Dinner with Dominus: A Night to Remember by Ben Giliberti
When the invitations went out for the IWFS DC chapter's seminar and dinner featuring world-renowned winemaker Christian Moueix and multiple vintages of Dominus, his extraordinary Napa Valley property, everyone expected a great evening. What we didn't expect was this: Christian Moueix baring his soul about the role of the winemaker, the future of California winemaking, and the secret of great wine. It was, indeed, a night to remember.
As a winemaker of Petrus and the Moueix family's other extraordinary Bordeaux properties, Moueix is not infrequently referred to as "the world's greatest winemaker." Moueix, far too humble to accept such accolades, was having none of this.
"When I began making wine in the 1970s, there was no such thing as a 'winemaker,' he recalled, "In my view, the winemaker is a ‘midwife,’ someone who is needed only when things go wrong. Otherwise, the best way is the natural way."
However, if anyone inferred that this indicated anything less than total commitment on Moueix's part, they were quickly disabused of this notion. His passion was extraordinary. "I didn't come to Napa Valley to make 'black wines,'" he declared, "wines which are so extracted and heavy that they give no pleasure. I make red wines, true to the terroir, with the balance to be enjoyed to the utmost."
Terroir is a big part of the Dominus story. The Napanook vineyard, on which Dominus and its second wine Napanook are made, is intricately woven into the history of California winemaking. Located in Yountville, Napanook was a key component of the great Inglenook Cask Cabernets in the John Daniels era of the 1950s and ‘60s. (The other major vineyard was Niebaum, now owned by Francis Ford Coppola and the rechristened Inglenook.)
This history led Moueix to a penetrating observation. "The great obstacle to the future of California winemaking in my opinion is that too many of the wines are blends of many different vineyards,” he explained. "When you lose the connection to the vineyard you lose the individual character that makes great wine so interesting." He expressed the hope that over time Napa Valley would evolve in the direction of 100% estate-bottled wines, like Dominus. He has also been urging his Napa Valley neighbors, with considerable success, to adopt the Bordeaux technique of dry farming, in which irrigation is strictly prohibited. "The excessive water usage is bad for the environment, and it does not make the wine better."
As for the wines, let me put it this way: As a wine writer, I have had the rare privilege of tasting most of the legendary Inglenook Cask Cabernets the 1950s and ‘60s, which, as I mentioned, Napanook was a key component. They are among the most memorable Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines I've ever tasted. They were great wines for their time, and for all times. It is the same of Dominus. The wines we tasted that night, sublime and beautiful, are the royal progeny of that great history.
The event was held at Charlie Palmer Steak in Washington, DC, across the street from the US Capitol. The evening began with a pre-dinner seminar, seven floors above the restaurant, featuring a breathtaking view of the Capitol and downtown DC. Christian led us through two of the eight vintages of Dominus (2004 and 2005) from our society’s cellar, as well as the 2015 which he generously provided from his personal cellar. He also provided us with the 2015 Napanook from Dominus Estate, as well as the 2015 Ulysses, a newer project of his.
After the seminar we enjoyed the glorious views (and weather!) from the rooftop before heading back down to the restaurant for our dinner featuring the other six vintages of Dominus from our IWFS cellar. With three courses and two vintages poured for each course, Christian suggested the following groupings:
2007/2008 (elegant)
2001/2002 (mature)
2006/2010 (powerful)
Each wine was in a different stage of its evolution but they all shared a remarkable consistency. With dessert and cheese, we were treated to 1963 Graham Port, also from the society’s cellar, as well as Tesseron Lot 53 XO Perfection Cognac. Simply divine!
My thanks to Michael Sands, of Calvert Woodley, whose guest I was on this extraordinary evening. Michael reached out to Christian Moueix and his wife Cherise (who grew up in the DC area) last fall in the hopes they could attend a “vertical” dinner of Dominus from the IWFS cellar, and thankfully they said yes.
Kudos also to Chef Mike Ellis, who created an extraordinary multicourse menu (pictured right) to complement these breathtaking wines.
Ben Giliberti is Director of Wine Education at Calvert Woodley. Before that, he was the wine columnist for The Washington Post, as well as a contributor to Wine Spectator, Market Watch, Wine & Spirits, Travel & Leisure, and other publications.