Release Price: $200. Drink Date: 2028 – 2045. There are 1,400 cases of the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, which offers charming red-fruited notes of cherries and redcurrants, plus loamy-earth scents. While it comes across a bit more angular and coarsely textured than its sister wines Dominus or Napanook, it also feels lighter in body despite 15% alcohol. Impressively complete and balanced overall, adding savory, mocha-tinged notes on the lingering finish.

Drinking Window: 2031 – 2046. The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is a huge, dense wine. Copious dark fruit, menthol, licorice, plum, espresso and spice are amplified in a large-scale, ample Oakville Cabernet. The 2021 is a wine of power and structure. Sepia-toned notes lend darkness, while the oak imprint is evident at this stage. Even so, it exudes balance in a bold, extroverted style — more so than Dominus. – Antonio Galloni

#68 Top 100 Wines from the USA. The reserved plushness comes out clearly with brightness, focus and very creamy tannins that give it muscle and tension. Juicy and flavorful but not overdone. Energetic and flexing but in a friendly way. Plums, milk chocolate, terra cotta and nutmeg. Almost all Cabernet Sauvignon with a touch of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Give it four or five years to soften. Try after 2028.

Tasted by: Jonathan Cristaldi (at Ulysses, Oakville, Napa Valley, 06 May 2024). Part of Napa Valley Cabernet 2021: Top wines from Oakville. Drinking Window: 2024 – 2045. Simply put, Christian Moueix’s Napa Valley project Ulysses is a wine every collector of Napa Cabernet should have in their cellar. The 2021 release is a knockout — never bombastic, entirely reserved even in its generosity, and destined to age gracefully. A dry winter and spring led to a second year of drought beginning in January 2020. Warm, consistent conditions produced small clusters and berries high in phenolics and tannin. Opaque purple-ruby to the rim, it shows the hallmark balance of a prime Oakville site, with ripe dark fruits, cassis, violets, creme de menthe, and crushed slate. Medium to full-bodied, with impressively fashioned tannins that build through the long, vibrant finish. Marked by black cherry, spiced plum, and blood orange acidity — fragrant with sage, thyme, and mineral tension. Exceptional depth and purity, reflecting both place and maturity. 1,400 cases produced.

The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon is a seriously beautiful wine. It offers notable depth and texture at the outset. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, leather and licorice are all amplified. Slightly angular contours linger on the finish, but that is just the personality of the year. This is a very good wine for the vintage. Time in the glass amplifies the intense, bruising tannins. – Antonio Galloni

Alcohol 14.50% Body Medium Oak Oaked Grapes 5% Cabernet Franc 90% Cabernet Sauvignon 5% Petit Verdot. The 2020 Ulysses Cabernet Sauvignon is the product of a dramatic growing season, with smoke from nearby fires threatening the Napa Valley region. Thankfully, Christian Moueix’s beloved Oakville vineyard site mostly escaped unharmed from the smoke, with harvest coming in before the impacts of the Glass Fire. Production was down due to intense berry-by-berry selection. For all of the challenges, this 2020 is showing remarkably well now, with bright red fruit, blood orange zest, layered acidity, and soft tannins. The finish is long and vivid — a wine to enjoy now while other vintages rest.

$229 – On the sedate side in terms of energy, this offers a slow-moving core of gently mulled black cherry and black currant fruit, backed by hints of tobacco, roasted cedar and warm earth. Shows a hint of the vintage’s rusticity, but the fruit is generous enough to easily compensate for that. A late violet echo offers a pretty hint of purity. Drink now through 2038. 700 cases made. –James Molesworth

Another incredibly successful 2020, the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon offers a big, rich, powerful profile offering ample chocolaty dark fruits, some tobacco, eucalyptus, and mint herb nuances, an expansive, layered texture, and building yet polished and ripe tannins. It’s a beautiful wine that should age gracefully for 15-20 years.

Aromas of tangerine zest and blackcurrants, with the perfume of fresh flowers. Full-bodied with a dusty texture to the tannins. Gorgeous. Nuanced and pure. Cabernet sauvignon with a touch of cabernet franc and petit verdot. Needs three or four years to open.

A rich, slow-moving style, with waves of cassis, plum reduction, and Black Forest cake laced with licorice root and espresso crema. The finish delivers glossy toast notes that should integrate beautifully with cellaring. Best from 2024 through 2038. 1,200 cases made. – James Molesworth.

Alcohol 14.50%. Body Medium. Oak Oaked. Grapes 5% Cabernet Franc, 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot. Tasted by Jonathan Cristaldi (at Ulysses, Oakville, Napa Valley, 06 May 2024). Drinking Window: 2024–2040. This 2019 Ulysses Cabernet opens with red-fruited aromatics, brown baking spice, and a hint of agave, revealing candied blue fruits and dusty minerals. Full-bodied and richly layered, with succulent black fruit and emerging tannins showing black tea-like grip and intensity. Lengthy and spicy with mocha hints on the finish. A small portion of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc complement the Cabernet Sauvignon from Christian Moueix’s Oakville site.

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is a very pretty Oakville Cabernet. Bright acids and lifted aromatics meld into a core of dark red-fleshed fruit laced with exotic overtones. A wine of linear intensity, it impresses with persistence and drive. It will be interesting to see if the 2019 develops additional mid-palate richness and depth, as the heavy spring rains and late-summer heat spikes left their mark on this site, which was entirely replanted in 2008. – Antonio Galloni.

A very elegant wine from the Dominus team that contrasts with most wines from this generally opulent vintage. Opens with red fruit, raspberries and cherries, laced with mineral and savory notes before darker fruit, tobacco, blackcurrant, and rich earth flavors fill the palate. Very silky tannins, a medium body, and refreshing acidity. Composed of Cabernet Sauvignon with touches of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. A superbly balanced wine that’s tempting to drink now but best from 2029. – Jim Gordon, Executive Editor.

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon (90%) with the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Incredible aromatics of red and black currants, spring flowers, graphite, camphor, and cedar define the profile, and it’s incredibly polished and elegant on the palate, with medium to full body, gorgeous tannins, and a great finish. This is another outstanding 2019 that marries ample richness and depth with terrific finesse. Drink over the next two decades.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon shows more cherries and bay leaf on the nose than prior vintages. There remains a solid framework of cedar, loam, and cassis, with hints of mocha and licorice, yet the wine also displays added lift and freshness. Medium to full-bodied and densely concentrated, yet silky and finessed, it concludes with a long, elegant finish.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is the finest wine from Christian Moueix’s Oakville vineyard to date. Deep, creamy, and generous, it captures the unique interplay of fruit and savoriness typical of the southern sector of Oakville, where cooling winds from the south impart freshness and vivacity. Black fruit, chocolate, spice, lavender, and new leather unfold into a sumptuous, layered finish. – Antonio Galloni. Drink 2028–2043.

#45 in James Suckling’s Top 100 Wines from the USA. Aromas of terra cotta, chocolate, and hazelnut with iron and ink. Dusty and full-bodied, round and layered. Flamboyant and juicy with soft, gorgeous textures and hints of walnut and chocolate on the finish. Persistent and complete. Drinkable now, but will age beautifully.

Alcohol 14.50%. Body Medium. Oak Oaked. Grapes 5% Cabernet Franc, 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot. Tasted by Jonathan Cristaldi (at Ulysses, Oakville, Napa Valley, 06 May 2024). Drinking Window: 2024–2050. Christian Moueix’s Napa Valley project Ulysses often produces a profound Cabernet, and this 2018 release is among the most exceptional. A wine of Margaux-like purity and levity, with fragrant floral notes that turn savory and sagebrush-driven. There’s power and structure, yet the tannins are velvety and seamlessly integrated. Harmonious, elegant, and built for the long haul — a gorgeous wine of depth and serenity.

Tasting Date: 2/16/2023 | Maturity: 2027–2060. Just about pure perfection and the finest wine I’ve tasted from this address, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, all from a site just north of Dominus. This deep, inky-hued beauty offers a full-bodied, richly textured, and incredibly concentrated style carrying ample black and blue fruit along with notes of crushed stone, scorched earth, graphite, and pencil shavings. It shows the focused, structured style of the 2018 vintage and will benefit from 4–6 years (if not a decade) of bottle age. A 30+ year wine.

Alcohol 14.50%. Body Medium. Oak Oaked. Grapes 5% Cabernet Franc, 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot. Tasted by Jonathan Cristaldi (at Ulysses, Oakville, Napa Valley, 06 May 2024). Drinking Window: 2024–2032. The 2017 Ulysses Cabernet Sauvignon reflects its challenging growing season, marked by warm temperatures and a record-setting heat spike exceeding 44°C in early September. Rapid ripening reduced yields and heightened concentration. Red-fruited with blue fruit aromatics and sweet tobacco, the wine shows red currant, spiced plum, cranberry, and pomegranate notes, accented by dried sage and clove. Crisp, edgy tannins will benefit from time to soften. Long finish with an agave-like brightness and earthy depth. Best enjoyed over the next 5–8 years.

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is soft, understated, and classy, making it an ideal choice for drinking now and over the next 15–20 years. Striking purity of red-fleshed fruit combines with freshness and silkiness. Well balanced in every element. While it may lack the breadth of the greatest vintages, it remains an absolute pleasure. – Antonio Galloni. Drink 2024–2037.

Packed with the ripe, vivid fruit of the vintage, showing intense cassis, raspberry, and blackberry flavors supported by prodigious structure from licorice root and roasted apple wood. Rippling with muscle through the finish, yet balanced, showing precision and detail. Like a Richard Serra, immense at first glance but drawing you in with nuance. Best from 2022 through 2038. – James Molesworth

Top 100 US Wines for 2020 – #94. Extremely aromatic with crushed berries, currants, flowers, and hints of uncured tobacco leaf. Carnations, medium to full body, and extremely fine tannins that are firm and polished. Vertical tannins draw you down. Some blanched-walnut character to the blue fruit. Fresh and clean at the finish. Released in spring 2020. Beautiful to drink now.

(Napa Valley). With small additions of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this robust red is herbaceous and earthy with notes of compost and forest floor. Earl Grey tea and red currant maintain a savory thread through soft, silky tannins and well-integrated oak.

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon shows cool blue fruits, violets, and damp rock-like minerality. Medium to full-bodied with classic structure, it recalls a great St. Julien. Still closed and backward, yet brimming with potential — hide bottles for 4–6 years and expect graceful evolution over two decades.

Well-built yet restrained, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon features alluring cassis and blackberry flavors lined with black tea, mineral iron, and warm tobacco. A flash of warm paving stone adds depth and dimension to the finish. Best from 2021 through 2036. – James Molesworth

Deeply concentrated and densely colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon will benefit from further cellaring. While the tannins are ripe and supple, the flavors are still coiled — dark chocolate, mocha, and rich loam dominate, with black cherry and cassis yet to emerge fully. Full-bodied but reserved and elegant, it is the most Bordeaux-like of recent vintages and will reward patience.

Tasted by Jonathan Cristaldi (at Ulysses, Oakville, Napa Valley, 06 May 2024). Drinking Window: 2024–2045. Napa Valley’s 2016 growing season produced a superbly balanced vintage with wines built for longevity, and Ulysses 2016 is no exception. Full-bodied with both power and finesse, it shows youthful black cherry and blackberry fruit, spiced plums, tobacco, and cedarwood. The structure is striking — tannins like vertical beams, balanced by focused acidity and savory lift. Nuances of dried flowers, sagebrush, and crushed stones lend complexity, and the wine’s purity evokes a great Pauillac in its brightness and precision.

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is fabulous — bright, powerful, and pulsing with energy. It possesses stunning textural depth and a real sense of drive. Black cherry, tobacco, menthol, sage, and licorice define this distinctive Oakville Cabernet. In this tasting, the 2016 Ulysses simply towers with pedigree and character. Antonio Galloni calls it the finest wine Christian Moueix and Tod Mostero have made at Ulysses. Drink 2026–2046.

#8 in James Suckling’s Top 100 American Wines of 2018. Aromas of sweet berries, fresh herbs, currant bush, and licorice. Terracotta notes with full body and layered, velvety, focused tannins. Breathtaking texture — focused and polished to perfection. Harmonious, enticing, and thoughtful. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Drink or hold.

Youthfully tight, showing a wall of toast and dark earth up front, concealing a core of steeped currant, blackberry, and fig fruit. A loamy spine carries the finish, filled in by tobacco and alder notes. Backward for now but with great potential. Best from 2024 through 2038. 1,000 cases made. – James Molesworth

Made by the Dominus team from a slightly more draining terroir with lower planting density, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon (90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc) is vibrant and elegant with blue fruit, gravelly minerality, dried herbs, and savory forest floor aromas. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and balanced, it needs 3–5 years of bottle age and will evolve beautifully.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon remains youthful, with cedar and vanilla layered over cherry and cassis. Medium to full-bodied, smooth, and supple, it balances concentration with finesse, finishing long and silky with mocha, dark chocolate, and licorice. Accessible now yet capable of aging gracefully for at least two more decades.

The 2015 Ulysses combines the richness of the year with structural poise. Dark and powerful in the glass yet supple and pure, it shows black cherry, plum, gravel, lavender, and menthol. A complete and harmonious wine that captures the interplay between aromatics, fruit, and structure. One of the standouts of the vintage. – Antonio Galloni. Drink 2022–2040.

Aromas of dark fruit — blackberries, black olives, black tea, and tanned leather — with notes of raspberries and lemon spice. Full-bodied, tight, and polished, showing beautiful tannins and an interwoven balance of fruit and acidity. Bright and refined for the vintage. Drink from 2020 onward.

Tasted by Jonathan Cristaldi (at Ulysses, Oakville, Napa Valley, 06 May 2024). Drinking Window: 2024–2040. Composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% each Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, all from Christian Moueix’s Oakville site, the 2015 Ulysses Cabernet Sauvignon is rich yet finely wrought. Aromas of black cherry, plum, and currant intertwine with tobacco, white pepper, and cedarwood. Seductive and medium-bodied, the palate reveals satiny tannins perfectly integrated with bright acidity, leading to a long finish of cassis, Bing cherry, and crushed stone minerality. A wine of balance, grace, and quiet power.

(91–94 Points). The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon is dark, virile, and imposing, with notable depth and intensity for the year. Grilled herbs, smoke, tar, graphite, tobacco, and licorice meld together in a deep, effortless wine still in its infancy. The darker fruit tones recall 2013, but the forward, dense fruit leans more toward 2012. The story of 2014 is drought — and the wine reflects that resilience vividly. Drinking Window: 2022–2039. – Antonio Galloni.

Warmed dark currant, bitter plum, and blackberry paste flavors mingle with light tobacco, singed alder, and loam accents. Tobacco asserts itself through the finish, with fruit held in reserve. Shows sneaky acidity and will benefit from cellaring. Best from 2022 through 2032. 1,400 cases made. – James Molesworth

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, aged 17 months in 45% new French oak, is composed of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Dense purple in color with aromas of cedarwood, unsmoked tobacco, crème de cassis, and black raspberries in a classic St.-Julien/Pauillac style. Sourced from a valley floor vineyard on Napa’s west side, where warm but steady summer temperatures led to a seamless September harvest. Full-bodied and balanced, this wine will reach its peak in 3–5 years and last for 25–30. Production: 1,300 cases. The newest estate vineyard wine from Christian Moueix.

#33 in James Suckling’s Top 100 Napa and Sonoma Wines of 2017. The evolution of this wine has been phenomenal since I tasted it in barrel a year ago. Black cherry, plum, and citrus character unfold into orange leaf, dark Chinese tea, and mushroom. Full-bodied with fine, velvety tannins and a subtle dustiness to the texture. Layers of chocolate, forest floor, and tobacco add complexity. Seductive mouthfeel and deep complexity. Better from 2022, though a joy to taste now.

Displays the extraction of the vintage without excess. Dark plum, boysenberry reduction, and fig paste flavors are framed by ample yet refined structure. The finish reveals terrific cut, with fruit held in reserve as loam and smoldering charcoal accents emerge. Everything is in place. Best from 2024 through 2038. 960 cases made. – James Molesworth

Hints of woodsmoke and licorice accent the nose of the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, now showing slight evolution in its deep garnet color. Cigar box and cassis emerge with air. Full-bodied, plush, and supple — almost creamy in texture — the wine finishes long with pencil shavings and graphite nuances.

Gravel, smoke, graphite, savory herbs, tobacco, and iron mark the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon. Typical of the eastern sector of Oakville bordering Yountville, this wine brims with savory, feral character, while the dark blue/black fruit remains restrained. Defined by its vertical, insistent structure — a super-classic 2013 built for the cellar. Drinking Window: 2023–2038. – Antonio Galloni.

Wild notes of briary blackberry, red plum, and elderberry are complemented by rich earth and herbal nuances in the bouquet of the 2013 Ulysses, the second vintage from Christian Moueix’s Oakville project. Dense, juicy, and firmly structured on the palate, with balance and tension that promise longevity. Comparing this with the 2013 Dominus over the decades will be fascinating. Drinking Window: 2023–2060.

Fabulous subtle aromas of black currants, violets, and lilacs with a hot stone undertone. Full-bodied and dense, showing wonderful energy and synergy, delivering a firm yet gentle tannin backbone and complex, seductive mouthfeel. Evolves beautifully in the glass. The second wine from this new estate, owned by Christian Moueix of Dominus and Bordeaux.

Expressive, with loam, tobacco, and singed alder notes leading, followed by plum, blackberry, and black currant preserves. Dense yet fresh, with loamy nuances swirling through the finish. Best from 2022 through 2035. 800 cases made. – James Molesworth

The 2012 Ulysses (800 cases) is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon with the balance Bordeaux varietals. Structured and dense purple in color, displaying cedar, crème de cassis, licorice, and graphite. Full-bodied, rich, and backward yet pure and precise, reminiscent of Pontet-Canet in its balance of density and purity. Forget for 4–5 years, then enjoy over the following 20–25.

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon is the first commercial release from Christian Moueix’s Oakville property. Sensual and alluring, yet with striking depth, it offers layers of sweet red cherry, raspberry jam, and wildflowers. A sexy, expressive Cabernet with remarkable depth for an uneven vintage. Sweet floral and spiced notes lift the finish. Should reward two decades of cellaring. Drinking Window: 2017–2032. – Antonio Galloni.

Tasted by Jonathan Cristaldi (at Ulysses, Oakville, Napa Valley, 06 May 2024). Drinking Window: 2024–2030. The 2012 Ulysses Cabernet Sauvignon shows how quickly Christian Moueix refined this historic Oakville benchland site—long prized since its days as part of the Charles Hopper Ranch—after acquiring it in 2008. Following a wet spring, the mild, warm 2012 vintage yielded a well-balanced wine with classic cassis aromas, earthy tobacco, cocoa nib, and wild herb spice. Taut and currant-driven on the palate, with soft, sweet tannins carrying through to a graceful finish.

Subtle aromas of crushed berries and tile, with hints of mushrooms and dust. Full to medium-bodied with powdery tannins and a graceful mouthfeel. Bright acidity brings enticing freshness to this gentle, ethereal red. The first vintage of the new wine from the owners of Dominus, sourced from a vineyard in Oakville near Vine Hill. Drink or hold.