Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
This asserts itself through flattery right from the start, with a gush of warmed cassis, açaí berry reduction and plum preserves laced liberally with mocha-accented toast and carried by very plush structure. This is weighty and brimming with fruit, while the toast takes a lengthy encore on the finish. A hedonist's dream. Drink now through 2034.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The Caymus Vineyards Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most iconic and recognized wines. I recall being floored when I tasted the 1975 vintage, its first release. That wine was one of the memorable wines I have ever tasted. The 2016 vintage shows how well the "Special Selection" program has progressed. TASTING NOTES: This wine offers an outstanding synergy between fruit, earth, and oak. Its elevated and persistent palate should pair superbly with grilled ribeye topped with minced shallots and freshly-cracked black peppercorns. (Tasted: June 1, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.