The 2020 Dominus Proprietary Red Wine is a notable offering from the esteemed Dominus Estate in Napa, California. This vintage, a blend predominantly composed of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, has garnered significant attention from wine critics for its complex profile and potential for aging.
James Suckling awarded this wine an impressive score of 98, highlighting its "aromas of blackcurrants, black cherries, hints of graphite, wet earth, and lavender," and noting its "full-bodied" nature with a "refined structure that runs deep and vertical." He also mentions that the wine has "hints of chocolate and hazelnut at the end" and suggests that it will benefit from five or six years of aging to soften (jamessuckling.com, 3/6/2023).
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave the 2020 Dominus a score of 95, praising it as "an excellent wine, even if not a great Dominus." The review by JC describes the wine as delivering "waves of dark fruit—think predominantly cassis," and acknowledges its "long, velvety finish attractively tinged with mocha and dark chocolate" (Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 6/8/2023).
Wine Spectator also rated this vintage at 95, noting its "dense kirsch and linzer torte aromas and flavors," along with "a mix of smoldering tobacco, leather, warm paving stone and licorice root hints." Reviewer J.M. describes it as "surprisingly backward (for the vintage) and impressively done," suggesting it will be best enjoyed from 2026 through 2040 (Wine Spectator, 7/26/2023).
The Wine Independent's review by Lisa Perrotti-Brown rated the wine at 96, remarking on its "deep garnet-purple color" and "expressive notes of baked blackberries, preserved plums, and kirsch." She also highlights the wine's "firm, grainy texture with just enough freshness to support the generous fruit" and its "long and oh-so-spicy" finish (The Wine Independent, 3/2/2023).
Jeb Dunnuck, who also scored the wine at 95, stated that he would "put the 2020 Dominus up with the best in the vintage," describing it as "loaded with darker currants, cassis, graphite, and chalky minerality." He notes its "dense, inward, concentrated style" and suggests it will benefit from "4-6 years of bottle age" (jebdunnuck.com, 12/26/2023).
Vinous' Antonio Galloni provided a slightly lower score of 93, but still recognized the wine as "one of the wines of the vintage in this crazy year marked by drought and fires." He pointed out the wine's "upfront richness and fruit," but noted that the "mid-palate and finish taper off faster" compared to higher-quality vintages (Vinous, 12/21/2023).
In summary, the 2020 Dominus Proprietary Red Wine is a complex, full-bodied blend that showcases rich dark fruit flavors, impressive structure, and notable aging potential. Despite the challenging vintage conditions, this wine has received high praise and is expected to develop further with time.