1986 Dominus

In theory this was a clever California wine to serve first, before we had cottoned on to the transatlantic theme, since Christian Moueix's early wines from his Dominus estate (first vintage 1983) were particularly bordeaux-like in youth. However this one seemed so sweet and dense that once I had realised it was from Napa Valley I guessed it was Caymus, which is not really the style of Dominus at all. Perhaps it was the proximity to the slightly more austere charms of the Cheval that made it seem so burly and sweet. (JR)

I did not pick this out as Dominus in the blind tasting, largely because it came across as such a young, rich, blockbuster wine. One of the richest, densest, most concentrated offerings in the entire tasting, it also proved to be one of the best-balanced, with better integration of acidity and tannin than many 1986s exhibited. The color remains a deep, dark ruby, with purple hues. Dense, concentrated, and pure, with copious quantities of cassis fruit intermingled with earth, spice, and minerals, this large-scaled, concentrated wine appears to have aged at a glacial pace since I first tasted it. Accessible because of its well-integrated, low acidity, this wine should continue to evolve and drink well for another 15-20 years. Very impressive. The tasting notes for this section are from two single blind tastings, one conducted in May, 1996, in California, and the other in June, 1996, in Baltimore.

In theory this was a clever California wine to serve first, before we had cottoned on to the transatlantic theme, since Christian Moueix's early wines from his Dominus estate (first vintage 1983) were particularly bordeaux-like in youth. However this one seemed so sweet and dense that once I had realised it was from Napa Valley I guessed it was Caymus, which is not really the style of Dominus at all. Perhaps it was the proximity to the slightly more austere charms of the Cheval that made it seem so burly and sweet. Jun 2010, www.jancisrobinson.com, Drink: 2000-2015