Wine Spectator, the highly respected and most widely read wine magazine in the world, recently awarded our latest Domaine-label wines 90 points each. A 90-point score from Wine Spectator doesn’t come easily and the recognition was especially gratifying because our Domaine wines represent the heart and soul of our estate.
“Domaine” is King Estate’s premier wine
The Domaine label was created early in the winery’s history to be King Estate’s premier wine. The fruit is 100% estate grown, organic and Biodynamic®. “The Domaines should be the best of the best, so we feel a lot of pressure to get it right,” says Co-CEO and Winemaker Brent Stone.
King Estate is fortunate to have the capacity to keep the grapes separated, from harvest through blending, down to the individual block and clone. By fermenting each wine in its own discrete tank rather than blending them all together in a few large tanks at crush, winemakers preserve their options when it comes to choosing the lots to comprise the Domaine wines. Wines can vary noticeably from block to block, especially in a vineyard the size of King Estate. With differences in soil, elevation, slope and aspect, no two blocks are alike. Add to that the variation in fermentation regimen – maceration technique, vessel choice, tank temperature – and it’s no surprise that the character and flavor of wine can be strikingly different even coming from a single vineyard.
Finding the right blend
Some years finding just the right blend worthy of the Domaine label might mean blending wine from a number of outstanding lots, with each one contributing something unique to the flavor profile. But it could also mean that winemakers find the perfect Domaine in a single tank. “When it comes time to put the wines together we have dozens of high quality options in terms of finished wines to choose from,” Brent says. “We can really start targeting the finished profile that we like.” Our crackerjack team is known for getting it right. Wine Spectator agrees.
