1,880 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSIn this vintage, Cabernet Sauvignon formed small berries with thick skins, so the wines inevitably were powerful and tannic. Plums and blackcurrants dominate the nose, which also shows mocha tones. Plump, opulent, and very concentrated, this is nonetheless not overblown. It’s still taut and youthful, with firm tannins. Assertive, it packs a punch and has a long finish.Decanter Magazine | 94 DEC

The flagship wine, and one of the first in Napa Valley to emphasize the fabulous potential of Cabernet Franc in specific terroirs, is the 2013 Maya Proprietary Red Wine. This wine usually spends about 22 months in new oak and normally has anywhere from 45% to as much as 60% Cabernet Franc blended with the estate’s Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2013 could well be the finest they’ve made to date, and that includes a lot of profound wines. An incredibly complex nose of charcoal embers, blackberry and cassis, some blueberries as well as white flowers, and a touch of forest floor is followed by a full-bodied wine with sweet, well-integrated tannins, a multi-dimensional mouthfeel, and a finish that goes on for close to a minute. This is absolutely remarkable wine – powerful, dense, but at the sane time, precise and elegant. It’s hard to believe, but I think this wine can probably age and improve for 25-40 years. Don’t miss it if you have access to it.Robert Parker | 100 RPThe 2013 Maya is a bit more expressive today than the Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep, plush and vertical in its shape, the 2013 exudes intensity and pure power from start to finish. The Maya is another wine that will require considerable patience. Hints of black cherry, bittersweet chocolate, cloves, leather and scorched earth give the 2013 much of its brooding, powerful personality, but readers will have to give the 2013 at least a few years in barrel for it to be at its best.Vinous Media | 97+ VMBlack plums, caramel, new leather and bramble on the nose. Sumptuous and chewy mouthfeel, with flavours of raw cacao, bitter cherry and dried sage. The finish is long and driving, showing the brilliant, high-toned structure common in this section of Oakville. More generous at present than the 2013 Cabernet, but still very much a baby. Recommended to cellar for another few years. Drinking Window 2026 - 2051.Decanter | 95 DECAn inspiring effort, this captures a dense mix of gravelly earth, extracted dark berry, cedar, dried herb, anise and crushed rock notes, showing a cleansing minerally edge. Stays trim and deserves time. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2020 through 2032. 750 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

The aromas of iodine, oyster shells and mushrooms turn to blackberries. Full body, polished tannins and a plush, velvety texture. Gorgeous length and tension. Aftertaste turns to leaves, forest floor and blackberries. Salty and savory. Wow.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2014 Cariad is wonderfully expressive, open-knit and gracious. Sweet floral and spice notes give the 2014 much of its aromatics, while fruit is bright, vibrant and intense. I imagine the 2014 will drink well pretty much upon release. Today, the 2014 is showy, plush and inviting, but there is also plenty of depth to back it all up. Although I wouldn’t dream of opening any of the 2014s early, but if I had to choose one wine to open before the others, this would be it. Cariad is a blend of fruit from several David Abreu ranches, with Madrona Ranch as the central component.Vinous Media | 97 VMThe 2014 Proprietary Red Cariad, which is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon but also contains important percentages of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, is made from purchased fruit from David Abreu’s vineyard holdings on Howell Mountain and in St. Helena. This wine offers loads of unsmoked cigar tobacco, melted licorice, charcoal embers, blackberry and mulberry fruit, a full-bodied mouthfeel, stunning intensity, impressive equilibrium, and well-integrated acidity and tannin. It is another beauty, obviously coming from first-growth terroirs. This should drink beautifully for 20-25 years.Robert Parker | 96 RPA big, rich, deep and caressing style, with wonderful textural nuances that smooth out the chewy dark berry, graphite, gravel and black licorice flavors. Most impressive on the finish, which sails along, gaining depth and persistence. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2038. 810 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

Loads of dark tobacco aromas with blackcurrants and black olives. Boysenberries, too. Full to medium body, ultra-fine tannins and lots of flavors of smoke, dried roasted chillis, black truffles, mushrooms and fruit. Bright acidity on the finish. Sexy and subtle austerity. Alluring. Very approachable now but better in 2021.James Suckling | 98 JSComing from their valley floor site in Yountville, the 2014 Dominus is a rich, concentrated red, especially in 2014. A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot, it sports a deep ruby/plum color as well as a ripe nose of blackcurrants, unsmoked tobacco, lead pencil, licorice and smoked earth. With a ripe, full-bodied, concentrated style, sweet tannin, and a great finish, it has some similarities to the 1990 and will evolve for three decades or more. There’s 4,300 cases of this beauty.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThe 2014s, where the production of Napanook was only 2,200 cases and Dominus slightly more than the 2015 at 4,000 cases, was another early harvest, although somewhat later than 2015. The 2014 Dominus, which is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot really struts its stuff. Moueix’s belief in dry farming seems to be paying off with stronger and stronger vintages, each successive year, and the 2014 is a sexy, opulent, layered, multidimensional wine with notes of red and blackcurrant, cedar wood, tobacco leaf , spice box and licorice. The color is a dense plum/ruby/purple, much like the Napanook. This is a beauty that is already drinking gorgeously – as most 2014s are – and will continue to evolve for 25 or so years.Robert Parker | 97 RPThe 2014 Dominus is endowed with tons of depth, power and muscle. Black cherry, plum, smoke, menthol, licorice, chocolate, dried herbs and dark spices are all pushed forward. Deep, pliant and exquisitely layered, the 2014 possesses tons of concentration and mid-palate depth. Like so many wines in this vintage, the 2014 comes across as a hybrid of 2013 and 2012. I very much like the energy and focus in this wine. This is a fabulous wine in every way. With time in the glass, the flavors gain in brightness and focus. There is certainly much to look forward to.Vinous Media | 96 VMAn initially reticent bouquet opens in the decanter and glass to reveal notes of blackberry, rich spice, tobacco leaf, elderberry and lily pollen. On the palate, fine, powdery tannins frame an elegant, deep wine with a lovely core of cool fruit. This will require some time in the cellar to reveal all its potential. Drinking Window 2022 - 2042.Decanter | 95 DECCedar, herb and savory sage open into a strong element of forest floor and rose garden. Tight firm tannin wrap around a robust ripeness that finds balance in accompanying acidity.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE

A blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec, there's 928 cases of the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage. Blackcurrants, unsmoked tobacco, graphite, and damp earth all flow from this ethereally textured, seamless, gorgeous wine that has no hard edges, excellent acidity and a great finish. It’s slightly more elegant and polished than the more powerful 2015 and will shine for 20-25 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDFrederick Ammons’ winemaking degree is from the University of Bordeaux, and his wines at Rudd always seem to have a great classicism to them. They are, like their neighbor Screaming Eagle, immaculate Cabernets of great restraint, beauty, and purity. Gorgeously long, they are texturally more like silk than velvet. The Rudd vineyards sit on a sloping landslide of volcanic rock and red iron-rich soil in the eastern foothills of Oakville. The estate is now run by young Samantha Rudd after the unfortunate death of her father in 2018. Drinking Window 2019 - 2045Decanter | 97 DECThere are two reds wines from the estate, the proprietary red wine, which is a Bordeaux blend, and Samantha’s Cabernet Sauvignon. The Rudd Estate Proprietary Red starts off life relatively slowly, and that probably works against it, but the color of the 2013, 2014 and 2015 is an inky purple. The wines display notes of scorched earth, blackberry and cassis, the with 2013 and 2014 both showing more up-front forwardness and a more approachable style, but they are still dramatic, flamboyant and full-bodied. The epic 2013 is not ready for drinking for at least another 4-5 years, but the 2014 can be approached already. Both wines are full-bodied, classic Oakville corridor wines, but made with almost a Bordeaux inspiration, but without sacrificing the extraordinarily rich, concentrated fruit of Napa. The 2013 is a 35-year wine and the 2014 probably a 25- to 30- year wine. The 2013 is a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Malbec and Petit Verdot. The 2014 has 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Malbec and Petit Verdot.Robert Parker | 97 RPA hugely promising wine, the 2014 Oakville Estate Red is bursting with energy and class. A classic, focused Cabernet-based red, the 2014 Estate is a bundle of tightly wound energy. The 2014 represents a big departure from previous vintages, yet the oak is well-integrated and all the elements are very nicely balanced for such a big, structured wine. Lavender, graphite and savory herbs add nuance in the finely-cut finish. There is so much potential here.Vinous Media | 96 VMWarm and inviting, with an open, aromatic profile of menthol, sassafras and bay leaf leading to a rich core of cassis, blackberry compote and gently mulled plum fruit flavors. Everything knits solidly through the loam-tinted finish. Solidly built, this is a textbook expression of Oakville. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Best from 2023 through 2033. 927 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS