Red Wines    Cabernet Sauvignon    Napa Valley    California   
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My Rating (circle) :
Date Printed: 1/9/2009
(search item no. 95850)
collectible wine
Wine Spectator rating: 92 points
PRICE ON 1/9/2009: $69.99

ratings pedigree (past vintages):
2005 The Wine News rating: 93 points
2005 Wine Spectator rating: 92 points
2005 Connoisseurs' Guide rating: 91 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:

Powerful aromas of ripe blackberry and dark cherry, with notes of vanilla, cocoa and rose petal. In the mouth, the wine exudes richness and a finely-grained "cocoa" texture, with low acidity expressing breadth and richness on the palate. Flavors of chocolate, dark berry fruits and the classic cabernet cassis are supported by the texture of fine-grained tannins.

Our 2006 bottling of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is dark, opulent and supple, and clearly expresses the Caymus style.

"Full-blown, ripe and rich, with intense and sharply focused dried currant, wild berry and blackberry fruit that’s still fairly tannic at this stage. Ends with a long, persistent finish."
-Wine Spectator

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.