France Bordeaux Saint-emilion Grand cru Chateau La Dominique

Château La Dominique - Saint-Émilion - Grand Cru

92 RP Points
93 RP Points
91 RP Points
93 RP Points
90 RP Points
Château La Dominique - Saint-Émilion - Grand Cru - 2015 - 75cl - Onshore Cellars
France Bordeaux Saint-emilion Grand cru Chateau La Dominique

Château La Dominique - Saint-Émilion - Grand Cru

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Tasting Notes

The 2021 La Dominique opens in the glass with notes of minty berries, plums and cherries, framed by a discreet touch of new oak. Medium to full-bodied, suave and polished, with an attractive core of cool, layered fruit, it's framed by powdery tannins that assert themselves on the gently structured finish. While it will show well out of the gates, this will also reward at least a modicum of bottle age.
Composed of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged for 16 months in 60% new and 40% one-year-old barrels, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 La Dominique is earthy on the nose with notions of red and black currants, blueberry compote, spice cake and potpourri. Full-bodied, rich and opulent with beautiful purity, it's soft and seductive in the mouth, finishing long and perfumed, displaying wonderful energy.
The 2014 La Dominique was tasted on numerous occasions—five times in total, in the interest of thoroughness. It was a wine the taster very much wanted to appreciate, yet on four out of the five occasions the fruit appeared disjointed and slightly green. At first, this was attributed to atmospheric pressure, but the same impression emerged across all bottles save one. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine line of acidity on the entry; however, there remained a somewhat jarring herbaceous note that persisted throughout. Interestingly, the wine showed better out of barrel, and the strongest bottle encountered was at the London Union de Grand Cru tasting rather than those sampled in Bordeaux. Overall, it proved a perplexing showing. The intention is to revisit the wine in another year to see how it evolves—perhaps tasting it five times once again. This is a structured La Dominique that just needs to muster a little more precision on the hard finish. Not bad, but this estate should aim for the very top of the pile given the brilliance of the wines produced back in the 1980s and early 1990s.
This is a gorgeous, hedonistic, yet complex La Dominique with an inky purple color, oodles of blue, red and black fruits, sweet tannin, a generous, opulent, full-bodied mouthfeel, and a long finish. This 2012 is sensational and further evidence of the rebound of La Dominique after a few years of mediocrity. It is a sleeper of the vintage to be drunk over the next 15 years.
This favorably situated terroir sandwiched between Cheval Blanc and the Pomerol border where La Conseillante and l’Evangile are located has produced another excellent wine for proprietor Clement Fayat. The 2011 La Dominique boasts lots of deep raspberry and black currant fruit intermixed with licorice and spice box notes, a medium-bodied mouthfeel, impressive concentration, and no herbaceousness whatsoever. This well-made St.-Emilion can be drunk early in life or cellared for 10-12 years.

More information

Provenance
Type
Red
Country
France
Appellation
Saint-Emilion
Producer
Chateau La Dominique
Style
Grand Cru
Technical
Grapes
Merlot, Cabernet Franc
ABV
14.5%
Serving
16° - 18° C
Drinking
2014 - 2026
Food Pairings
LambBeefVenisonGame BirdsDuckCharcuterie and Cured MeatsCamembertAged Cheeses
Key Characteristics
High alcoholWarmingRed fruitBlack fruitSpicyLiquorice

Behind the bottle

Chateau La Dominique

Chateau La Dominique

As in all beautiful stories, one look was enough for successive owners of La Dominique to be smitten with this magnificent Saint Emilion estate, and commit to...

As in all beautiful stories, one look was enough for successive owners of La Dominique to be smitten with this magnificent Saint Emilion estate, and commit to making the most of it. Called "Durieu" in the early 17th century, the property was acquired by the Glenne family and named "Dominique" by Jacques and Isabeau Micheau in 1690. A subsequent owner, merchant Henri Greloud, added the definite article "La" in the mid-19th century. He is said to have done so because of his love for the Caribbean island of Dominica (or "La Dominique" in French).

It took only one look for Clément Fayat to see the potential of this Saint-Emilion grand cru classé. When he acquired the estate in 1969, it consisted of just a country manor house surrounded by a few vines. La Dominique clearly deserved more attention. Clément Fayat, a tireless builder strongly attached to the land because of his family origins in the nearby Corrèze, evaluated what improvements needed to be made in the vineyard and cellar, and decided to act. Quality was at the heart of his investment strategy. His son, Jean-Claude Fayat now shares the same outlook as his father, considering it his duty to work towards ever-increasing excellence.

"I am attached to this land because of my roots." Clément Fayat

Chateau La Dominique
Bordeaux - Onshore Cellars

Bordeaux
Bordeaux, in the southwest of France, needs little introduction as one of the world's most famous, prestigious and prolific wine regions. The majority of Bordeaux wines (nearly 90...
Bordeaux, in the southwest of France, needs little introduction as one of the world's most famous, prestigious and prolific wine regions. The majority of Bordeaux wines (nearly 90 percent of production volume) are the dry, medium- and full-bodied red Bordeaux Blends that established its reputation.

The finest (and most expensive) of these are the wines from the great châteaux of the Haut-Médoc and the Right Bank appellations Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. The former is focused (at the top level) on Cabernet Sauvignon, the latter pair on on Merlot.

The legendary reds are complemented by high-quality white wines based on Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. These range from dry whites to challenge the best from the Burgundy region (Pessac-Léognan is particularly renowned) to the sweet, botrytized nectars of Sauternes.
Explore Bordeaux
Saint-Émilion

Saint-Emilion

Saint-Émilion is one of Bordeaux's most historic wine appellations, located on the Right Bank of the Dordogne River approximately 40 kilometers east of Bordeaux city. The appellation encompasses...

Saint-Émilion is one of Bordeaux's most historic wine appellations, located on the Right Bank of the Dordogne River approximately 40 kilometers east of Bordeaux city. The appellation encompasses the medieval town of Saint-Émilion and eight surrounding communes, with vineyards planted across a diverse landscape of plateaus, hillsides, and sandy plains. Saint-Émilion received AOC status in 1936 and operates under its own classification system, separate from the Left Bank's 1855 Classification.

The appellation's terroir is notably varied, featuring three distinct soil types: limestone plateaus around the town itself, clay-limestone slopes (côtes), and sandy-gravel soils (graves) in the plains toward the Dordogne. This diversity allows for different expressions within the same appellation. The climate is oceanic with maritime influences from the nearby river systems. Merlot dominates plantings and typically comprises 60-70% of most blends, supported by Cabernet Franc and smaller amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon. The appellation produces exclusively red wines, with many estates holding Grand Cru status.

Saint-Émilion wines are generally more approachable in their youth compared to Left Bank Bordeaux, owing to the predominance of Merlot. They typically display rich fruit flavors with plum and blackberry notes, complemented by earthy minerality that reflects the limestone soils. The Cabernet Franc component adds structure and aromatic complexity, while the diverse terroir creates wines ranging from elegant and mineral-driven on the plateaus to fuller-bodied and fruit-forward from the clay slopes.

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