Very deep garnet-purple colour. A wonderfully perfumed nose of violets, crushed blackberries, black cherries, mace and cloves leading into some smoked meat and mocha aromas with swirling. Very structured on the palate with high acidity, a medium to high level of fine tannins and a full body providing plenty of flesh in the mid-palate. Very long layered finish.

Unless you knew that this was Dominus and had tasted older vintages, you might not be impressed. In its youth the wine is tannic and dry and linear. However, it is Dominus and it does need cellaring. Right now it shows blackberry, black currant, cedar and baker's chocolate flavors. Will slowly open and reach maturity after 2011, and could easily develop for far longer.

A tight, reined-in style, with dry herb, cedar, dried currant, sage and mineral notes. Full-bodied, ending with a trim, tannic finish that suggests short-term cellaring. The best of two bottles tasted. Best from 2011 through 2015. 6,000 cases made.