The Wine Advocate – Antonio Galloni – December 2012

DOMINUS 2009
97+ Points
“The 2009 Dominus flows from the glass with layers of highly expressive fruit. The wine possesses stunning richness, power and depth. Dark red fruit, tobacco, flowers and spices are woven into a seamless, beautifully articulated finish. Elegance and intensity are in perfect harmony here. This is a thrilling wine from Dominus.”

NAPANOOK 2009
93 Points
“The 2009 Napanook is simply glorious. Sweek dark cherries, mint, tobacco, wild flowers and licorice all jump from the glass. The 2009 is a juicy, extroverted Napanook that impresses for its sheer pleasure and total harmony. Layers of fruit continue to build onto the huge, creamy finish.”

NAPA VALLEY’S BEST ‘SUPER SECONDS’?Antonio Galloni

There is no way to ignore it; prices for Napa Valley’s top wines are high. Screaming Eagle is $850 a bottle, a 13% increase, the 2009 Harlan Estate is $750 a bottle, a whopping increase of 50% over the 2008. Napa Valley’s top estates now face the same problem as Bordeaux; the wines have become too expensive for restaurant wine lists. A $500 bottle at the standard 2.5x restaurant markup is, well, you can do the math. That is not a business with a sustainable future, at least not in this country and in this generation. At the same time, producers know they have to have a presence on restaurant wine lists, hence the explosion over the last few years of wines that retail in the $80-90 price range and that can therefore be sold in restaurants in the $250 price range, still a lot of money, but doable. The best of these wines, which I call Napa Valley ‘Super-Seconds’ are in fact, super. In top vintages, the best second-wines from top wineries are better than the vast amount of main labels. These are my favorite ‘Super-Seconds.’ All but two retail for less than $100.

Napa Valley’s Best ‘Super-Seconds’

Araujo
Altagracia
Blankiet Prince of Hearts
Bryant DB 4
Dominus Napanook
Futo OV
Harlan Estate The Maiden
Screaming Eagle Second Flight