Spring Sale Get Up to 20% on selected items
2023 Dominus Estate Napanook Napa Valley

This is Dominus DNA in a more accessible form.

Medal graphic

2023 Dominus Estate Napanook Napa Valley

This is Dominus DNA in a more accessible form.

Retail $100
$89.99
/ bottle
You save $10.01
  • "Deep, Bold & Luscious!" ~ 93 Vinous Media
  • Former Winemaker at Chateau Petrus 
  • "One of the Most Phenomenal Vintages Ever in Napa Valley" ~ Karen MacNeil
  • Free Shipping on 12 or More Bottles 
Find out more
In Stock 143 bottles remaining
FREE Ground shipping over 12+ Bottles
Satisfaction guaranteed Love every bottle or we make it right
Image of 2023 Dominus Estate Napanook Napa Valley 2023 Dominus Estate Napanook Napa Valley
$100
$89.99
/ bottle
You save $10.01

About The Wine

This is Dominus DNA in a more accessible form. The 2023 Napanook is Cabernet-led, finely structured, and oak-polished, offering depth and balance with real drink-now appeal.

Aged for 20 months in 20% new oak.

Christian Moueix is one of the few producers to make classic wines in both the old and new worlds.

Christian Moueix is President of Etablissements Jean-Pierre Moueix, the leading wine company of Bordeaux’s Right Bank, and owner of Dominus Estate in the Napa Valley.

Son of Jean-Pierre Moueix, the legendary Bordeaux wine merchant, Christian was born in Libourne, France in 1946. After completing his agricultural engineering studies in Paris and graduate studies in viticulture and enology at the University of California at Davis in 1968-69, he joined Ets Jean-Pierre Moueix in 1970 and, in 1991, became its President.

A viticulturalist at heart, Christian Moueix’s tenure has been marked by the introduction of revolutionary vineyard techniques including, from 1973, crop-thinning as a means to improve grape quality. Today he produces wine from ten family chateaux including La Fleur Petrus, Trotanoy, Hosanna, Providence in Pomerol and, Belair-Monange and Magdelaine in Saint Emilion.

In 1982, Christian Moueix formed a partnership to produce Dominus from the historic Napanook Vineyard in Yountville, adapting his French technical approach to Californian winemaking.

The 2023 growing season was marked by abundant rainfall, cool spring temperatures, and a delayed harvest, followed by warm summer and early fall conditions that allowed for slow, even ripening.

2023 Napa Valley vintage isn’t just another great year – it’s the year that will be etched in history. Wine experts are calling it "the vintage of a lifetime," and for good reason. The perfect blend of cool temperatures, morning fog, and balanced sunlight created conditions so exceptional that they’re being compared to Bordeaux's iconic 1961 vintage. As The Wine Independent put it, 2023 is "a winemaker's dream in terms of wine style." Wine Bible author Karen MacNeil calls it "one of the most phenomenal vintages ever in Napa Valley.

ABV: 14.5%

Find out more

At A Glance

Varietal:
Cabernet Sauvignon
Region:
Napa Valley
Sub-Appellation:
Napa Valley
Alcohol:
14.5%
Size:
750ml

TASTING NOTES

What's in the Glass

PAIRS WITH
Meat · Grilled · Steak

Mouthfeel & Acidity

Light Body Full Body
 
 
 
 
 
Low Acidity High Acidity
 
 
 
 
 
Soft Tannins Firm Tannins
Dry Sweet

92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot. 

Black cherry drives the wine, with lavender, dried herbs, and graphite in tow.

CRITIC REVIEWS

What the Critics Said

The 2023 Napanook is deep, bold and luscious right out of the gate. Black cherry, lavender, dried herbs and graphite fill out its mid-weight frame quite nicely. I expect the 2023 will drink well with minimal cellaring, as it is already quite open and doesn’t quite have the tannic palate presence of more important years. ~ 93 Vinous Media 

THE PRODUCER

Dominus Estate

Dominus Estate is a Napa Valley benchmark founded in 1983 by Bordeaux icon Christian Moueix, who brought Old-World precision to the historic Napanook vineyard in Yountville.

Rooted in dry farming and meticulous viticulture, the estate produces Bordeaux-style blends that balance power with elegance and ageability, letting exceptional terroir speak first. Its minimalist winemaking and world-class Cabernet-driven wines have made Dominus one of Napa’s most celebrated names.

Hero graphic

Related categories

Explore Big Hammer Wines

THE BHW WINE CLUBS

Most people never get access to someone who actually knows wine.

5,000+
wines tasted yearly
25 years
inside the global trade
4%
make the cut
1 of 415
Italian Wine Ambassadors worldwide
Wine pack

Founder Wine Club

  • 12 bottles per quarter, personally selected
  • Quarterly tasting notes
  • Member pricing on all single bottles
  • Priority allocation on limited releases
  • Access to the BHW member newsletter
$417 / month
You receive $500+ in wine value monthly
Join the Founder's Club
$4,999 billed once • 12-month membership • Shipping included
Wine pack

President’s Wine Club

  • Everything in Founder's Club, plus:
  • Private quarterly tasting call with Greg
  • Access to pre-release allocations
  • Comparable market value exceeding $12,000 annually
$833 / month
You receive $1000+ in wine value monthly
Join the President's Club
$9,995 billed once • 12-month membership • Shipping included
Medal graphicMedal graphicMedal graphicMedal graphicMedal graphicMedal graphic