“Monumental, but never heavy. Powerful, but somehow almost weightless at the same time. An immortal Le Dôme.” – The Wine Independent

A just-published vertical back to 1997 in The Wine Independent says it all: “The garagiste’s whole wager was that the wine could speak louder than the label - that you could start below the line and end up under a ‘Foster Dome’ with a hundred-point wine to your name. On that wager, at least, Jonathan Maltus has already been paid.”

Le Dôme! THE cult garagiste unicorn with 10 years of age and quad 98-100 scores?! UNDER $200?!**

Le Dôme always brings the BOOM factor, but this vintage in particular is simply one of the best. Robert Parker called Le Dôme a “Cheval Blanc look-alike.” That rings true here, but the price couldn’t be any different (expect to pay upwards of $1,000 for a top Cheval vintage!)

Every JCP Maltus wine we offer vanishes in record time - from the best of Bordeaux (Les Astéries) and Napa Valley (World’s End) …to the cherry on the cake. The pearl of the portfolio. The COOLEST winery centuries-old Bordeaux has ever seen. Parked right between Angelus and Le Mayne, this special 8-acre plot shares a similarly sandy soil on top of limestone and iron.

The vineyard is meticulously farmed for this special wine. Multiple culling of green harvests leaves just a handful of clusters to ripen - where there could be ten, you find just four. Careful pruning opens the grapes up to the sun, and at harvest the grapes are sorted twice - first by bunch, then after destemming, grape by grape. From there the star treatment continues with aging in new French oak, which levels up the lavish, toasty, expensive-tasting profile.

One sip and you’ll understand the fuss. Black cherries dusted with lavender, pure cassis, kirsch, fresh black licorice, blueberry pie, and notes of Chinese five spice and crushed stone. The very definition of opulent. It finishes long, has the ability to age for decades, and delivers a positively thrilling experience.

Who better than Robert Parker to summarize it best: “Le Dôme is a special effort that must be tasted to be believed.” Will you be one of the lucky ones who taste it?

And the burning question: how long until it sells out once again?

100 Points – Jeb Dunnuck “The 2016 Le Dôme is a brilliant, brilliant wine that does everything right. Sporting a saturated purple color, it has a huge perfume of blueberries, spring flowers, graphite, wet stone, and camphor. Incredibly layered and complex, with full body, building, ultra-fine tannins, a multi-dimensional texture, and a monster finish, it’s unquestionably one of the most flamboyant, sexy, opulent wines in the vintage yet stays ethereal, elegant, and weightless. Coming from a site not far from Angélus and a unique blend of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot from tiny yields, aged in 80% new oak, it has the class and fruit to shine even today but will be better with 3-4 years of cellaring and I suspect capable of lasting for 2-3 decades. Drink 2022-2052”

100 Points, Cellar Selection – Wine Enthusiast “This 80% Cabernet Franc wine may be massive, but it is also perfumed with swathes of opulent black fruit. It comes from a great year for Cabernet Franc, which forms 75% of this vineyard. Juicy acidity gives the wine a velvet character that is enticing. It needs time, so wait to drink from 2026.”

98-100 Points – The Wine Independent “Deep, saturated red. Initially almost reluctant to reveal itself, but even in its closed state there is an unmistakable sense of something enormous hiding underneath. This is not a wine in a hurry. With air it begins to unfold very slowly, layer after layer. The oak is beautifully absorbed and considerably less obvious than in 2015, allowing the purity and architecture of the wine to take centre stage. Black fruit, dark flowers, subtle spice and mineral nuances gradually emerge, but the real excitement is on the palate. It explodes with extraordinary intensity — almost like fireworks — yet somehow lands with remarkable elegance. No heat, no bitterness, no clumsiness. Just immense concentration, superbly fine tannins and a finish that seems to have no intention of ending. Monumental, but never heavy. Powerful, but somehow almost weightless at the same time. An immortal Le Dôme. Drink 2030-2065.”

99 Points – Wine Advocate “The 2016 Le Dome is comprised of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot, aged in 80% new French oak. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it slips sensuously out of the glass with compelling notions of red roses, candied violets, chocolate box and Chinese five spice with a core of kirsch, blackberry tart, warm plums, black raspberries and cloves plus wafts of cigar box and orange peel. Full bodied—the palate is positively electric with energy—it gives layer upon layer of perfumed black raspberries and mineral sparks, framed by super ripe, firm, finely grained tannins and bags of freshness, finishing very long and very fragrant. It has 15% alcohol, but so beautifully harmonious you would never guess it. Drink 2021-2060.”