Critics reviews
Robert Parker Wine Advocate #106 Aug 1996
Along with the 1988 and 1984, the 1986 is one of the more precocious and flattering vintages of Dominus. 6,500 cases were produced. The wine offers a nose of black fruits (black cherries in particular), spices, cedar, and Provencal herbs. In the mouth, the wine exhibits excellent opulence, is slightly lighter and less concentrated than either the 1987 or 1985, and finishes with a clean, satiny mouthfeel.
Robert Parker Wine Advocate #106 Oct 1993
Robert Parker Wine Advocate #106 Aug 1996
Along with the 1988 and 1984, the 1986 is one of the more precocious and flattering vintages of Dominus. 6,500 cases were produced. The wine offers a nose of black fruits (black cherries in particular), spices, cedar, and Provencal herbs. In the mouth, the wine exhibits excellent opulence, is slightly lighter and less concentrated than either the 1987 or 1985, and finishes with a clean, satiny mouthfeel.
Robert Parker Wine Advocate #106 Oct 1993
About this WINE
Cabernet Sauvignon Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.
In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.
In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and Australia.
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Description
I did not pick this out as Dominus in the blind tasting, largely because it came across as such a young, rich, blockbuster wine. One of the richest, densest, most concentrated offerings in the entire tasting, it also proved to be one of the best-balanced, with better integration of acidity and tannin than many 1986s exhibited. The color remains a deep, dark ruby, with purple hues. Dense, concentrated, and pure, with copious quantities of cassis fruit intermingled with earth, spice, and minerals, this large-scaled, concentrated wine appears to have aged at a glacial pace since I first tasted it. Accessible because of its well-integrated, low acidity, this wine should continue to evolve and drink well for another 15-20 years. Very impressive.
Robert Parker Wine Advocate #106 Aug 1996
Along with the 1988 and 1984, the 1986 is one of the more precocious and flattering vintages of Dominus. 6,500 cases were produced. The wine offers a nose of black fruits (black cherries in particular), spices, cedar, and Provencal herbs. In the mouth, the wine exhibits excellent opulence, is slightly lighter and less concentrated than either the 1987 or 1985, and finishes with a clean, satiny mouthfeel.
Robert Parker Wine Advocate #106 Oct 1993
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