2013 ulysses, cabernet sauvignon, napa valley
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Why We're Buying
Ulysses is the brainchild of Dominus founder Christian Moueix. While the cabernet sauvignon utilizes the same gravelly soil and technical team as Dominus, it has distinguished itself with splashy acidity, polished tannins, and earthy flavors.
Critics Scores
James Suckling
Fabulous subtle aromas of black currants, violets and lilacs with a hot stone undertone. Full-bodied and dense, it shows such wonderful energy and synergy that delivers a firm yet gentle tannin backbone and complex mouthfeel that seduces you. Evolves wonderfully. Second wine from this new estate, which is owned by Christian Moueix of Dominus and Bordeaux.
Vinous
Gravel, smoke, graphite, savory herbs, tobacco and iron are some of the signatures in the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon. A typical wine from the eastern sector of Oakville on the border with Yountville, the 2013 is loaded with feral, savory notes, while the expression of blue/blackish fruit lies a bit more in the background. In 2013, the main signature is an expression of structure that is both vertical but also incredibly insistent through to the finish. In other words, this is a super-classic 2013 built for the cellar.
Decanter
Wild notes of briary blackberry, red plum and elderberry are complemented by rich earth and herbs in the bouquet of the 2013 Ulysses, the second vintage for Christian Mouiex's new project in south-western Oakville. On the palate the wine is dense, juicy and firmly structured, with a compelling sense of balance and tension. Contrasting this with the 2013 Dominus over the coming decades will be fascinating. Drinking Window 2023 - 2060
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Ulysses is absolutely mind-boggling, as so many wines from this vintage are. Gorgeous blueberry and blackberry fruit, along with the telltale cassis and floral notes, jump from the glass. Again, this is Pauillac-like, with some cedar wood and subtle barrique smells. Again produced nearly all from Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine is full-bodied, powerful, rich and long, with slightly sweeter tannins than the 2012. Production in 2013 was 960 cases, and Moueix told me that the entire growing season averaged about two and half weeks ahead of schedule from bloom break to harvest. This is a prodigious effort and will certainly stand as the great Ulysses of the first trio to be released. I suspect it will be drinkable in 3-4 years and keep for 30 or more, given the Moueix track record.
Wine Spectator
This shows the intense extraction of the vintage without becoming overextracted, as the dark plum, boysenberry reduction and fig paste flavors are encased in an ample, yet polished and refined, structure. The long finish shows terrific cut, keeping the fruit in reserve while loam and smoldering charcoal accents strut. Everything is in place. Best from 2024 through 2038.