Red Wines    Cabernet Sauvignon    Napa Valley    California   
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Date Printed: 1/9/2009
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(search item no. 91433)
collectible wine
The Wine News rating: 93 points
Wine Spectator rating: 92 points
PRICE ON 1/9/2009: $70.00

ratings pedigree (past vintages):
2006 Wine Spectator rating: 92 points
2004 Wine Enthusiast rating: 95 points
2004 Wine Spectator rating: 92 points
2004 The Wine Advocate rating: 92 points
2003 Wine Enthusiast rating: 94 points
2003 Wine Spectator rating: 93 points
2002 The Wine News rating: 94 points
2002 Wine Spectator rating: 93 points
2001 Wine Spectator rating: 92 points
2000 Wine Spectator rating: 92 points
1999 Wine Enthusiast rating: 93 points
1999 Wine Spectator rating: 92 points
1998 Wine Spectator rating: 91 points
1996 Wine Spectator rating: 90 points
1994 Wine Spectator rating: 95 points

Winemaker's Notes:

 Number 39 on the Wine.com 100 of 2007!

Aromas of sweet bing cherry and ripe, lush plum. The opulent sweetness of peak-season, fully-ripe fruit brings about abundant yet soft tannins. The core of this wine is a silky and amiably rich, textured base, with a pure Napa Valley Cabernet focus.

Over the years we have found that one of the best methods for achieving a friendly character in the bottle is to blend wines possessing different attributes – combining top-quality fruit from several microclimates in our small yet diverse Valley. Using about 25% mountain fruit offers an opaqueness and structure that enriches the sweet fruit of the Valley floor. Such blending is an important part of Caymus Cabernet and its rich yet accessible character.

2005 produced a Cabernet Sauvignon of contemporary potential, saturated with dark color and big, ripe fruit.
My Notes:

Additional wines from Caymus:

About Caymus:

 Caymus Vineyards was founded in 1972 by Charles F. (Charlie) Wagner, Lorna Belle Glos Wagner and their son Charles J. (Chuck) Wagner on the family's Rutherford property. The Wagners took the name Caymus from the Mexican land grant known as Rancho Caymus, given to George Yount in 1836, which included what eventually became the town of Rutherford and much of the surrounding area. Caymus was also the name of a subgroup of Mishewal-Wappo Indians whose village was north of what is now the town of Yountville.

The Wagners produced their first Cabernet Sauvignon from the 1972 vintage. Their first Special Selection (from outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon lots given extended barrel aging) was made from the 1975 vintage. Caymus has made Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon every year since its founding, and now focuses entirely on this variety. Special Selection is produced only in vintages that Chuck Wagner, who directs all of Caymus’s vineyard and winemaking operations, feels are appropriate for this designation.

For both the Napa Valley and Special Selection bottlings, the goal is a balanced wine that tastes delicious when bottled but can improve with age. Chuck Wagner attributes the quality of the wines to farming and winemaking techniques developed over the decades.