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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.2 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 69 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by sfwinelover1 on 3/22/2023 & rated 96 points: My 8th bottle of this in the past half dozen or so years, with 6 through a private party purchase and 2 through auction. This came out of the bottle surprisingly disjointed, alternatively thin, funky and a bit oxidized, but it came together surprisingly well after about 2 and a half hours, wonderfully elegant, balanced and complex with black cherries and plums, graphite, loam, anise, leather and dark chocolate. This was even better on night 2, which was a treat to have, since the last 2 Cain 5s I had, both mags, a ‘97 and an ‘07, were both consumed in one night (with groups, I hasten to add). While still firmly on the BDX side of Napa, this was relatively more fulsome and rich version of this bottling, and it’s drinking beautifully, like it has years of peak consumption left, if decently stored, cheap cork notwithstanding. Worked really well with burritos, but also a pleasure to sip on its own. It’s hard for me to understand my cult cab-drinking but BDX-loving CT friends not appreciating this bottling, but I do think that its relatively mediocre scores vintage in and vintage out on CT are due to people drinking these too early and without enough air, as this does take time to fully flower, but patience will be rewarded. Great stuff. 95-96+ (1213 views) | | | Tasted by Mdubnik on 2/26/2022 & rated 93 points: Really, really, really good. In a perfect place from a 375ml bottle. Wish I had more! (2034 views) | | | Tasted by sfwinelover1 on 2/13/2022 & rated 95 points: First of 2 ($84@) from an auction lot, after finishing a lot of 6 from a private party purchase about 18 months ago. Consistent with my prior notes, but all components were working together especially seamlessly, making for making for a subtle and expressive wine, yet with surprising persistence and much more savoriness than sweetness. This wine definitely skews toward the delicate on a lithe frame which would lead me, if tasting blind, to probably place this closer to the Right Bank than Spring Mountain in nine of 10 guesses. I’m a semi-regular drinker of this cuvée in multiple vintages, and this is arguably the best I’ve had outside of the wondrous vintage of 1997, and this was a standout with mixed grill one night and a bespoke pizza the next. While my Napa tastes are slightly more traditional than modern, just a bit more power and intensity could have lifted this another point or 2, but this is still outstanding and highly recommended at the price point I paid. Not sure that there’s much upside, but should be several years of very good drinking ahead if well-stored. Continue to believe that this is consistently underloved and underrated on CT, perhaps because tasters are drinking it too early or without enough air. 94-95. NB: Another terrible C5 cork. (2148 views) | | | Tasted by sfwinelover1 on 8/22/2020: Last of the original 6, but I bought 2 more at a similar price after the 5th of 6. Similar notes to 8/19. Savory, a bit saline with more funkiness than George Clinton from his best Parliament days, with impressive length and intensity. Definitely one of the most Bordeaux-oriented cabs I've found from CA. Food friendly and versatile: a standout with leg of lamb, but worked surprisingly well with halibut. Deducting one point for another crappy cork; for a winery that boasts that its wines can successfully go on for 30+ years, there should be some disclosure that its corks can't make it much past 10. Early drinking window. 93 if scoring. (2721 views) | | | Tasted by lolo66 on 1/1/2020: from .375. elegant. mocha notes are subtle now. tannins fully resolved. Maybe a touch advanced due to passive cellar storage. but enjoyable and a good showing. (3111 views) | | | Tasted by sfwinelover1 on 8/12/2019 & rated 94 points: 5th of 6 bottles from a private party purchase at just under $80@ from about 4 years ago. As an aside, of these 5 and the 5 I've consumed from a half case of '97s, this was the first of which I managed to get the cork out in one piece, so congratulations to me. Similar to first 4, and to a lesser extent, the '97s, strong nose of funk with wet earth and cherries; consistent notes on first taste. After about a 90 minute decant, some integration of the funk with additional notes of plums, charcoal, and graphite. Medium to dark colored, medium to full bodied, thick legs. Robust tannins and moderate acidity, drinks like it's much closer to the start than the finish of its prime drinking window. This is an elegant, structured and sophisticated wine, much more what I'd expect from Bordeaux, if I was better at picking Bordeauxs, than Napa cabs. This doesn't, at present, have the lilting presence of the '97 nor some of the secondary tasting notes, like chocolate and cigar box, which I prize in that wine, but time seems to be on its side. (As an additional aside, I just bought a couple of additional bottles, so I'll have a chance to monitor this.) Really nice wine, and at what I paid, very good qpr. I'd challenge drinkers of TRB/Mike Smith Napa cabs to try this with an open mind, not because it's better than the wines they make, but because it's also excellent but in a different style which is, alas, underrepresented in Napa. Nice complement to flank steak, but probably even better with a fattier cut or lamb. (2976 views) | | | Tasted by ocfriday on 7/29/2019 & rated 94 points: This wine is in a great place right now. Great fruit, mature finish - an exceptional wine. (2067 views) | | | Tasted by doctormark30 on 2/12/2019 & rated 93 points: I think this was the 2004 (possibly 2008 but don’t think so). The front and back labels had fallen off—this is a big problem with Cain wines. This wine was ripe and ready. Dense ruby color round and full. No brett. A California bordeaux. Actually it was 2008 (2487 views) | | | Tasted by Eric.S on 6/17/2018 & rated 92 points: Really interesting nose. Red fruit, lead pencil, white pepper, spicy, and yes, a little Brett. Smells like briny ocean air. On the palate, more red/purple fruit, lively, charcoal. Very savory. A little hollow mid palate, but long finish. (2702 views) | | | Tasted by beezer6 on 5/12/2018 & rated 92 points: BBQ and Wine at Jordan's (Chez Whitehead): Cool unique nose. Savory notes, peppery with lots of dark red and purple fruit. (2602 views) | | | Tasted by BordeauxBoy on 1/2/2017 & rated 94 points: Surprised with this one. The little bit of bret is perfect and with the dark fruit and almost charcoal and graphite nose and pallet, it's as good as any Napa Bordeaux blends e.g. Dominus. Very nice bottle. (3875 views) | | | Tasted by WhiteyBordeaux on 11/26/2016 & rated 95 points: This is one of my favorite California Bordeaux blends. I'll put this up against almost any first growth Bordeaux. If you like left bank bordeaux, at this price point this wine is a rockstar. 2004 IMO is by far their best vintage. (3865 views) | | | Tasted by jlib77 on 11/17/2016 & rated 89 points: Far from what it was at the winery... dissapointing (3528 views) | | | Tasted by rossi.wine on 4/19/2016 & rated 93 points: Tasted next to 2009 and 2008 Cain Five and easily the best of the three. Spicy nose, savoury, dark fruit, tobacco. There is great balance on the palate - good fruit, powdery tannins and well-integrated acidity. Elegant and fine. Very good length. 92-94 (3756 views) | | | Tasted by Timikeb81 on 2/27/2016 & rated 93 points: Very Cain Five which means very old world to me. Bretty in the best way. Continues to open. Perfect with aged beef. For those disappointed by the bretty aspect maybe understand the winemakers goal before you buy. From their website:
"There are those, well-trained in identifying a litany of flaws to which a wine might be subject, who are able to identify the unmistakable signature of the yeast Brettanomyces, affectionately called “Brett,” usually thought to be a flaw. If a wine were only about Brett, that would be a problem, especially if it were pure barnyard. But for us, it isn’t—we find much more than any single element to define this wine. To those who simply can’t abide any hint of Brettanomyces, we respect your opinion.
To our way of thinking, the presence or absence of Brett is not a flaw per se—rather, it’s an attribute. Just as with perceptible oak, oxidation, or volatile acidity—all possible elements in a wine—we believe that nothing should stick out, and no one thing should be the defining trait. It is all about balance and harmony."
Full link:
https://www.cainfive.com/dossier/index.cfm?cat_id=1&entry_id=13 (4045 views) | | | Tasted by Sonoffalstaff on 11/22/2015 & rated 92 points: Very good. This is the sort of wine all of the Bordeaux blend people are trying to make. Balanced complex but with depth. Really enjoyed it (2724 views) | | | Tasted by sweensomm on 7/6/2015 & rated 94 points: Like every Cain Five I've ever had, consistent "barnyard" bretty nose. Decanted for an hour, palate was outstanding. (3218 views) | | | Tasted by bugdoced on 5/22/2015 flawed bottle: uggh!!! (3269 views) | | | Tasted by djarcara on 4/13/2015 & rated 90 points: Full body. Muted nose of black fruit and leather. Rich flavors of cassis, linzer tart, and spice box. Nice balance. Ready to drink. (2702 views) | | | Tasted by Duncan Wine on 4/9/2015 & rated 94 points: Nose of tar, blackcurrant and spice. Flavor very well balanced sweetness and dark fruit. Drinking beautifully right now. (2543 views) | | | Tasted by anonymoose12345 on 11/1/2014 & rated 89 points: Nose smells like shit. Oh, I meant "barnyard". Otherwise the wine is quite good with dark ripe fruit, spice and oak. Well balanced. (3107 views) | | | Tasted by aChave on 9/20/2014 & rated 92 points: (Tasted with the wine maker - Chris Howell - at local wine shop)
Lovely Bordeaux-style blend. Spring Mountain fruit. Good acidity balances the depth and flavors of the secondary grapes (Merlot, Cab Franc) along with the Cabernet Sauvignon structure. Has an overall lushness to it, but it's not overblown and the acidity harmonizes the blend. Very good now, but will age for many years. (2718 views) | | | Tasted by PC73 on 6/20/2014 & rated 91 points: Drank at the winery.
These wines are elegant I a way I struggled to find elsewhere in napa.
Good balance. Subtle fruits. Should drink well for another 10 years. (3055 views) | | | Tasted by Omar Khayyam on 8/2/2013 & rated 81 points: Sweet, overly extracted, hot, spicy; very jammy and syrupy texture. Doesn't even have much of a nose. (4517 views) | | | Tasted by domco on 5/12/2013 flawed bottle: bottle #2 - flawed - bret. Officially worried about the rest of the Cain wines in our cellar. Have had 2 bottles of Syrah in the last yr or so that were undrinkable, and now 2 bottles of Cain Five that were so off you could hardly stand to be w/in 2 feet of the open bottle. Expensive Mother's Day dumping 2 bottles down the drain!! (4579 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Ronan Sayburn MS
Decanter, Collectible California tasting 2018 (9/20/2018)
(Cain Vineyard & Winery, Cain Five, Napa Valley, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Hemming, MW
JancisRobinson.com (9/20/2018)
(Cain, Cain Five Spring Mountain District Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Brook
Decanter, The Decanter Interview: Chris Howell (1/3/2018)
(Cain Vineyard & Winery, Five, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Michael Godel
WineAlign (3/22/2016)
(Cain Five red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Decanter and JancisRobinson.com and WineAlign. (manage subscription channels) |
| Cain Vineyard & Winery Producer websiteRed Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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