Jamessuckling.com | JS 95
Published: May 14, 2014

Fresh and floral with berry, light cedar and chocolate character. Full body with a dense center palate and gorgeous berry, chocolate and hazelnut. Long finish. One of the best Napanooks ever. Second wine of Dominus. 98% cabernet sauvignon and 2% petit verdot.

The Wine Advocate | RP 92
Published: Oct 31, 2013

The 2010 Napanook (98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot) reveals a pungent, spicy, earthy, slightly herbal nose, and an exuberant mouthfeel with lots of plum, licorice, red and black currants and a hint of sweet cherries. The wine is slightly more in-your-face and aggressive than most Napanooks, but I enjoyed its exuberant style. Drink this beautiful 2010 over the next 12-15 years.

Looking at the harvest dates for the 2009 through 2012 Napanook and Dominus reveals that none of these were early, very warm years, such as 2013 is promising to be in northern California. For example, in 2009 the harvest took place between October 5 and 12; 2010 between October 4 and 23; 2011 between October 15 and 24; and 2012 between October 9 and 21. Production has remained steady because the estate crop-thins as much as 50% of the harvest to ensure bunch regularity, even ripening and reasonable yields. The second wine, Napanook, tends to come in around 3,000 cases per year, and Dominus around 5,000 cases per year. I was joking with Christian Moueix when I visited the winery and I told him I am one of the geezers old enough to remember his first vintage of 1983, which was tasted at the Rombauer Cellars until he moved to what appears to be an old bank building in downtown St. Helena, after which they constructed a spectacular winery in Yountville that resembles an extension of their historic terroir. Another great vintage, the 2012s have slightly lower alcohols than the 2009s and 2010s, which surprised me given the exuberant nature of this vintage and its boisterous fruit and glycerin. I was shocked to realize that 2013 will mark over thirty vintages for Christian Moueix and Dominus, not to mention my visits each year. How time flies! Drink Date: 2013 - 2028

Winemaker

Sweet oral notes and mesquite emerge in the 2010 Napanook. Generous yet restrained, the wine shows minerality and notes of dried herbs followed by caramelized orange peel, bing cherry and exotic spice avors. e nish is long and balanced.

VINTAGE SUMMARY
The 2010 season began with a cool and wet spring, resulting in a late bud break, flowering and veraison. Summer was also cool but a record-breaking heat wave (107°F) marked the end of August. e heat of late summer and early fall resulted in an extraordinary concentration of tannins and color. While the high temperatures dramatically reduced yields for Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the Cabernet Sauvignon thrived in the late season warmth.

Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon: 98%, Petit Verdot: 2%

Harvest Start: October 4
Harvest End: October 23
Bottling Date: July 2012
Percent New Barrels: 20%
Cases Produced: 2600
Release Date: May 2013