#100 Top 100 Wines of the USA 2024 edition ~ James Suckling.
#85 Top 100 World Wines 2024 edition ~ James Suckling.
# 1 Wine Spectator Top 100 (2021 edition - 2018 vintage)
#63 Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Cellar Selection (2020 edition - 2017 vintage)
#11 Wine Spectator Top 100 (2002 edition - 1999 vintage)
 
100-Points by Vinous.
Highly allocated!
The 2012 Dominus is a wild, exotic wine. Harvest began on October 9 and finished on the 21st, very late by present-day standards. Ripe red cherry, kirsch, cinnamon, rose petal, incense and rose petal soar out of the glass. Deep and vibrant, with terrific freshness, Dominus is very clearly one of the wines of the year. I loved the 2012 from barrel, but found it quite closed after bottling. Now, after all these years, I finally see the realization of the potential suggested in my barrel tastings. Magnificent. (AG)
Blend: 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot
 
99+ Points by Jeb Dunnuck.
Checking in as a blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc that hit 14.3% alcohol, the 2012 Dominus is a sensational wine that certainly ranks with the all-time greats of this cuvée and is reminiscent of the 1991. Ripe, flamboyant, and incredibly sexy, it nevertheless shows the classic style of this estate, has nothing out of place and just glides across the palate. Blackcurrants, tobacco leaf, cedar box, new leather, and an almost garrigue-like character all emerge from this full-bodied, silky, seamless effort that has fine tannin, perfectly integrated acidity, tannins, alcohol, and a great, great finish. It's a tour de force in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and one of the greats. 99+
 
99-Points by The Wine Independent.
A blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2012 Dominus has a deep garnet color. It soars with expressive notes of black cherry compote, black raspberries, and cassis, leading to gentle wafts of tree bark, graphite, violets, and anise, plus a touch of cracked black pepper. The medium to full-bodied palate shimmers with energetic black and red berry layers, supported by ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and mineral-laced.
 
 
In 2021, Dominus Estate received its CCOF ("California Certified Organic Farmers") certification for organic farming practices. 
In the late 1960s, while attending the University of California at Davis, Christian Moueix fell in love with the Napa Valley and its wines. Son of Jean-Pierre Moueix, the famed wine merchant and producer from Libourne, France, Moueix returned home in 1970 to manage the family vineyards, including Chateaux Petrus, La Fleur-Petrus, Trotanoy in Pomerol and Magdelaine in Saint Emilion.
His love of Napa Valley lingered and in 1981, he discovered the historic Napanook vineyard, a 124-acre site west of Yountville that had been the source of fruit for some of the finest Napa Valley wines of the 1940s and 1950s. In 1982, Moueix entered into a partnership to develop the vineyard and, in 1995, became its sole owner. He chose the name 'Dominus' or 'Lord of the Estate' in Latin to underscore his longstanding commitment to stewardship of the land.