TN: 1985 Dominus Estate (USA, California, Napa Valley)

WINE TALK
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  • 1985 Dominus Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley (4/25/2021)
    Purchased from an Acker Internet auction about 2 years ago. For our first indoor restaurant dinner with other humanity in over a year. No advance decant, but I removed the capsule and washed the top with a terry cloth and clear water at home until it was clean. Due to travel to the restaurant and the fact that my prior bottle had a lot of sediment, the waiter decanted through a coffee filter after I pulled the cork with a Durand. The cork was fully soaked through to within 1/4 inch of the top and easily split into three pieces when I removed it from the screw. The color was correct and no sign of bricking.

A nice smooth wine with earthy, leathery characteristics, some coffee and spice. Not a lot of fruit, but some dark berries. went down easy and disappeared across the table so I opened my backup wine as well. I drank this with the fois gras appetizer and it was a good choice - not over the top and the wine did not blow away the food, or vice versa. Not as great as the 1991, but still an outstanding wine. I would love to drink this side my side with a 1985 Paulliac. RMP rated both areas 90 pts in 1985. I do not know which would show better, maybe this, maybe a first or second growth, but this would certainly not be outclassed. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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Damn Jay, you keep drinking wines in my wheelhouse recently! Had this 85 a year or so ago. Very similar notes. I found it quite elegant, very Bordeaux in profile, but definitely on the back end of its existence. A lovely drink, but admittedly, one that I wish I had popped five or more years earlier.

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Absolutely love '85 Dominus and your notes are spot on. Price has gone up considerably in the last year or two for this vintage so hard to find a bottle. Saw a 3L on Winebid this week that’s so tempting. [wink.gif]

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I have taken a look at my cellar, given serious thought to issues of mortality, and decided that I will drink up all of the old stuff. My kids can do what they want with any Scarecrow, SQN and Saxum that I decide not to drink as daily drinkers ( [berserker.gif] ). If you make it to NY, I will even consider opening one of my remaining bottles of 1970 or 1975 Gruaud Larose or, heaven forbid, my bottle of 1973 Mouton, which I believe has a RMP rating of 65 pts. Think about it. The bane of your existence; the man who ruined wine making for generations; the guy whose face is on the dart board in your office - Parker, not me - giving a wine 65 points. You would love it.

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I agree with Alf that it is probably just starting the downslope, but a 3L should be in its prime.

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“…no sign of bricking?”. I’m confused, as I would assume that there would be some bricking on any such 36 year old red wine.

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Not the good 'Merican stuff with full flavor. Actually, I was surprised as well, but it remained deep red wine color.

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Interesting indeed. Thanks for the note.

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Love the note. You should post a bottle photo, those early labels were terrific.

Here’s my tale of Moueix woe. Going to Tennessee with an old g-friend, eleven years my junior, to spend an early 90s Christmas with her family. This is the first time I met anyone besides mom. Dad disliked me almost immediately as I brought him a nice Dominus vertical: 83 thru 87 and the 89. I’ve no clue what happened to the 88; miracle I had not poured these bottles down the gullet of some Santa Rosa Island denizen. Anyone, upon presentation I get “we don’t drink much wine here in Tennessee, this is whiskey country” and I can tell this is just going to be five days of fireplace chats, carols, and bad sweaters in warmish weather.

We have the 83 with the first dinner and almost nobody touches it besides me and her mom. G-friend and her brothers drank whiskey with dad. We served one other bottle that weekend, can’t recall which vintage, and the other four end up in their garage certain to be cooked during the coming Spring and Summer swelter. End of the trip dad tells me he “sure hoped I enjoyed my first Christmas”, mind you I’m in my early thirties. I sure wish I had not left those bottles to die that fiery death. The girl and I soon parted only to reconcile a decade later and make a run towards engagement and marriage. Dad still disliked me intensely and was breathing fire when he flew to CA to retrieve his daughter after we failed again. Oh well, we had quite the tête-à-tête standing in my driveway before they drove off.

Still have a bottle or two of the 92 and maybe 95 in the cellar. Will uncork one next month.

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He similarly panned the 1965 Mouton, my birth year Wine. I had it a few years ago with Tooch, MarcF and Corey. It was really lovely and elegant. Had the 73 Latour not too long ago, now that wine was excellent!

Let’s pop the GLs!!

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What a story!! Absolutely loved it haha.

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