2013 La Dominique
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Tasting notes
Touch of caramel on the nose, gently smoked, well handled and carefully expressed. This is soft through the mid palate, but they have not tried to overly push what was a difficult vintage, and the overall feel here is of unfussy fruit, gentle blackberries and raspberries, fading to tobacco leaf and campfire smoke. No need to wait. 31hl/h yield, 50% new oak, 3.6ph.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
The 2013 La Dominique has a simple and rather plain bouquet, nothing effective with sufficient freshness considering the vintage. The palate is medium-bodied with no sign of greenness. It has a fine round and smooth texture, touches of mocha and dark chocolate towards the finish, completing a 2013 Saint-Émilion that did well in terms of drinkability. Tasted at the vertical tasting at La Dominique.
The 2013 La Dominique is a blend of 13% Cabernet Franc and 87% Merlot matured in 50% new oak, the first vintage when the massale selection of Cabernet was included in the blend and the first vinified in the new facilities. It has a straightforward bouquet with blackcurrant pastille and a touch of blueberry, a touch of vanilla in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly rigid tannin, high toned black fruit for the vintage, with a simple, rather one-dimensional finish. It is not a bad Saint Emilion, but there is a flatness here that it cannot shake off.
About the producer
This 29-hectare estate’s site speaks for itself, neighbouring Cheval Blanc, Figeac, Evangile and La Conseillante at the northwestern edge of Saint-Emilion, where the appellation meets Pomerol.