Dominus Napa Valley Napanook Vineyard 1992 – Christian Moueix. Made from 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot and matured for 17 months in French oak barrels of which 25% new.
In the sense that the fruit is from a Californian terroir, the answer to my question in the title line is obvious and yet the wine has a discretion in its opulence and an elegance which are very French. So to an extent the human factor seems to over-trump terroir, though Moueix would no doubt dispute that, claiming low intervention wine-making.
Colour was medium/deep red with a browning tinge visible as it poured into the decanter. The nose was discreet, refined and complex with a lively, faintly minty, edge and some secondary flavours. The palate was medium/full bodied, linear in shape and seamless in its complex flavours and silky mouth-feel with smooth acidity and a smooth progression to firm but ripe tannic support for the long finish. The fruit has darkened since the previous bottle a few years ago and has acquired secondary, forest floor, nuances. Lovely 17/20++.