2009 Château La Dominique, 6-bottle Lot

Château La Dominique is a St. Emilion Grand Cru Classe estate. The 54-acre estate is on the border of Pomerol close to Cheval Blanc. It was named by an 18th century merchant who made his fortune in trading in the West Indies and named the estate after his favorite island in the Caribbean. Since 1969 the estate has been owned by Clement Fayat who uses the services of celebrity consulting winemaker Michel Rolland. The estate grows 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. About 100,000 bottles are produced annually. The second wine is St. Paul de Dominique. Robert M. Parker calls La Dominique “richly colored, intense, super-ripe, opulent and full-bodied.”

Saint-Émilion is on the east side of the Dordogne River. At 13,400 acres it is one of Bordeaux’s largest appellations, and perhaps its most picturesque. It is also home to what has been called “the garagiste” movement of upstart, tradition-defying winemakers who produce artisanal wines in styles that are unconventional for the appellation. The village of Saint-Émilion dates from the middle ages and it sits on low hills, surrounded by ancient walls. Like its neighbor Pomerol, Saint-Émilion was not included in the famous Bordeaux classification system of 1855. But a century later a ranking system was put in place, and unlike the classification system for the Medoc, the Saint-Émilion system is reviewed every ten years, meaning that estates can be upgraded or downgraded. There are three rankings: Grand Cru Classé, Premier Grand Cru Classé B and Premier Grand Cru Classé A, with the final ranking being the best. Such legendary Saint-Émilion estates as Châteaux Ausone and Cheval-Blanc are Premier Grand Cru Classé A, along with Châteaux Pavie and Angélus, both added to the classification in 2012. Wines in this appellation are primarily Merlot, mixed with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.