2011 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon

Community Tasting Note

tourproto wrote:

92 Points

Sunday, January 1, 2023 - This was one of the last few vintages of Caymus that I own. I stopped buying them after 2013 as I feel they went for volume over quality and were living off of their brand name and reputation. This was a great bottle right at the opening and didn’t change much after a few hours which tells me it is at its peak. Sadly I need to find a new special occasion Cab as I won’t pay the $$$ they want for Caymus anymore and I feel the value isn’t there anymore.

Post a Comment /
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue (1,489 views)

7 comments have been posted

Comment posted by El_Dougo:

1/1/2023 6:47:00 PM - I would be interested in what special occasion Cabs you come up with!
Comment posted by tourproto:

1/1/2023 6:56:00 PM - It is a challenging search. So Bella Union is already out. It was a very disappointing cab. And I will not pay Far Niente or Nickel & Nickel prices. Next up is Joseph Phelps cab.
Comment posted by El_Dougo:

1/2/2023 3:29:00 PM - I’ve actually never had the Joseph Phelps estate. Very hard to get where we live…
I’ve had plenty of Insignia and love it, although Insignia is like the Caymus Special Reserve in that prices have risen dramatically. It would be very ideal if the Phelps estate passes muster. Pls do let us know!
Comment posted by tourproto:

1/2/2023 4:51:00 PM - Insignia way out of my price range, same goes for stuff like Opus. It is a challenging search to find a Cab that is under $100 and is consistent from vintage to vintage. Caymus had been my "go-to" for the last 15 years or so, and the next level down (different varietal) was Orin Swift Prisoner when it was made by David Phinney. Awesome Zin blend that you could get for $35. When it was sold to someone else they jacked the prices up to $60 and the quality went downhill. For the Zins, I went back to Ridge which makes nice Zins and Zin blends for $40 or less. But the Cab search has been a challenge. I have a couple of Bordeaux/Cab blends that are nice, but nothing that compares to the Caymus from a decade ago. In addition to the Phelps estate, I also have an Isosceles to try, not a pure Cab, but a blend. Will see how it goes.
Comment posted by El_Dougo:

1/2/2023 5:37:00 PM - Good luck with that. We’re having the exact same problem with pinot noir here in Hong Kong. IT’s all the rage here (particularly Burgundy but even USA/Oregon as well). I’ve found Lingua Franca AVNI online for reasonable price and might give it a try as I previously found their estate bottle to be very good.
Comment posted by tourproto:

1/2/2023 5:48:00 PM - Well you just need to fly out to my neck of the woods. You can't throw a rock where I live a NOT hit a Pinot Noir winery :) They are everywhere around here, and it isn't even my 2nd favorite wine (Cab and Zin are #1 and #2).

Ever since the movie "Sideways", Pinot Noir has gotten more and more popular. It used to sell for $25 bottle and now $100 a bottle isn't uncommon.

You should see if you can find:
- Beaux Freres
- Et Fille
- Domain Serene
- Ponzi
- Domain Drouhin

All of them make great Pinots and have decent volume, just not sure if they sell overseas or if there is a distributor that sells in HK.
Comment posted by El_Dougo:

1/2/2023 5:55:00 PM - Thanks for the tip. I will research them!