2016 Ulysses Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
The deep, gravelly, clay loam soil of this exceptional site is dry-farmed to enhance root depth, resulting in a pure expression of this great terroir. For Moueix, as at Dominus, the approach is minimalist, with attentive observation and restrained intervention. The 2015 brings together the richness of the year wrapped in dark, powerful fruit, buttressed by silky tannins and soft spice. This is the wine Christian Moueix hoped for when he started this vineyard in 2008, authenticity, purity and radiance; this is sure to be another example of Napa royalty.
Ulysses is a special vineyard on the west end of Oakville purchased by Christian Moueix (of Dominus and Château Petrus fame) in 2008. We were only able to secure a small handful of cases of this opulent, cassis and red rose-scented beauty. You'll need to be lashed to the mast to keep you from heeding the siren call and draining the bottle! This is a wine for true collectors if we ever saw one.
James Suckling
Aromas of sweet berries, fresh herbs, currant bush and licorice. Terracotta. Full body, layered and soft, velvety and focused tannins. Breathtaking texture. The focus ad polished is phenomenal. Harmonious. Enticing. Fascinating and thoughtful. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and petit verdot. Drink or hold.
VN98Vinous
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is fabulous. Bright, powerful and pulsing with energy, the 2016 possesses stunning textural depth allied to a real sense of drive. Black cherry, tobacco, menthol, sage and licorice give this Cabernet from southern Oakville much of its distinctive personality. In this tasting, the 2016 Ulysses simply towers with pedigree and character. I loved it. Although the track record is short, the 2016 is the finest wine Christian Moueix and Tod Mostero have made at Ulysses.
WA95Wine Advocate
Very deep purple-black in color, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon leaps from the glass with exuberant notes of cassis, black cherries and blackberries with touches of bay leaves, lavender, rose hip tea and pencil shavings plus a waft of spice box developing with time. The palate is medium to full-bodied with a well-sustained mid-palate of youthful black fruit, a rock-solid structure of firm, grainy tannins and fantastic freshness lifting the perfumed fruit to a long, lively finish.
WS94Wine Spectator
This is well-built but stays restrained in style, featuring alluring cassis and blackberry flavors, lined with black tea, minerally iron and warm tobacco accents. A late flash of warm paving stone adds depth and range through the finish. Should put on weight in the cellar.
JD93Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon offers more cool blue fruits, violets, and damp rock-like minerality. Similarly styled on the palate, with medium to full body and a classic structure, it reminds me of a great St. Julien. Still relatively closed and backward, yet with tons of potential, hide bottles for 4-6 years and it should evolve nicely for upwards of two decades.
WE93Wine Enthusiast
With small additions of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this robust red is herbaceous and earthy in compost and forest floor. Earl Grey tea and red currant continue the savory thread of flavor amidst soft, silky tannins and wellintegrated oak.