I was invited to a twitter tasting to celebrate the 40th Anniversary release of Caymus cab this afternoon. I was happy to participate, as Caymus is such a classic name in Napa cab.
I remember visiting Caymus on my very first visit to Napa when I was first getting into wine. It felt very special — I remember that you had to schedule a “private” tasting in advanceand while we were there, sitting around a big wooden table, a group of poor schlubs walked up to taste and were turned away. Fancy. I was impressed by the cabernet, but couldn’t really afford it, so I remember leaving with a bottle of their rosé called “Oeil de Perdrix”. That wine, or at least the name, was moved to the Belle Glos label, which sits under the Wagner Family of Wine group along with Caymus, Conundrum, Mer Soleil and Emmolo.
So back to the 40th anniversary wine.
Caymus produces 2 cabs each vintage, the “Special Selection” and the normal Napa Valley bottling. (They also produce a Napa Zin.) The 40th anniversary bottling is from the 2012 vintage and it replaces the normal Napa Valley bottling, not the Special Selection.
So how is it? I’ll let my live tweets do the talking.
#Caymus40th Very deep color. Rich, insistent nose of dark fruit with exotic accents. Cedar, spicebox. Lots going on.
— Jim Wilkerson (@vinegeek) June 14, 2014
#Caymus40th Palate continues it's rich, powerful presence. Blackberry, pipe tobacco, brown sugar. Drying tannins. Classic opulent Napa cab.
— Jim Wilkerson (@vinegeek) June 14, 2014
That's my plan RT @dvinewinetime: I wonder how many steaks are being cooked tonight & paired w/ leftover @caymuscab ! (A lot!) #Caymus40th
— Jim Wilkerson (@vinegeek) June 14, 2014
#Caymus40th I keep going back to the nose. So much going on there.
— Jim Wilkerson (@vinegeek) June 14, 2014
Thx to @caymuscab & @mwangbickler for inviting me to participate today. I'm off to pour another glass & fire up the grill #Caymus40th
— Jim Wilkerson (@vinegeek) June 14, 2014
[media sample provided by the winery]