(83% cabernet sauvignon, 9% cab franc, 5% merlot and 3% petit verdot) Full red-ruby. Crystallized redcurrant, licorice, shoe polish, smoky oak and menthol on the nose. Dense, lush and sweet, but ultimately a Dominus of moderate size and scale. Fruit-driven flavors of redcurrant, black cherry and tobacco, with a hint of fresh herbs. Finishes with firm but fine tannins and a slight medicinal austerity. A stylish, rather Pauillac-like wine with lovely clarity of flavor. My sample had been poured into a decanter two hours before I tasted it and showed the benefits of aerating a very young cabernet-based wine. The same wine from a new bottle showed much more pungent green pepper and bay laurel aromas and a leaner texture.

This has a very intense, masculine nose with blackberry, cassis and a touch of black truffle, a bouquet that want to be more Bordeaux than Napa! The palate is cohesive, dense, decadent and slightly raisiny, but it just lacks a little lift and the degree of finesse I expected on the finish. Still, do not touch for a decade. Tasted September 2005.

There are 6,500 cases of the 2000 Dominus (a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot). It is a medium-bodied, tightly-knit offering displaying more complex aromatics than the score might suggest. Notes of cedar, saddle leather, tapenade, dried herbs, coffee, and sweet cherries and plums are present in the impressive aromatics. In the mouth, it is compact and medium-bodied. Austere/astringent tannin in the finish held my score down. Some improvement will occur with aging, but I do not see the generosity or wealth of fruit and concentration necessary to balance out the tannic structure. Anticipated maturity: now-2012. Tel. (707) 944-8954; Fax (707) 944-0547