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. — 7 months ago

David Leiman

9.4

1984, surprisingly tanic, acidic, and Heavy dried fruit, prunes and dried figs. over oxidized tasting at first but interesting. From producer to cellar at breakers in palm beach. Small leak out the bottle on one side of the cork. Over time it settles and the dried fruit subsides and then the lighter acidic flavors of fresh berries comes forward. — 4 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.7

Blend of 61% Cab Sauv, 30% Merlot, 8% Cab Franc & 1% Petit Verdot. Deep Ruby with aromas of berry fruit aromas & herb notes. On the palate black raspberry & blackberry, currant-like, with tobacco, cacao and smoky oak notes. Fine polished tannins, long finish ending with fruit and earthy mineral tones, just starting to drink well but will last for the next decade+. Tasting Sample! — 4 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

One of my favorite go to wines for a grilled steak & a great vintage for GL that is drinking beautifully. Perfectly stored btls match my more than 2 dozen tasting notes listed below. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.8

Mother Mary of God! Just give me the bottle and a crazy straw. I want all my wine to taste this way.

The nose is; ruby and velvety elegance. Creamy, candied, ripe; dark currants, blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, black plum & poached strawberries. Red licorice, candied, bright, florals for days. Dry crushed rocks, limestone, light, round granite, black licorice, sweet tarriness, expresso roast, dry leather, cedar, dry stems, vanilla, dark chocolate, caramel, cinnamon, light clove & nutmeg, beautiful, soft, herbaceous notes with crazy beautiful fields of; red, purple and blue flowers.

The body is full, round and the definition of elegance. The dark, tarry tannins are well rounded and have baby teeth. The structure, tension, length and balance are perfectly knitted together. Magnificent! Creamy, candied, ripe; dark currants, blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, black plum & poached strawberries. Red licorice, candied, bright, florals for days. Dry crushed rocks, limestone, light, round granite, black licorice, sweet tarriness, expresso roast, dark, intense, spice with palate heat, dry leather, cedar, dry stems, vanilla, dark chocolate, caramel, cinnamon, light clove & nutmeg, saline, dry tobacco with ash, beautiful, soft, herbaceous notes with crazy fields of; red, purple and blue flowers. The acidity is round-elegant and like a warm shower. The finish is simply a forget about it experience. It is gorgeous & sexy and a wine I will never forget. This is a 100 point wine in short order. Don’t be foolish enough to open a bottle now unless you have at least 3-5 more. You’ll be robbing yourself of heaven.

Photos of; Chateau Palmer, their barrel room, a photo of their vineyard soil structure-if you didn’t know where all that earthiness comes from, a picture is worth a thousand words and their tasting room. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

8.9

It has been 15 years or so since I’ve had a Silver Oak. Thought I check in. Nothing has changed, every vintage basically tastes the same. It almost like they add flavoring. 🤷‍♂️ One red you could not fool me blind. Short Rib was excellent.

At Pebble Beach Food & Wine 2025.

The ticket to this event has a pretty big price tag. But when you consider what a Napa etc. tasting or two and lunch would cost you, you are pretty much there and there is so much more than that. It ends up having great value. It’s wine, spirits and food candy land. — 9 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Opened around 8pm the evening prior, double decanted and left in room temperature until service on Friday evening. In total, this was opened 24hours before service. The 1995 pours a beautiful garnet with transparent core; medium viscosity with moderate stating of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with surprisingly boozy dark fruit. Brambles, cassis, bell pepper, licorice, spearmint and baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long with great acidity. Overall, remarkably youthful. While it’s certainly ready to go, it will likely continue some positive evolution over the next couple of decades. Drink now with a long decant through 2045. — 2 years ago

Austin Hohnke

9.4

Second time I’ve had the pleasure of tasting this. The 2000 is in the pocket right now, firing on all cylinders. Complex, layered, and eye opening. Was fun to watch the reactions of those who were tasting Musar for the first time. Talk about a wine that gets the gears turning. Outstanding. — 4 years ago

Pierre Gourinchas

8.9

A bit disappointing, for a Leoville Barton. Probably needs more time. I was also coming off tasting the 2009! — 5 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.4

Located on the outskirts of the medieval town of Saint-Emilion, at the southern foot of the slope. A blend of 55% Merlot, 35% Cab Franc &10% Cab Sauv, aged in 60% new oak, deep Ruby with aromas of dark fruit accompanied by cedar & spice. The palate shows fresh ripe dark berry fruits, cacao, tobacco and espresso notes. Well balanced, perfect tannins, a joy to drink but cellar until 2022 for a better experience. Tasting Sample! — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Time for dessert!!!

The nose shows; white peach, apricots, dry pineapple, Bosc pear, dry tropical melons, marmalade, honey, orange citrus and blossoms, nuts, toffee, banana peel, burnt caramel, brown raw sugar, baguette crust, soft limestone minerals and floral spring flowers.

The body is thick, gluey and rich and has lots of residual sugar. White peach, apricots, dry pineapple, Bosc pear, dry tropical melons, marmalade, honey, orange citrus and blossoms, nuts, toffee, banana peel, burnt caramel, brown raw sugar, baguette crust, soft limestone minerals and spring flowers. The acidity is beautiful, thick and round. The finish is well balanced and elegant with polish on the finish for days.

Photos of; Chateau d’ Yquem, their tasting room, 1917 bottle of d’ Yquem and botrytis grapes and their barrel room. — 6 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.5

The 1989 Pichon-Baron repeats its performance from the vertical tasting in May 2018. It storms from the glass, bearing copious blackberry, cedar and perhaps a little more mint than I noticed on the previous bottle. There is so much youthful zeal to this harmonious, refined Pauillac that you would barely guess it is 30 years old. Long and tender with a graphite-infused finish, this bottle might be even better than the ex-château example. Tasted at the 1989 Bordeaux dinner at Hatched in London. (Neal Martin, Vinous, September 2019) — 6 years ago

Lee Sanders

9.2

1983 vintage. Smooth w/a lot of life still in it! Happy we still have a few more bottles in our wine room! — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Their Russian River is always pleasant. Needs 3-4 more years in bottle to integrate. 92+ with that kind of age.

The Truffle Mac & Cheese was a big hit with the crowd, I’m allergic to mushrooms.

At Pebble Beach Food & Wine 2025.

The ticket to this event has a pretty big price tag. But when you consider what a Napa etc. tasting or two and lunch would cost you, you are pretty much there and there is so much more than that. It ends up having great value. It’s wine, spirits and food candy land. — 9 months ago

Ericsson

9.4

Tasting notes during visit to the winery where absolutely everything is done in-house by hand; preserving centuries old winemaking traditions. In the Tondonia offering one can really appreciate the time and patience dedicated to crafting this wine. The wine evolves to a rustic yet graceful profile with strong notes of dark berries with slight oak and dark chocolate. On the palate the wine is bliss, medium bodied, fully integrated, with balanced acidity and a long finish.

The juice is fermented in old large wooden “tinas,” then transferred to American oak barrels (made in house to medium toast specifications), stored 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. — 10 months ago

TwiLea Fletcher

9.1

11/12/21
Jade tasting.
Black licorice on the nose and at first taste.
But swirl and sit…. Yep. — 4 years ago

with Neal

Nancy Bernstein

9.2

Wish we were tasting this!! — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

When in doubt, a sure bet is a well aged, good vintage Heitz. @Eric Shanks

I intended to grab an 06 but, mistakenly grabbed an 07. I’ve not had one of my 06’s yet...next weekend.

The one thing I do every time I open one of my ten year or older Heitz Napa Cabernet’s is smile & think, this was sub $35 at Costco. It’s the wine feeling/definition of stealing candy from babies.

The nose is a beautiful harmony of fruit, earth and florals. Steeped, somewhat stewed, candied fruits of; dark currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, mix of purple fruits; boysenberries, ollieberries, & mulberries. Dark, sweet tarriness, anise to black licorice, touch of incense, fire ambers, dark spices with violets palate heat, chocolate pudding, vanilla, light; cinnamon, clove & nutmeg, dark chocolate, caramel, sweet, soft, dark spice, dark berry cola, dark cherry kirsch, dark, rich earth, limestone, crushed, dry rocks, dry top soil, moist clay, understated herbs & dry brush, brewed coffee, mint, some sage & bay leaf, tobacco, dry, old leather with amazing, fresh & slightly withering & candied; dark, red, blue, purple with a violet & lavender frame. The acidity is splendid. The long, ripe, ruby, lush, elegant, well crafted balance of fruit & earth is delicious and persists endlessly with a dark spice on the long set.

The body is; delightful, ripe, rich, lush & full. The structure, tension, length and balance are woven in a perfect tapestry. This 07 has another 10-15 years easily. The tannins are rounded, smooth but, still have a dark, chewy, tarriness with baby teeth. The beauty of the vintage is on full display. Steeped, somewhat stewed, candied fruits of; dark currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, mix of purple fruits; boysenberries, ollieberries, & mulberries. Dark, sweet tarriness, anise to black licorice, touch of incense, fire ambers, chocolate pudding, vanilla, light; cinnamon, clove & nutmeg, dark & milk chocolate, caramel, sweet, soft, dark spice, dark berry cola, dark cherry kirsch, dark, rich earth, limestone, crushed, dry rocks, dry top soil, moist clay & dry brush, brewed coffee, mint, tobacco, dry, old leather with amazing, fresh & slightly withering & candied ; dark, red, blue, purple with a violet & lavender frame. The acidity is perfect. The finish is; rich, ripe, ruby, candied, well balanced fruit & earth, elegant and long sets into velvety, round tannins and mid dark spices.

Photos of; the winery, tasting patio, old basket press and wide shot of the winery & Estate vines. — 6 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

10

To me Shafer is among the worlds best wineries. Aged 32 months in 100% new French oak. Vivid deep purple color, and outstanding aromas of red/black fruits, cherries and blackberries, with hints of cedar, floral oak & spice. Tasting this wine was absolutely magnificent, concentrated dark berry fruit flavors, spices, leather and oak, exploding on my palate. Soft velvety subtle tannins provide a nice deep lingering finish. Truly an outstanding Cab, one of the best. If you can find yourself a bottle, do not hesitate. Should last at least 10 more yrs. — 7 years ago

Ken Z

9.5

Drank 1/18/19 at the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux event in Miami.  All wines from the 2016 Vintage.

Tasting pour, no formal notes taken.  Most of these wines are very tight, and will require 5-15 years to really come together.  Many will likely improve a few points with time.

Delicious black fruit. More complexity and depth than the Grand Puy Ducasse. — 7 years ago

with JT