Freddy R. Troya

9.5

Caymus Vineyards – Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Napa Valley, California – USA 🇺🇸

Overview
Caymus Special Selection is the flagship Cabernet, crafted only in exceptional years. The 2018 vintage stands tall among recent releases, showing why Chuck Wagner’s vision continues to shape Napa’s most recognized “luxury Cab.” 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from prime valley-floor vineyards, it strikes the perfect balance between Caymus’ signature ripe, fruit-forward style and an added layer of structure from a long, balanced growing season.

Aromas & Flavors
A powerful bouquet of ripe blackberries, cassis, and dark cherries, layered with cocoa nibs, espresso, and baking spices. Subtle hints of licorice, cedar, and vanilla lift the complexity, while a core of lush fruit drives the palate. The oak integration is seamless, giving a supple sweetness without overwhelming the fruit.

Mouthfeel
Rich, opulent, and velvety—yet with surprising finesse. The tannins are silky and well-structured, giving length without heaviness. The finish lingers on black fruit and mocha, balanced by just enough acidity to keep it vibrant.

Winemaking Notes
Meticulous fruit selection, long maceration for concentration, and extended aging in new French oak (18+ months). The Wagner hallmark: generous fruit expression wrapped in polished oak for immediate pleasure but with aging potential.

Food Pairing
An indulgent pairing with ribeye, prime rib, or braised short ribs. For a decadent twist, try it with dark chocolate truffles or roasted lamb with rosemary.

Verdict
One of the most impressive Caymus Special Selection vintages in recent memory—showing both lush Napa Valley opulence and refined elegance. A wine that thrills now but promises to shine for years.

Personal Pick Highlight
This 2018 stands as my favorite Caymus of the modern decade—a true benchmark that captures everything people love about Napa Cabernet at its richest and most expressive. Cheers!
— 3 months ago

Scott Kahn

9.4

Vanilla, oak and spices on the nose that beautifully integrates with tart cherry, blackberry and soft tannins on the palette. Very young wine that is of exceptional quality that would certainly benefit from aging to have tertiary flavors and aromas develop. — 5 months ago

Vin d’Ottawa

9.3

This is spectacular. That roughness that is characteristic of Rioja is prominent but exists alongside a beautifully dry, luscious dark cherry 🍒 and oak flavour. And even with all its complexity, it’s a nice sipper too. — 6 months ago

with Gillian

Sipping Fine Wine

10

Blend of 84% Cab Sauv, 10% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec and 3% Cab Franc sourced from estate-owned vineyards, aged 24 months in 100% new French oak. Deep Ruby, dark fruits, spice, complex nose. On the palate flavors of rich berry fruits, spice and vanilla oak, well structured harmonious wine. Fine soft rich tannins, long finish ending with fruit, tobacco and sweet earthy tones. Tasting great, young and juicy, should easily last another couple of decades+ in the bottle. Wow! — 3 years ago

Robert Evans Jr

9.1

Tremendous & Intense Nose Clean Crisp Honeydew Melon. Butter Toffee on the Palate. @Ron R channeling my inner you on this description — 6 years ago

with Nicole

Lynn Derbyshire

9.0

Rich, thick, smooth, just yummy!!! A smoky essence that was surprising. Had it with grilled chicken and tomatillo salsa. Divine. would be awesome with a steak or lamb. 8/10/18 — 7 years ago

Matt Bryant

10

A fantastic red blend! Pairs well with vegan buffalo wings! — 8 years ago

Peter Wassam

9.1

Definitely some noticeable oak here but it's exquisitely integrated leading to plush texture and plum, tobacco, some black pepper and coke(the liquid form). Black cherry. This is long, soft and delicious — 9 years ago

Marc Stubblefield

Wine Sales at Vino Carta and Kogod Wine Merchant

9.0

Classic cherries, leather, dirt, sweet and sour, balsamic and American oak. Better after a couple hours on the decanter. It doesn't knock my socks off, but it's an amazing value at the price. — 10 years ago

"Odedi"

9.1

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Very fruity on the nose and full bodied with medium minus acidity.

Dry to off dry on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing black currants, blackberries, cooked plums, oak, vanilla, dried fruits, licorice, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, spices, light herbs and peppercorn.

Short finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 8 year old Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara County is still drinking very nicely, but will not get better from this point.

Complex and easy drinking. Fruit forward with a touch of RS. Rich and extracted with a mouth coating feel.

A nice sipping wine.

14.6% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$50. — 3 months ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

9.0

Gratifying Oak Knoll #napavalley #merlot - medium plus body, calibrated acidity, some vanilla and toasty oak notes so it’s pretty young but well executed Merlot. My hot take - Merlot at the $50 retail mark will outperform Cabs at this price point. — 6 months ago

Peter Heyboer

9.0

Jammy dark fruit, some barrel aromas and flavors. Pretty complex and enough tannin to keep you from getting overwhelmed. Great sipper for the price point! Would buy again. — 6 months ago

with Matthew, Ethan and 2 others

Ericsson

9.2

Tasting notes during visit to the winery where absolutely everything is done in-house by hand; preserving centuries old winemaking traditions. Bosconia is a delicate wine highlighted by persistent tones of red berries and bright acidity with integrated tannins closing with medium but lingering finish.

No stainless steel here. The juice is fermented in old large wooden “tinas,” then transferred to American oak barrels (made in house to lighter toast specifications), underground in their +100 year old cellars for at least a year. After that it is bottled and stored in the same underground cellars and finally released about ten years later. Learning about their curated winemaking process was inspiring. — 9 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Founded in 1982 by Koerner and Joan Rombauer and sits on a tree covered knoll overlooking the Napa Valley, with caves that extend for over a mile. Pale lemon with aromas of stone and tropical fruit with sweet oak spice and floral scents. On the palate flavors of ripe peach, melon and apple, with vanilla spice, rich & creamy. Long finish, well balanced with acidity, ending with mineral notes — 4 years ago

Myles Taylor

9.1

Sweet finish — 7 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.4

This wine is incredible! Soft and smooth as silk. Herbal and violet aromas. Red cherry fruit with hints of chocolate and tobacco. Outstanding balance between fruit and organics. 14.4% alcohol but not overwhelming in the least. Thanks to Kieth Soltis for opening this bottle. — 8 years ago

Christopher Beatty

9.0

Full flavor. Not too jammy. — 9 years ago

Meghan Hamilton

Wine Educator Joseph Phelps Vineyards

9.3

Really nice. Red currant, spicy, herbaceous and some oak. — 10 years ago

P Plusquellec

9.1

Typical German Reisling petrol nose with light fruit and pleasant minerality — 11 years ago

Joel Fariss

9.0

3.99 at trader joes. — 12 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Opus One 2011
Napa Valley, California, USA 🇺🇸

Overview
A Bordeaux-style blend from one of Napa’s most iconic estates, co-founded by Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild. The 2011 vintage was a challenging, cool year in Napa, producing wines of lower alcohol, more restraint, and higher acidity compared to the opulent, sun-soaked vintages before and after. Blend typically centers on Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec.

Aromas & Flavors
Opens with blackcurrant, cassis, and dried cherry layered with graphite, violets, tobacco leaf, and hints of cedar and espresso. As it evolves in the glass, notes of leather, savory herbs, and cocoa powder emerge.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied compared to more powerful Opus vintages, with fresh acidity and fine-grained tannins. Elegant and balanced, showing more finesse and structure than richness. The finish lingers with red and black fruits, spice, and a touch of earth.

Winemaking Notes
Aged in French oak for 18 months. The cooler season resulted in smaller yields, but a style closer to classic Bordeaux restraint rather than plush Napa ripeness.

Food Pairing
Beautiful with herb-crusted lamb, grilled duck breast, wild mushroom risotto, or aged cheeses like Comté.

Verdict
A vintage that divided critics due to its lighter profile, but for those who enjoy elegance and classical structure, the 2011 Opus One is a refreshing outlier. Drink now, though it still has a few years of graceful life ahead. Cheers!
— 4 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.7

Ruby with complex fruit aromas, spice and oak. Blend of 90% Tempranillo & 10% Graciano, aged 48 months on American oak, 20% new. On the palate flavors of dark berry fruits with spice, oak and smoky earthy notes, slight vanilla nuances on ripe full soft silky tannins. Long finish, nice mouthfeel, ending with fruit, oak, cigar box spice and clean mineral earthy tones, a joy to Sip this Fine Wine!! Tasting great, has more aging potential! — 5 months ago

Theodore Krijnse Locker

9.6

Dark in color. Super fruity on the nose. Blackberry and plumb notes. Peppery, leathery, earthy finish. — 6 months ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.1

Beautiful and light on its feet. Dry - very well made! Fantastic fruit. Very fresh. Honey. Meyer lemon, mandarine, just a faint touch of 1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene (TDN) aka Diesel. Touch bitter on the back palate. As a chemist i just had to bring this up. At 24 suns in Oceanside. 2 Michelin Chefs cooking. Grab this bargain before it is gone!!!!!! — 9 months ago

Mickenzi Schank

9.0

Lots of forward fruit, red currant and blackberry. Subtle mid palate. Just a nip of tannins on the finish. Overall smooth and easy drinking. — 6 years ago

Frank

9.0

Jason brought for boys golf week. Spainish. 10 yr great. — 6 years ago

Jon Bergqvist

9.1

Got to work on getting back to Rioja. It’s been 20+ years. Majestic and a bit to big for my taste but still very enjoyable. Very soft tannins and oak quite present but not vulgar in any way. — 8 years ago

Kristin the Wine Girl

9.0

Oaky berry campfire. Not a typical cab. Lay down a few years to take off some fruit for some more substance. — 8 years ago

Zona Roberson

9.2

Zona had this 9 years ago

with Emily

Nick Wolfe

9.5

This is astonishing. Beautiful and powerful with a smoky, oaky, black-fruity, spicy nose that won't quit. Palate is rich with loads of fruit, sweet vanilla oak, and a port-like quality. This wine has monastrell's blueberry, black fruit, iron tincture, and beef blood signature. Skip the steak and pair this with savory for foods for a fantastic contrast. Finish is long and playfully tasty. — 11 years ago