M. Pablo Pavan

9.4

Buenísimo, lo compraría otra vez! Para cenas finas, cumpleaños... — 8 months ago

Nate Wall

Winemaker at Troon Vineyard

9.1

Fruit and earth and heme and amazing tannins and just a hint of Brett. Quite lovely though. Could certainly have aged longer but I didn’t feel like waiting. — 9 months ago

Tom Garland

9.3

+2 hour decant(decent chunky/fine sediment). A remarkable dark magenta with some bricking. Nose: Captivating savory notes of dark fruit, herbaceous, funky earth, worn leather, pencil shavings, cedar, smoked meat, maybe a touch of bandaid(brett). Taste: A savory wine with class and elegance... dark currants, tobacco, graphite, saline, cedar, and a spiced earthy minerally medium plus finish. YUM! — a year ago

with Brenda

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.0

Plenty of tannins left. 25bucks. Those were the days! 14%| Quite classic. Browne tinge. Needs at least 2-3 hours of air. Quite harsh and astringent. Roses, earthy and dusty, very dry. Hint of truffles. - Not super exciting at first (15min) so wait. Will last another 10 years - but i do worry about the fruit component if you need space in your cellar - i would suggest drink up. I will. Some folks tend to hype these wines i don’t - after all this is their most basic version with a large production volume. Total volume is 500,000 bottles a year at this cooperative. My guess they to make a lot of this one. — a year ago

Tom Garland

9.4

From MAG

2 hour decant. A striking purplish dark garnet color. On the nose: beautiful notes of dark fruit, pencil shavings, herbaceous, vanilla, cloves. Taste: creamy, polished, structured wine with blackberry, dark chocolate, minerals, bell pepper, leather, and a decent herbal/potting soil finish. Drinks surprisingly well with the decant at this age, and of course a few more years it will improve. YUM! — a year ago

with Brenda

David White

9.3

This took seven hours to really open up and the wait was well worth it
Clear dark ruby colour with sleight brickish edge about 1/2 inch sludge left in bottle.
Palate was clean with rich berries to the fore
Nice fruit acidity balance with long aftertaste
Ethereal in sense that time in the decanter completely transformed the experience
35 year old wines require patience and careful treatment

— 4 years ago

Tim Lepczyk

9.6

Well, damn, that’s a tasty dry white wine with hints of awesomeness. — 6 years ago

Joe DAscoli

9.5

Opened and decanted for 2 hours before dinner and then really only opened up and truly hit expectations around the 3rd hour when paired with wagyu strip steaks.

This wine was savory tightly wound and tannic at first. Didn’t show much fruit until after the long decant and then it really changed.

With time, the fruits shown through with great complexity and great balance for the savory elements. — 7 months ago

Ross Bathgate

9.2

Signature Bailey wine, volatility evident with lovely spice and lifter nose from Viognier. Also some tart cherry evident which was unexpected. — 10 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

When Caymus was Caymus!!!

It is good to remember the style of wine Chuck used to make. His wine from 2011 backwards. The wine I used to collect. I refer to this now as Caymus Classic. I have requested they make this style again every time I see a Caymus representative. Just 500 cases by simply picking earlier at lower brix and applying past winemaking. They under estimate how fast those cases would sellout.

I get they made a business decision to make a sweeter wine that will drink easier young. They get better critic scores and sell to a larger customer base. A customer base that generally drinks it like supermarket buyers…within the first two weeks of purchase.

Of course, 1997 was an epic vintage in Napa and this 97 bought weeks ago has been well stored and in perfect condition. I miss this wine as it has so much more character than their 2012 vintage & forward. So do many former Caymus collectors.

The nose reveals, bright, ripe; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries that are just starting to reveal some liqueur notes, raspberries, strawberries & plum. Sandalwood, old, dry tobacco, baking soda, mid berry cola/licorice, some light graphite, dark spice, dry stems, decayed red flowers, red roses and violets.

The palate is exquisite. It is all beauty with nothing bitty or angular. Ripe, juicy, lush; blackberries, cassis, black raspberries, dark cherries with hints of some liqueur notes, raspberries, strawberries, mulberries as it unfurls & plum. Sandalwood, old, dry tobacco with ash, baking soda, mid berry cola/licorice, some light graphite, perfect dark spice with some tongue heat, mocha, dark chocolate baking bar, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg & hints of vanillin, dry herbs, baking soda, dry limestone powder, top soil with pebbles, slightly moist volcanic clay, dry stems, decayed red flowers, red roses and violets, excellent, rainfall acidity and an elegant, balanced, nicely tensioned & structured, polished finish that last two-minutes and lands on spice & gentle earthy tones. I miss their distinct spice. Glorious!!!

This bottle is somewhere on the other side of the bell curve and still singing. Still very sound. It won’t improve and recommend if you own, drink them sooner than later but certainly not a rush.

88% Cabernet, 10% Merlot & 2% Cabernet Franc. 25.95% Paladins, Skruggs, Wright-St. Helena. 52.15% Caymus Estate, Glos, Usibelli-Rutherford, 15.84% Sciambra-Atlas Peak, 6.06% Tambor Vineyards-Mt. Veeder.

Photos of: Caymus tasting room, tasting room courtyard, owner Chuck Wagner and vineyard. — a year ago

"Odedi"

9.6

#AgedWineTuesday

Here is a fabulous 99 point wine by Robert Parker.

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Great nose of blueberries, blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, earth, vanilla, Mediterranean spices, espresso, cola, light herbs, chocolates, tobacco and black pepper.

Full bodied, smooth and elegant, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black cherries, figs, cedar, chocolates, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, herbs, light earth, cola and peppercorn.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley.

Showing nice balance and a great mouthfeel. Round and rich. Elegant and smooth.

This 22 year old still has a lot of power in it, and will continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 10 years.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime.

So soft and powerful, with a great nose. This is a gorgeous wine right now.

A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec. Aged in all new French oak barrels for 24 months.

13.9% alcohol by volume.

96 points.

$250. — 3 years ago

David Nicewicz

9.3

Birth year Bordeaux and this has been excellent. Very old school nose of copious tobacco, forest floor and dark berries. Medium bodied but gaining intensity over the course of 2 h - tannins completely melted. Bricking is apparent on first pour but the color grows darker with time. Perfect bottle that is a little past it’s prime but fun to step back in time. — 5 years ago

Keith Lite

9.5

A big bold plumy purple bomb As dense and luscious as a wine can get in a glass. Decanted for 2 hrs and its still a baby with blackberry, dark chocolate licorice and pepper on the nose and on the palate. A long long finish and loads of tannins to sum it all up — 7 years ago

with Bruce

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

1990 vintage. Last tasted 12.11.22 (9.6) and 8.20.16 (9.2-slightly off bottle). Tasted side by side with the 1989 (9.4) version of this wine. Ridiculous 1-2 heavyweight punch. Opened but not decanted. Tasted at the conclusion of lunch after an hour open. Not much in the nose but bringing it in the flavors. Still heavy bits of ripe plum and cherry with a substantial mid-palate. Larger format of this wine likely clocks in as a 9.6/9.7 but this was a 750ml. In the 750ml format, not improving and it's drink now and until 2028. Still, most likely, the best wine this producer has ever made. The 1989 has a case as well. Like the Lebowski rug, this one just tied the late-80's/early-90's BDX room together. 10.10.25. — 8 months ago

Pooneet K

9.3

Delicious per usual. Last had 2 years ago and this is in a nice place. Perfect with skirt steak off the grill. A treat. — 10 months ago

Todd Anderson

9.3

Beautiful, classic aged Bordeaux that is drinking very well right now but shows signs it could continue improving. Unfortunately I only have one more bottle so will drink that in the next 2-3 years. Cheers! — a year ago

"Odedi"

9.2

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Deep inky in color with a short purple rim.

Beautiful nose of blueberries, black currants, cooked cherries, light oak, vegetables, licorice, earth, chocolates, Indian spices and peppercorn.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with plums, currants, light oak, spices, chocolates, licorice, coffee, light tobacco leaf, herbs, peppercorn, earth and black tea.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from Bordeaux. Showing a nice mouthfeel. Fresh, complex and rich.

This second growth wine is still young, but already enjoyable, even by itself.

Drinking beautifully now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 15 to 20 years. Would be nice to revisit it in 7 years. Has good potential to become a 94+ point wine.

Well balanced, and good by itself as a sipping wine. A good food wine too.

A blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot. Aged in French oak barrels for 18 months.

12.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$215. — a year ago

Angelo Casagrande

9.0

Big and muscular, but I wouldn’t call it jammy or a fruit bomb. Maybe the mataro mellowed it a bit? I like Aussie Shiraz, and Penfolds is usually very good ( as was this). Big plum/ cherry action. Thanks bro. — 4 years ago

Alex Lallos

Owner No Limit Fine Wines, Private Wine Consultant

9.0

Another great bottle. 2009 out of 500ml (was meant for bistro and not import). Lovely from a ripe year. I prefer the less ripe / more restrained versions but this is as good as vacqueras gets. The new vintages are top notch but fun to try these older ones as well: modern and plush but still some old school roots. For around $20 it’s pretty insane (email me alex@nolimitfinewines.com and I’ll send you two bottles for the price of one) — 5 years ago

Sebastian Corriere

9.3

At Bull and Bear w Kellie epically delicious! Number 2! — 7 years ago