Aromas of dark fruit, such as blackberries and black olives, as well as black tea and tanned leather. Raspberries and lemon spices, too. Full-bodied, very tight and polished with beautiful tannins and a weave of fruit and acidity to beautifully buttress the whole wine. Balanced and bright for the vintage. Drink in 2020 and onwards.

The 2015 Ulysses brings together the richness of the year with a good bit of underlying support. Dark and powerful in the glass, but with silky tannins and striking purity of fruit, the 2015 is a wonderfully complete wine. Black cherry, plum, gravel, lavender, and menthol give the 2015 many of its aromatic and flavor signatures. Readers will find much to admire in the 2015. The interplay of aromatics, fruit and structure places Ulysses among the finest wines of the vintage. -- Antonio Galloni

Ulysses vineyard was acquired in 2008 by famed French winemaker and Dominus owner Christian Moueix, Decanter's 2008 Man of the Year. Located along Napa Valley's Oakville bench, the vineyard sits on gravelly, clay loam and benefits from the cooling influence of the San Pablo Bay, mitigated by the Yountville hills. Ulysses utilises dry farming to increase root depth and drought resistance, in order to maximise expression of terror. The 2015 is the fourth vintage of Ulysses to be released, and 1000 cases were produced. Read more at https://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/usa/california/ulysses-napa-valley-california-usa-2015-33819#7blQyUfkEGzqkjff.99

From the first sip this is silky rich and vibrant, full of dark chocolate and brushed velvet textures of damson and bilberry alongside toasted oak with rosemary and sage spice. There are still a few years ahead before it starts to fully open for drinking, with tight tannins and eucalyptus emphasising its youth right now. 2015 was a short growing season, with a small crop that saw about 30% less yields than the year before, so just 1,000 cases. This is the fourth vintage of Christian Moueix's newest Napa estate (bought in 2008 but with replanting the first vintage was only released in 2012), and the first one where the vines are starting to take on a little age and to respond to the intensive work on the soils. 50% new oak.

Made by the team at Dominus, yet from a slightly different terroir that’s more draining and slightly lesser density plantings, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. It’s a vibrant, elegant wine that has an exotic character in its blue fruits, gravelly minerality, dried herbs, and savory forest floor aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, with good concentration and integrated acidity, it needs 3-5 years of bottle age to come together and is a beautiful wine.

Made by the team at Dominus, yet from a slightly different terroir that’s more draining and slightly lesser density plantings, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. It’s a vibrant, elegant wine that has an exotic character in its blue fruits, gravelly minerality, dried herbs, and savory forest floor aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, with good concentration and integrated acidity, it needs 3-5 years of bottle age to come together and is a beautiful wine.

Possessing mere splashes of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon has a beautifully expressive crème de cassis nose with underlying black cherries, chocolate box, star anise and violets plus touches of pencil shavings and beef drippings. Medium to full-bodied, it delivers a quiet intensity of black fruits and restrained earthy layers supported by chewy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long with mineral and savory nuances. It has lovely elegance and depth. It needs another 2-3 years in bottle, then it should cellar gracefully over the next 20+ years. 1,000 cases were made. - LPB

Possessing mere splashes of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon has a beautifully expressive crème de cassis nose with underlying black cherries, chocolate box, star anise and violets plus touches of pencil shavings and beef drippings. Medium to full-bodied, it delivers a quiet intensity of black fruits and restrained earthy layers supported by chewy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long with mineral and savory nuances. It has lovely elegance and depth. It needs another 2-3 years in bottle, then it should cellar gracefully over the next 20+ years. 1,000 cases were made.- LPB

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon remains relatively primary, with cedar and vanilla notes atop cherry and cassis. Medium to full-bodied, it's smooth, rich and supple, concentrated but finessed, finishing long and silky, adding touches of dark chocolate, mocha and licorice. This looks capable of aging for at least another 20 years, but it's far from being inaccessible now. - Joe Czerwinski

From the Ulysses Vineyard in Oakville, and blended with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this wine impresses in earthy sage, clove, cedar and tobacco. Old World in style, it has appealing aspects of crushed rock and structured tannin, with just a hint of dark chocolate and currant. Best 2025–2030.

Youthfully tight, featuring a wall of toast and dark earth notes out front, keeping a hefty core of steeped currant, blackberry and fig fruit at bay for now. The long, loamy spine carries the finish, with tobacco and alder notes filling in. Very backward now. This will require patience. Best from 2024 through 2038. 1,000 cases made. — JM