Freddy R. Troya

9.2

Caymus Vineyards – Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Napa Valley, California – USA 🇺🇸

Overview
Special Selection is Caymus’ flagship bottling, the only wine to twice earn Wine Spectator’s “Wine of the Year.” The 2013 vintage comes from a benchmark Napa year—warm, consistent, and producing deeply concentrated fruit. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from prime valley-floor sites, this wine showcases the Caymus hallmark: bold, plush, and fruit-driven Napa opulence.

Aromas & Flavors
Opulent blackberries, cassis, and baked blueberries, wrapped in layers of cocoa, espresso, and toasted vanilla. Secondary notes of licorice, sweet tobacco, and graphite add depth. With time in the glass, hints of cedar and leather start to show, signaling the early stages of graceful evolution.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied and richly textured, almost velvet-like, with powerful yet polished tannins. The 2013 vintage delivers intensity and weight, but with balance—long, lingering finish loaded with ripe dark fruit and spice.

Winemaking Notes
Meticulous cluster selection, long maceration for depth, and extended aging in new French oak barrels (18+ months). Chuck Wagner’s hallmark style: unapologetically ripe fruit, creamy oak integration, and a seamless, approachable structure even in youth.

Food Pairing
A natural match for grilled ribeye, braised short ribs, or herb-crusted lamb. For a more indulgent pairing, try it with aged Gouda or truffle-infused dishes.

Verdict
A monumental vintage of Caymus Special Selection—ripe, hedonistic, and still showing youthful vigor more than a decade later. Built for aging, yet already a crowd-pleaser. A benchmark expression of Napa Cabernet’s luxurious side.

Personal Pick Highlight
2013 stands out as one of Napa’s greatest modern vintages, and tasting it now is like catching Caymus in its prime sweet spot: power meeting polish. Cheers! — 9 months ago

Rob

9.0

I’ve said it before. Really enjoy Justin because you always know what you’re going to get. Bold cab, even better a few days later — 5 years ago

Jason Case

8.9

Bold with plums and licorice. Drink with food — 6 years ago

Marco Rodriguez

9.0

Bold wine. Earthy, tabbaco, smoke and spice. Good tannins and light acidity at end. — 7 years ago

Hank Didier

9.5

A great bold yet smooth cab for good food. — 8 years ago

Nicole Schilling

9.0

Smooth but bold and fruity. — 8 years ago

Rick Phillips

9.5

Hearty and Bold flavor. Plum Cherry & Blackberry! Great with Osso Buco! — 9 years ago

with Letha

Traci

9.2

💪👍 Big, bold cab. Nice. — 2 years ago

LoveofCheese&Wine

9.2

Bold, easy drinking. Opened at home w some lentil pasta. Def buy again bottle! — 2 years ago

with Jrod

Eric McGann

8.9

A great drinking wine on its own- wouldn’t say it flourishes with food. Super dry, big, bold, mouth full. — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

9.4

Dark ruby in color with a purplish rim.

Fruity nose of blackberries, black currants, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, chocolates, tobacco, cola, espresso, spice box, cinnamon, earth, light vegetables, pencil lead and peppercorn.

Full bodied and bold with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and extremely fruity on the palate with blackberries, plums, cherries, currants, oak, spices, earth, vanilla, licorice, cloves, light vegetables, alcohol, cola, cinnamon and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a wonderful Grenache blend from the house of Orin Swift. Fruity, big, rich, spicy and interesting.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up and shows some tannins (1 hour). After 3 hours in the decanter, the nose really opened up, so be patient with this young wine.

Needs a few years in the bottle to mature properly.

Good by itself or with food. A great sipping wine by the porch or with friends.

A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Petite Sirah. Aged in French oak barrels for 8 months (30% new).

15.1% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$35. — 6 years ago

Kristen Grimes

9.0

Explore Chile and Argentina wine class! The only one I want to remember. Bold nose, SP and PG get "happiness". Herbs, leather, some vanilla, almost a chocolatey taste. Stewed black plums. Lots of tannins, some minerality. — 8 years ago

Robert Wright

9.2

A dense, dark ruby wine! Blackberries and hints of blueberries and vanilla on nose. Attack is bold dark fruit, rich with blackberries and black cherries. Vanilla and cocoa appear in mid. Finish is long with bitter dark fruit, vanilla and pepper. Full bodied. Medium tannins. Great wine enjoyed with friends! — 8 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.0

Mostly Zinfandel with less than 20% of other red varieties blended in. Dark ruby color. Intense aromatics of black currant/berry, black raspberry and plums. Same ripe fruits on the palate with additional flavors of black olive, basil, black pepper and baking spices. Long and lingering finish. Lively tannins and zesty acidity. Bold and powerful but not over the top. Good choice, Keith S! — 2 years ago

KRISTIE

9.6

Inspired by the “Apotheca”, a mysterious place where some of the earliest wine was blended and stored, Apothic wines offers a truly unique wine experience.

A red blend emerges from the flames, creating a most unexpected and masterful encounter.

Paying tribute to a time-honored craft, this wine has been aged for 60 days in whiskey barrels, creating bold notes of red and dark fruit with layers of maple and spice. — 3 years ago

Paul Pigott

9.3

Bold red color, ruby at the edges fade to dark deep red in the middle of the glass. Earthy off the nose. Big taste, super smooth finish and extremely drinkable. Drink now, or 10 years from now, this is great! — 5 years ago

Jim Laing

9.0

2016 This is an excellent Cabernet from Orin Swift. Smooth and bold — 7 years ago

Michael Sixbey

9.0

Very smooth like a cab. Great for the price. — 8 years ago

Deborah Nash

9.4

Blackberry, tobacco on the nose. 2007 still earthy and powerful, bold. Peppery, currant jammy taste. Really quite nice for 11 years old. — 8 years ago

Kalpesh J

9.1

This drinks bold, can be paired with food or without. So damn good. Another bottle please. — 8 years ago