Winemaker Notes
Red Schooner started with appreciating good Malbec. We considered making this wine from vineyards in Napa Valley, but decided we should source the grapes from the place that is most widely recognized for having ideal conditions for this varietal. We found ourselves asking: Could we create a wine at Caymus Vineyards – our family winery – using fruit from another part of the world? That question inspired the idea for Red Schooner, a "Red Wine of the World" that is about the thrill of voyage and discovery.
This Malbec is made from grapes grown in the Andes Mountains of Argentina and shipped chilled to Napa Valley. We then produce the wine in our Caymus style – dense, dark, powerful and supple. Falling outside standard labeling rules, Red Schooner has no vintage date, but instead is known by the voyage from which it has traveled. Charlie Wagner, Red Schooner’s director of winemaking, notes that he loves this wine’s lush softness – as well as the spirit of experimentation that lies behind its creation.
Most distinguished and celebrated from Argentina’s Mendoza, Malbec has seen runaway success since the early 2000s. Mendoza’s agreeable, continental climate with hot, dry summers and cold snowy winters allows the perfect conditions for growing outstanding Malbec. This grape is easy to like for its lusty, deep flavors and aromas of blackberry, plum, red cherry, autumn spice and tilled earth. It’s easy to find delicious, fruit-driven, affordable everyday examples and in prices beyond, quite exceptional ones with dense, supple textures that make them capable of aging.