Being meticulous comes from a soft and assumed obsession giving the meticulous in question the impression of achieving a form of serenity in the control of his actions to better enjoy downstream a full and complete satisfaction of the goal pursued. Is this the case of Bordeaux Christian Moueix? “I want to make a perfect wine”, he said straight out to Tod Mostero in 2007 when he hired him to preside, as head of cultivation and winemakerto the destinies of Dominus Estate, founded in 1982 in Yountville in the Napa Valley.
Mostero therefore understood that his mentor, himself a graduate of the University of California at Davis in 1969 (preceded by an agricultural engineering degree in Paris), already envisaged his vitivinicultural approach as integrating neither more nor less into the rank of fine arts. How can it be otherwise for a man who pampers with such attention to detail these prestigious cuvées such as Petrus, Trotanoy, Bélair-Monange and others? With the recent tasting of the Dominus cuvées, but also Napanook, Ulysses and Othello, the student himself seems to have been stung by this same obsession for this common objective combining precision, rigor and commitment.
“Four criteria in fact mark out this ‘perfect wine’ so dear to Christian Moueix, namely the purity, complexity, balance and character of the wine produced”, says Tod Mostero, whose small details in the vineyard and in the cellar sign wines that share the sobriety and finesse of style of European vintages with this kind of assumed luxuriance of New World wines. The duty recently spoke with Christian Moueix.
“Bob Mondavi introduced me in 1981 to the owners of Napanook, a superb vineyard in Yountville in the middle of Napa Valley. This decision changed my life and since then I have truly led a double life, having crossed the Atlantic hundreds of times, ”says the Libournais at heart who could just as well have lived cushy and comfortable on his land on the right bank. Did the “Prince of Merlot” have an intuition? “There are undoubtedly good terroirs to discover in California, but it is difficult to imagine a better pairing than Cabernet Sauvignon, especially if it is planted in the Napa Valley. »
George C. Yount made the same observation some 145 years earlier, in 1838. With up to 90% Cabernet in the blend of Dominus, Moueix is not rewriting history, he is part of it in the manner of a gentleman who makes a thoughtful contribution to it, concerned about the context and the challenges linked to the climatic upheavals in sight. “I am very respectful of the terroir. This is why since 1981, I have been farming without irrigation (in dryfarming). This is the basis of my philosophy. We also became “Certified Organic Farmers” in May 2021. This certification encourages our efforts to better understand the complexity of our environment and to refine our practices in harmony with nature while preserving our cultural heritage. »
Finally, Christian Moueix, do you have to be a Pomerol lover to appreciate your Californian cuvées? “Our US distributor used the formula ‘Napa terroir, Bordeaux spirit’ at the time. Without success. We stayed the course. Success followed. That said, it is true that wine lovers often confuse Dominus with a Pomerol. It’s not my fault – it’s beyond my control! Being meticulous is perhaps only a signature after all, of one who doesn’t care about fashions and borders. Quantities are limited for wines that will arrive shortly. A few impressions…
Dominus Napa Valley 2010 ($423 – nd). The bouquet is broad, precise, distinguished; the palate is vigorous, very fresh, long and racy. (5) © ★★★★ 1/2
Othello Napa Valley 2018 ($64.75 – 14962438). All the expression of the “great wine” here formulated with an astonishing fruity sap. Fresh and tight tannins expressing Cabernet Franc at its best. (5+) © ★★★ 1/2
Napanook Napa Valley 2018 ($124.50 – 14962420). The two bottles tasted were not at the top. To review. Not noted.
Ulysses Oakville 2018 ($273.50 – 14623065). Cabernet Sauvignon dominates in this vineyard in the Oakville appellation (Napa) acquired in 2008 by Moueix. Power and finesse, verve, but also a vertical range with mineral nuances of graphite. It’s ripe, deep, very civilized, with an astonishing length (5+) © ★★★★
Dominus Napa Valley 2018 ($392.75 – 14810864). The great wine leaves you dreaming. And the dream cannot be explained, it is lived, in his heart, leaving reason to the locker room. Detailed, complex and distinguished, this great Cabernet settles in, tells and spins, upsetting our desire to seize it at all costs. Imperishable, especially highly mastered. Five stars ? Let’s not be mean! (10+) © ★★★★★