ESF

8.9

i've had this off & on for the past 25 years and it reliably offers copious amounts of fruit along with cocoa, vanilla & other decadent flavors & aromas. This was no different just not as polished or balanced as I recall. Wonder if they've increased production - this is their entry level offering — a month 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. — 5 months ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.3

Vintage 1982 | it’s not often I have the chance to enjoy 40+ years old vintage port. This Quinta do Noval is alive and kicking, very vibrant, good balanced and pleasantly aged. With cheeses. — 2 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.3

Quite light spices , coffee , sous bois , herbal hints . On the palate this has good density and spicy , menthol , dark coffee stained fruit , some slightly gritty tannin . It comes across as quite ripe but with balanced acidity and quite good menthol tinged length . This was served blind from a half bottle . I was putting this in the 80s and Napa , not Bordeaux! This had to do with the texture and quite ripe , generous fruit profile . Drinking perfectly now , I wouldn’t wait any longer — 6 months ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

10

Unbeatable. This vintage really is. Words can not do justice to this wine. Just trust me. Gnarly finish . So complex. A lot of layers. The finish is like a god damn flower. Fuck yes. — 2 years ago

Stuart Pollack

8.9

A good Douro, but too young. This will be better in four years. The finish is perfect: smooth tannins, a firm bitterness, and licorice flavors. But the attack is overwhelmed with roughness that likely will disappear with age. Better on the second day but still not enough to improve the attack. — 4 years ago

Tommy Harrison

8.9

Buy. Crisp with pear or apple finish. Not salty. — 2 months ago

Randy Fuller

9.3

This wine is a golden yellow in the glass. The nose shows minerals, apples, stone fruit, and salinity with a lanolin backbeat. The palate has those same traits, but leans a bit heavier into the salinity. The acidity is fresh, but not razor-sharp. It finishes medium long. I paired mine with a lentil and sweet potato salad, with a good result. — 5 months ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.4

Needs a good day to open up. At first quite brutal in an unyielding way. I left this on my custom Argon line for a week. Reviewed this many times before. Absolutely delicious and driven by earth herbs and hint of red fruits. More or less for aficionados only (I don’t want to be condescending here) as so much patience is required. Drink now because i do not expect the fruit to hang on all that long. — 8 months ago

Delectable Wine

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9.8

The 2019 La Fleur-Pétrus is pure and total seduction. Trotanoy and perhaps also Hosanna have traditionally been viewed as more exclusive Pomerols in the Moueix portfolio. The more time passes, the less I share that view. Sure, La Fleur-Pétrus does not have the mystique associated from a small single vineyard - as many Pomerols do - and yet there is no denying the elegance and class here. Bright red fleshed fruit, blood orange and exotic spice race across the palate, framed by silky, plush tannins that wrap it all together. La Fleur-Pétrus is fabulous. That's all there is to it. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, February 2022)
— 4 years ago