Tasting the Americans (Chez Nous): Ruby/Purple wine, clear and clean with no apparent bricking. The nose is dark fruits with some vegetal notes and eucalyptus like spiciness. On the palate, this is very well structure and interesting. Full silty tannins fill the mouth and give space to a well directed and well balanced and long finishing profile. A pleasure!
Rarities dinner “Spectacular Californians” late Nov 2021: rubin red color; full nose of cassis, red berries and mint; juicy and fruity on the palate; fine tannins in the cheeks. 93-94/100
Already very good approachable. He should offer even more with 3-5 years of additional cellar time.
Simultaneously tasted the Caymus Special Selection 2004 which performed a bit better (94-95/100, see CT tasting note).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This big boy still is approaching its prime. Still needs a couple of hours of decanting at least. I can't really tell the color cause it was dark, but its typical round, bold, Cali Cab, nice scent of cinnamon and with long finish of caramelized sweetness. Not masculine at all in my own terms but definitely is a blossom lady with a character.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Lovely wine. Noticed a bit of the funk upon uncorking mentioned in another note but it wasn't a flaw, not corked or brett. 2 hour Decant and nose and palate were clean. Drinking beautifully, stood up to aggressive food without a flinch. Well balanced to the last sip.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Double decanted a magnum with first pour after 2 hours. This wine is a beauty and just entering its peak drinking window. Still at least 10++ years left to drink this wine. Big delicious fruit with solid but softening tannins and a long delicious finish. One of the better Napa cabs I have drunk in a while.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was confusing. Initial nose was stinky and smelt of the cellar (not corked) which I have never had with Caymus SS before. This blew off after a few minutes.
After 30 or so minutes that improved and it returned to a more normal caymus.
Some green and black pepper on the nose.
Cinnamon and vanilla on the body.
Medium body only. Not a normal Caymus SS for me. This was a PnP so maybe decanting may have changed it and I will decant my next bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was ridiculously. good! Noted dark fruit, chocolate and licorice on the nose. Consistent flavors to taste. Wonderfully smooth finish. This was. an extraordinary bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beautiful expression of the grape ! Thank you Camus. fruit is their get it while you can. Cherry licorice and more evolving in the glass . after 1.5 hr. alcohol nose smooths out
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep garnet, powerful nose of tar, cooked black fruit, rich vanilla and hint of cedar and chocolate, Fully developed, mature wine. Very rich mouthfeel, that is dry and just the right combination of tannins, alcohol and body.powerfull flavors of leather, meat, with savory notes. Can definitely distinguish dark chocolate and smoke notes. Very good wine that should be consumed now. I would not hold it for more than 3-5 more years at most.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This has evolved powerfully since my previous bottles of the 2005. The nose opened like a tar-laden fist in the face Syrah, but softened smoothly by the second hour til the end. Throughout, the palate was punctuated by rich and velvety dark fruit and a huge finish. Ka-Pow!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I Guess I Just Don’t Get It (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): On the positive side, it is deep and rich. For me though it’s just too fruity and lacking structure. While objectively it’s not a bad wine, it shows just what mature Napa wine doesn’t have, namely an iota of complexity.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Silky smooth cabernet with medium-deep cherry flavors and a long smooth finish. Nice, but subtle complexity with good development in the mouth. Subtle chocolate flavors and minerality add to the mouthfeel and flavors. Very elegant in structure right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
When it comes to being silky smooth, this wine knows no equal.... But that's pretty much all you get: intensely smooth cassis, black-currant lined with lots chewy comfort inducing alcohol, this is drinkable valium... Oh so very nice, but absurdly one-dimensional. So what does one grade? The talent in eliciting a incredibly pleasurable drinking experience, or the lack of sense of terroir, the lack of complexity or balance? Depending on what you are looking for, this wine is either perfect or seriously lacking. If it were cheaper this would be my (great) everyday wine, but make no mistake about it, this is not great, this is not a 95 wine: to say so does a disservice to the very notion of what a great wine can be. It says more about you than the wine... Imho of course ;)
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
PnP, drank over 1 hour. What you expect - full bodied Cali cab in the classic Caymus style with velvety cherry and vanillin. Nice every now and then but would tire of it with regular consumption. Not quite as plush at the end as in the beginning, enjoyed the ‘06 a bit more - a more harmonious wine. When drinking Caymus (regular or SS), like it best young.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not typically a Caymus fan, as I prefer French & Italian, but I tasted this blind and was blown away. Literally tied for my first place w/ a 1990 Montrose. It drank like a 2000 Bordeaux -- such complexity, still somewhat young.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Well-aged intense Cabernet with tobacco nose, unfocused Cassis on the palate, peppery finish. These are overpriced compared to the innovative producers in my opinion.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
i was disappointed with this wine. the high alcohol and fruit profile on this wine made me think it was more of a light port than a cab sauv. tasted over 3 days. decanted and aerated as an experiment throughout the bottle with no improvement.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very nice bottle of wine. Tannins have really dropped off. Still full of ripe red fruits and finish is long lasting with a nice mouth feel. This is in its elegant stage. Great drinking wine right now. Deep dark look to it with very little sediment in the wine. Only downside, did not evolve much over the course of the evening. Did not drink with food either. Drink them if you have them.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The nose gives away milk chocolate-coated blue blueberry, some anise, cinnamon, with a slight hint of graphite and tobacco.
Structurally, this wine is soft but substantial. Silky and velvety. Lots of creamy blueberry fruit - almost like a milkshake. Ripe plum, dried fig, and some cassis. Low acid which makes this wine rather mono-dimensional. Even though declared at 15 plus abv, the heat is very well hidden. Toasted new oak, cedary wood, with some smoky backend.
Clearly this wine is well loved but it runs against what I believe is the model for a classic Napa Cab. With this much abv, low acid, and soft tannin, it will not evolve into anything else beyond its current state. Look elsewhere for more exciting alternatives. 82.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wanting to see how this 2005 was progressing. Decanted for 4hrs and and it’s progressing well. Glad to have more. Smell of rose hips, coco, and fruity note. Very soft and velvety. Taste has allot of chocolate with strawberries. Also some sense of leather and carmel. This is one Napa Valley Finest and it’s got a big future ahead of it. 2002 is still the finest but 2005 is a winner.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very dark purple layers of fruit very long finish some tanins will drink for another 10 years Date night will finish at Del Porto 5 star in Covington Louisiana
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fun blind tasting of Napa Valley Cabernets, we decided to choose two from 2011 while my Dad selected two different vintages of Caymus Special Selection.
Deep and dark purplish ruby red. Layers of oak influence, toasted, vanilla, cinnamon and dark cherries. Heavy tannins (7.5/10) and full bodied. Rich palate with bramble berries, black fruits, dark cocoa and a touch herbal. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2026.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fun coravined wine to finish off the celebration tasting.
Dark and deep garnet red. A touch dirty on the nose, smoky, toasty, spiced and a little bit of sweet spices. Heavy tannins (7.5/10) and full bodied. Rich and dark palate with plums, dark and black berries. Some cinnamon and rich vanilla notes too. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2021.
Not a giant fruit bomb like the more recent vintages of Caymus Special Selection but a real treat. Definitely could of used a bit of air on the nose but delicious none the less.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Poured into a decanter for removing sediment. Drank over the next 3 hours with grilled filet mignon. Aroma is heavy dark fruit such as blackberry and blueberry. Very thick mouthfeel, with the dark fruits continuing. A decent amount of drying tannins at the end. This is in a good spot now, but may be ideal in another few years. Nice wine for people that enjoy the bigger Cali cabs.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Blaubeere, Brombeere, Zigarrenkiste, Bitterschoko, fetter, mir zu alkoholreicher, trotzdem sehr leckerer Wein mit langem Abgang, Massen an fein- bis mittelkörnigem Tannin.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Disappointing. Never opened up to show much of anything. Color was not as dark as expected. Actually starting to take on a little browning around the rim. The wine was consistent throughout the bottle, from initial opening, through aeration, decant and over 2+ hours of consumption. At 15.2% alcohol, the wine actually had a bit of a port-like element to it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Big fruit and cotton candy on the nose. Complexity. Good structure. Plenty of acid and nice round tannins. Should go for a long time, but tasting great now. PDQ94+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Always enjoy the Caymus Special Selection. This bottle was very good...In my opinion has another 5 years before it reaches its peak but is very good know!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured. Drank over the following 90 minutes. The wine was drinking well right out of the gate, though I would still recommend a 60-90 minute decant as the wine tasted the best towards the end of dinner. It is very dark in color. Great nose and still plenty of fruit on the mid-palate. Very smooth wine & nice long finish. Not sure you really need to wait much longer to drink it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Really drinking well. Tannins have softened after 10 years...quite peppery, lots of dark cherry/plum fruits on the palate. Bright fruit and lether on thenose.. enjoyable now and for another decade. imhop
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark in color, smooth in texture, brilliant on the nose. Decanted for 2+ hours. Delicious with dark berry and chocolate, tannins non existent. Sure time will tame down the big fruit, if that's what you prefer, but I think this wine is amazing now after 10 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I recently opened a case of the 2005 to give a bottle as a gift without tasting it myself. I decided it best to open one this weekend to experiment with and determine how best to serve to friends and guests. This is a wonderful example of Special Select. I would recommend a minimum of two hours of decanting time before sampling. After opening, I poured a small glass and found it to be very tight and tannic but wonderful aroma of chocolate and smoke. It still has plenty of rich fruit so typical of Caymus. I then poured and sampled a glass hourly and it came into its own between hour three and four. The tannins became soft and savory and the wine had a 30 second finish. This would be a great wine with a standing rib roast or tenderloin. This wine will also stand out in blind tasting with other big California cabs.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted double blind. Interesting and unique among a group of seven bottles. Peppery and spicy with subtle fruit on the nose. Sweet fruit palate with cinnamon and spice. Finishes rich and solid. This is a big and intriguing wine, but came across a little weird tonight. I've scored twice before at 90 and 91. Blind, I said 89-90 this time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Consistent with prior review - Garnet color with very appealing plum, cassis, blueberry, a hint of leather and sweet oak aromas. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, focused, and intense with a lush texture and well integrated oak, and soft sweet tannins. It shows plum, blackberry and a bit of vanillin spice flavors. Long finish. Beautiful now with plenty of years ahead of it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Garnet color with very appealing plum, cassis, blueberry, a hint of leather and sweet oak aromas. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, focused, and intense with a lush texture and well integrated oak, and soft sweet tannins. It shows plum, blackberry and a bit of vanillin spice flavors. Long finish. Beautiful now with plenty of years ahead of it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fabulous now and has years to run. Decanted mostly to make it easier to pour and to share 2000-2005 vertical (an amazing table with 48 glasses and 6 decanters-yes, we did have food too). Deep rich red in color. Dark fruit on the nose. Well integrated oak and tannin. Very rich, which is the Caymus special selection style-a style that I think makes them drinkable young but able to hold for many years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Mother's Day treat. Huge wine. Maybe too huge for me. Lots of spice, waves of layers, oak...huge. Crowd pleaser for sure but a bit overwhelming and hard to keep drinking. Follows the Caymus formula.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
It was just so good and wonderfull as I had expected ! We got it together with Pahlmeyer Cabernet 2005 , and the Caymus was best , though it was a different wine. They were both dark in colour and mature fruit , and the Pahlmeyer were a bit more mineral. I have more of both wines and will prefer them now and the next 2-3 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Strong, bold and complex with earth, clove, orange peel and pepper to go along with dark fruit. Big in a sense with a lot of personality but the fruit is almost secondary.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Claret in color. On the nose full fruit and medium oak. A lot of aromas here, most notably wild game, with other notes of chocolate, smoke and forrest floor. In the mouth off dry and tannins definitely overwhelm the acidity. This is a classic example of a new world, "big-syrupy" wine. Medium finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very good wine. Beautiful balance, not heavy, the wine floats in your mouth, good mouth feel, nice bouquet, classy wine, enjoyed immensely with filet of beef; drank at a Caymus tasting dinner. Would drink again except for the price.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Impressive bottle. Definite jammy feel to the. OSS. First taste was full of cherries, raspberries, mocha, and some chocolate hints. Good bottle of wine. Has many more years left to cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was a fantastic bottle. Impressive depth and concentration. Ripe cherries, vanilla and forest floor. Medium tannins. Drink now but this one has lasting power.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for only 30 minutes, this is the fifth bottle of this wine I've consumed, and it is definitely the best. Mix of spicy oak, vanilla and black fruit with an ultra-smooth ending.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This one is hard for me. I'm not a fan of this particular implementation of this style...but this is an absolutely beautiful example of the pinnacle of this style of winemaking. Big, ripe, soft, alcoholic. We got wasted on this 15% plus bottle. Beautiful color, zero sign of age on this 8-year old wine. Cork in fabulous shape. Not a big nose on pop and pour. Big full and lush on the palate. Very short on acidity, and combined with the ripeness a little flabby in a special selection way. Not a particularly memorable finish. But so beautiful, my wife and I had a nice intellectual discussion about this wine. It's been a year since I had one of my special selections...the last one was stylistically the same...it is what it is...big, beautiful, chocolate, Caymus style. No hurry, and some more time might roll back the lushness...but doesn't seem to have the structure to wait that long.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Haven't had this wine since 2010. It has picked up weight and is much more integrated. Smooth tannins and delicious red cherry. Easy to drink and a great food wine. Well done. Shows that these wines age well and are worth the price of admission.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for an hour. Blueberry, camphor, licorice, Oriental lilies and crushed rock. Not much oak and a fresh, silky finish that really coats your palate. Deftly concentrated and very well proportioned. There are quite a few evident layers with complete harmony. Drink now - 2022.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Sadly we did not experience what others have been writing about. Purchased the bottle a few years ago from the winery, decided to enjoy at a nice restaurant. Opened the bottle at 5pm and had a taste, not sure how to describe - I will use a word that has been used before - funk. Was worried we got a bad bottle...Arrived at the Restaurant at 6:40 and had another taste. It just was not enjoyable....again...funk. I will be the first to say myself and my family are no where near as knowledgeable as many people on CT...hence had two people we trust at the Restaurant taste it. They both agreed it was not a defective bottle, but just not coming together, needs more time. At about 7:30 we poured and I was shocked that it went from funk to good - not SS good of course...blackberry / smoke / very soft mouth feel - the finish was weak. I hope all reading have a better experience. Cheers!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
i don't know why i feel differently about this vineyard than the "average" wine drinker on this site, but i do. i look at the scores Caymus SS gets in any particular vintage and see 93s. to me this is consistently one of the best California Cabs, and i'm not complaining because I'd rather shell out $100+ for this than see the price run to $250+ that many boutique wines now get...and frankly many don't measure up.
I brought this wine and an 07 Janasse Vieille Vignes to a big dinner, and the Caymus SS was almost unanimously the WOTN over a field that included cabs from Abreu, Paul Hobbs, and Favia as well as my Janasse. The complexity amongst layers and sweet fruit that coat every sensory zone on the tongue is just sensational.
Thank you Chuck Wagner, who just keeps churning out brilliant wines year after year
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is a full-throttle, muscular Cab balanced by a smooth, velvety texture and silky tannins. Flavors of black currant, plums, espresso, chocolate, with a leathery hints, this wine truly upholds the gold standard in Napa Valley! Drink from 2012 to 2025.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow - median 94 points in 126 reviews. This is a great wine no doubt. This Special Selection blend of Caymus is WITHOUT A DOUBT better than the traditional Caymus as it didn't have anything close to the amount of sweet obnoxious fruit on the front. I rated the other Caymus a 90 - this one gets a 91 and that's rather generous. Wine was decanted for about 3 hours before it was served and kept in a 63 degree wine room until served. This wine threw a bit of sediment upon decanting. Mmmmm. This should be good!! Nose was blackberry and cassis. The wine was very delicate from start to finish. Fruit was still very expressive, although not obnoxiously so. The wine was smoky on the front in collaboration with the blackberry. The mid-palate turned back to smoke and pipe tobacco with a tiny bit of merlot funk. The finish was a little blah, didn't linger much. Tannins were there, but delicate and moderate at best. The QPR is horrible on this bottle. I can list A LOT of wines I could have bought for $150 per that are in another league entirely. Threw a bit of sediment in the decanter. Honestly I'd like to see how a couple more years of age will change this wine for the better, because in 7 years it'll be time to dump it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Outstanding fruit flavors, intensity & depth. Lots of chewy tannins with wonderful balance. Drinking beautifully now, but could go with several more years in the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fully integrated deep rich color, loads of fruit; cherry, currant, nice texture and full balanced feel with a nice long finish, the wine is drinking very nice and benefits from some air. Should be good for several more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1 hr decant. Big nose of black currant, blackberry, sandalwood, and tobacco leaf. Dense palate of sweet blackberry, dark cherry, vanilla bean, and pipe tobacco. Medium plus smooth mocha finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A silky blend of cassis and milk chocolate. The tannins are fully integrated- this really doesn't have any sharp edges. Drinking really well right now- its hard to see this developing into something better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for 30 minutes; poured through aerator. Dark purple color, The wine looks Garnet colored. The legs are Medium. It smells like Black Pepper, and Black currant (cassis). The body is Full. The wine is textured Silky. The wine finishes Medium.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very nice dark fruit, oak and floral fragrance on the nose. Very nice soft tannins, silky mouthfeel and long balanced finish. Just a super bottle of wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I haven't had this bottling in a long time with my palate generally moving away from the Napa fruitbombs. It needed a good 2 hours to begin to open and then revealed a rich, deeply concentrated, cassis-driven cabernet with lots of intensity. Then the finish layers in with those overripe notes of bitter chocolate and jammy fruit. I can remember drinking a 6-year old bottle of the '90 version of this wine that was a thing of balance, grace and beauty. This 2005 version is simply something quite different but I get it if you love the style. I don't.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very dark, almost inky, and lovely plum at the rim. Pure, bright, very ripe fruit and a refined touch of oak. Incredible silkiness on the palate. Very fine tannins and a bit of juicy acidity, with the 15.2% alcohol mostly in check but everpresent. Simple and linear, and unlikely to ever show better than it is right now, this is still a lovely wine, perhaps the finest of its style I have tasted. DKD purchased for BYOB at Grand Del Mar lounge.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is a very nice smooth wine, but with lots of intense flavor. Dark fruit and some earthiness. Very dark purple color and fragrant nose. There is not much oak. Decanted for only one hour.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted about 90 minutes. Very dark inky colour. Huge nose of blue berries. This wine holds nothing back. Its like being beaten by fruit and alcohol. Not for the faint of heart and not my style of wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Outstanding wine! Caymus in general is one of my favorite wines and the special selection takes it up a notch. Our family enjoyed a few bottles with a great steak dinner
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Delicious! Drank with 2007 altamura, which was initially as good but too young. 30-60 min later, CSS accelerated to another level. Less sweet than altamura, great mouth feel and medium tannins, which felt just right. Nose and front was less fruit and oak than other caymus, hefty mid, and long rich finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rich earthy nose. Ponderous loamy palate with sweet dark fruits. Showed best after one hour decant thinning out somewhat down the strech. Open for business.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A gobs-y wine, with gobs of scrumptious blackberries pounded into an alcoholic paste with generous splashes of vanilla creme. This expression of Cabernet is about as unsubtle as it gets, pouring on buckets of flavors that are rather limited in number and severely limited thematically. Certainly something only a hedonist could love, or at least buy.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Color: dark inky purple clear Nose: sweet tannin, sweet blueberry , mint Palate : forward fruits, sweet blueberry , eucalyptus, mint, hot, balsamic with sweet round tannins, balanced, with good length and body. Not my style but an excellent wine if you like big wines
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Interesting "garden fresh" notes of tomato and earth as well as mineral flavors and some bright fruit. A nice lingering finish, but not the rich plushness of some of the younger Caymus cabernets.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark color. Beautiful nose of blueberry, cassis and just a hint of a floral component. Fantastic rich mouthfeel with blueberry and cedar transitions to a mocha component with some tartness reminiscent of pomegranate on the finish. Firm but sweet tannins. Really fabulous wine. Looking forward to trying it with the prime rib later.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Guess I just didn't get this one or maybe it wasn't open long enough. Rich, plummy, smooth, enojoyable but didn't sense any distinction. Not overly tannic or oaky. Quite pleasant. Finish was kind of muddied - not bad just didn't leave me craving for more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had latein th evening so the note is short. Absolutely delicious. Felt like a speed date that I would want to revisit. Big black and red cali fruit. Not for the faint of heart. If you like young cabs, go for it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Enjoyed a magnum with bone-in ribeye and roasted veggies. Simple meal - fabulous wine. Stood the bottle all day then decanted and poured and enjoyed over 2-3 hours. Subtle and soft on the palate. Plenty of dark red fruit on the nose and mouth. It always amazes me how drinkable Caymus cabs are even when young and how long they hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had along with 08 Jacquelynn and you could see the difference. Traditional Caymus but seemed rather one dimensional in comparison. A bit of an unfair match but still a very worthy wine. Velvety smooth and pure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow. Entire group loved this wine. Great big napa cab, but with the subtleties expected of the special selection. Great with steak. Decanted for 90 minutes, but 2nd glass was even better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Being new to the whole "Napa Monster" thing this is a little intimidating, probably based on the 15.2% blaring out from the label...
1 hour decant. I suppose I was expecting inky black, but deep crimson is more the stick here. Mind you those threads are screaming that alc level - this is another level of "fine legs" entirely. I almost thought the wine was going to stick to the sides of the glass and a spoon would be required.
Nose is big cab and vanilla, but more red fruit compote than black. A small forest of oak. Nice licorice tang and a little blackberry tingle, but buried and all a bit closed. Much vigorous swirling is getting some complexity - some very high quality dark Belgian chocolate? Black shoe cream. Kidskin leather. 20 mins of swirling and sniffing and now that fruit is turning dark as a pontefract cake and blackcurrant jam. Still lots of oak. Quite a sweet nose. This TN could become an essay, go grab something to drink along...
Very full-bodied. Huge whiskey-ish alcohol wallop on the attack is not entirely pleasant. Big structure but tight and closed. Aggressive and assertive with some drying and quite dusty tannins. Huge grip. I really don't see how anyone can accuse this bruiser of being "elegant"! Power, power and more power - I can almost feel the enamel peeling off my teeth. Not so much a finish as a persistent lingering presence.Where is it going? No frame of reference for these things and really no idea. Certainly needs time but how long? If a European producer such as Latour kicked out something like this I'm sure Parker would go crazy for it and Jancis would retire.
An event certainly, but an enjoyable drinking experience? Sadly not at the moment unless I'm missing the point. Inspires a certain level of awe in the same way a 400lb linebacker would. In Europe this stuff sells for £100/$160+. The letters Q, P and R deserve to be nowhere near this note. No score unless "bemusement" is quantifiable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This could really have used at least an two hours in the decanter, but it was getting late and the host is impatient so it was popped and poured. Very smooth, well balanced wine with classic Cabernet flavors. Elegant and a little austere, it was just starting to open up more towards the end, about an 45 minutes after opening. Not as tannic as I expected, there's no reason to wait on this one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Stout nose off the bat. I was expecting this to evolve over the next hour or so. Didn't get much. I also made the mistake of not letting the bottle sit upright for 2 hours before I popped the cork. Guess you know how much I wanted to drink that night eh? Nose @ 30 mins after decanting - cherry, licorice, cinammon and a hint of oak. Smooth to drink, extremely easy on the palate. Young tight tannins. @ 1 hr mark, butter, jammy, big gobs of fruit. Huge body yet smooth. I had a hint of lychee on my last glass. Finished peppery. Very easy to drink. I wanted more from this wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
We enjoyed this at Le Caille in Salt Lake City with the Lebrechts and Henrys. We found out in the afternoon that Le Caille was only offering a chef’s menu that night which at first disappointed us as we have our favorite plates. This was opened right away, but we had a lot of fun with a couple of great White Burgs so it had about 45 minutes to exhale. I think this my first Spec Sel of the 2005 Caymus. I know the bench mark was the 2002 but this was an amazing wine. Inky dark dark purple and a nose that just slapped you with smoked meats, vanilla, casis, and even a pleasant smell like old Ticonderoga pencils. Once in the mouth, more meaty taste, some exotic peppery feel and real Jammy. I gotta get some for the cellar, a spectacular wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured at Cowboy Star. After 30 minutes this wine develops into something really enjoyable. Dark red in color with a nose of earth and red fruits. Flavors of currant, a hint of blueberry and a bit of vanilla. Not overly jammy or alcoholic. Seven people considered this the wine of the dinner.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
great structure and balance between earth and fruit. Smooth balanced finish that was long and strong. Very drinkable now with moderate tannins. Should age well.Can't wait to try another.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted next to the 94 vintage and I was really hoping for a little more out of this wine. Gobs of ripe fruit with a big full bodied attack on the palate but sorta fell off a bit for me on the finish. A good wine but you can do much much better at this price point.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fabulous bottle of wine, one hour in the decanter and this was rocking. Great nose, concentrated/complex palate, great body and texture and a long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
35 min decant (stupid) N: med intensity, tight, muscular, dark black cherry, rich oily black leather, ripe blk currant, pine forest, spicey cedar. Palate: m+ acid, m+ grippy tann, full body, m++ finish, highly concentrated, massive, tight, raspberry liq, cassis, blk cherry, wet maduro, black soil, needs time and air, dont touch til '13. aegisepolis@hotmail.com
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very smooth for it’s age. The nose is very faint but does offer cassis and mineral notes. Nice fruit balance with plumb, spice, currant and a touch of earth. For me, it’s way overpriced but that doesn’t take away from the quality.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
knew it would be young, but had to do it being Christmas and all. Eventually opened up after an hour or so. Balanced. Won't touch the others til next decade.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Caymus is one of my favorites and for good reasons. This is a great bottle of wine and will be even better in a few years. I will have to add a few more bottles to the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Glorious. Lots going on here, but at this price, there better be tons to experience. Started off sweet and spicy then evolved into super smooth dark fruit. The mouthfeel...extraordinary. Lonnngggg finish. You feel like royalty drinking this guy. So far, Caymus Special Selection has been the best I've had.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Definitely good and easy to drink, but I got the feeling it would really benefit from decanting to get past the initial burst of alcohol and fruit. The nose was completely overwhelmed by dark fruit, with other elements only starting to creep in after an hour in the glass (I wish we had more time for it to evolve). The wine felt beautiful in the mouth, with intense ripe black currants and plum lingering on a 25-second finish. All that said, I found it too singular and over-the-top to compete with other wines that can be found at that price point.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Typical huge Cali cab nose, a little overly jammy up front, but a great finish. Once the fruit settles down and integrates better, this could be super nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
For whatever reason, this was decanted 2 hours by someone else, and it did not need it. Super rich and over ripe black fruits, dried plums and figs. Chocolate and cedar with vanilla, cigar box. The acidity is so frighteningly low. Ultra flabby with no desire to go back for another glass. The flavors are nice, but the overripe texture, ripe tannins, and almost sweet finish (residual sugar? probably) and the lack of acidity makes this a less quality wine than I'd like to pay for.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Hugely alcoholic nose right out of the bottle. Overwhelmed the fruit. Poured through a Vinturi into a decanter for two hours. Nicely tamed the hot nose, revealing cassis and mocha notes. Drank over three hours, and continued to evolve in the glass. Stunning wine; perhaps not the best vintage for this iconic bottling but I can't imagine what might be better from Napa in 2005. Definitely drunk too young, but what sweet infanticide! Will compare in 5 years to the other bottle I purchased.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted blind with five other "random" reds. Deep, gamey aromas. Drying, dusty tannins. Over time opened to more rich fruit and complexity. Glad to get a chance to taste this but it is probably far too young.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Caymus Winery (Napa Valley, CA): Although it came across a bit more closed than the regular Cab, the gravitas of this wine is quite apparent. Bordeaux-like aromas of smoke, scorched earth, and cassis. Dense palate of cassis, graphite, minerals, and toasty oak with a long, refined finish. 92-93 points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Teddy brought this out only because a guest was commenting on it. It followed an Ash Hollow 2004 Syrah and a Levendi Sweetwater 2004 cab, both quite good. This one was just too tight, and needed a lot of time to breathe, which we didn't give it. That bottle was poured into 10 glasses, so before I knew it, it was gone. You can tell that this has something good going on, but no rating at this time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wine Spectator Grand Tour (Las Vegas): Very fresh dark fruit aromas. Full bodied mouthfeel and soft as usual. More acidic backbone than normal and some slight earth notes. very good again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
had it by the glass at Iredescense for only $35/glass- a relative steal- noticed the fruit, very smooth, excellent wine- I guess the wrong wine -special selection- was delivered and they wanted to get rid of the inventory-I don't normally drink wine at this price point, but very much enjoyed the experience
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was the only '05 in the tasting - the rest were '04. A little stinky on the nose - manure and barnyard which I find interesting. In fact, I thought it was VERY stinky on the nose. But rish, luxurious, super smooth. Perfect balance. Just a very pretty wine. Great fruit and great acidity. VERY balanced. Ranked it #1 as did many others.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Surprisingly good for a wine with 15.2% alcohol. However they did it is rather impressive. Had this at a tasting, this wine is way too young to drink right now. On the nose dark fruits, currants, spice box some earthiness, and from the palate, tobacco, dark fruits and spices. This one just needs some time. Has the tanning and structure to go at least 15+ years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
What can you say? Another great offering from Caymus. I will buy/drink Caymus SS all day long! Always delivers- not matter what the vintage. Had at Ocean Club in Scottsdale w/ BP
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Typical Caymus SS...always one of the best bottles you can consume. Great nose, complex, great finish. Can sit for a few years to smooth out the tannins. However, given that it was an 05, the tannins were very balanced. Outstanding vino!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Definitely needs to shed some baby fat. Nose is a bit closed down with the more austere mountain fruit coming through right now. Drink the Caymus Cab while you are waiting for this. 91-93.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted at the winery - very austere at this stage of its life. Not easy to score with this wine so young. I tasted this alongside the Napa Valley Cab which was drinking much better. In the tasting room they recommended that this wine be decanted for an hour prior to consumption. In time this will be a knockout. (90-94)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for a little over an hour was full-bodied had a perfect silky finish with cherry, plum, and currant notes. Drank way too young but can already see the beauty in this wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bought this at a small liquor store while traveling in Boston. Of course we drank it too soon. But, like in the movies, when the the ex-con who has gone straight is forced to do one last job to save the world, sometimes it is fun to be forced to do the evil thing. So, yes we drank this instead of cellaring it, but we had no choice. It was the only bottle we had. We were forced to drink the young, great Cabernet, before it reached its prime. It was still extraordinary and unique experience to taste. Please forgive us.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
nose: tons of stuff going on here. Coffee, hazelnut, cranberry, cherry, and slight hints of cola on the back end of the nose. Big and powerful fruit forward nose
taste: huge smooth attack on the mouth. Cranberry, vanilla, sour cherry, and some mocha on the finish. Big time mouth feel
overall: This is a big time wine, but not a blow away wine just yet. It's young, but oh soo smooth. Tons of polish on the wine and brings a really nice long lasting finish. Just not enough to push it into that next category, but this is some really great wine
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted this gem over the weekend, what a great wine. Beautiful color and fragrant nose of cedar, and black berries. Very little acidity or tannins. Wine is ready to drink now or can be held for years to come.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
12/26/2023 - Budsberg wrote: 95 Points
Still in a great drinking period
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/1/2023 - cpl100n Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fruits on the nose
Dark purple color no browning
Long sweet finish
This has a lot of life
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/27/2022 - Tudz Drkl Likes this wine:
Tasting the Americans (Chez Nous): Ruby/Purple wine, clear and clean with no apparent bricking. The nose is dark fruits with some vegetal notes and eucalyptus like spiciness. On the palate, this is very well structure and interesting. Full silty tannins fill the mouth and give space to a well directed and well balanced and long finishing profile. A pleasure!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (1)
11/27/2021 - Fatty Cat wrote: 94 Points
Rarities dinner “Spectacular Californians” late Nov 2021: rubin red color; full nose of cassis, red berries and mint; juicy and fruity on the palate; fine tannins in the cheeks. 93-94/100
Already very good approachable. He should offer even more with 3-5 years of additional cellar time.
Simultaneously tasted the Caymus Special Selection 2004 which performed a bit better (94-95/100, see CT tasting note).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/3/2021 - dexterng wrote: 91 Points
This big boy still is approaching its prime. Still needs a couple of hours of decanting at least. I can't really tell the color cause it was dark, but its typical round, bold, Cali Cab, nice scent of cinnamon and with long finish of caramelized sweetness. Not masculine at all in my own terms but definitely is a blossom lady with a character.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/5/2021 - grape man wrote: 93 Points
- Full body. Round texture with a long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/22/2021 - Cruzin Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely wine. Noticed a bit of the funk upon uncorking mentioned in another note but it wasn't a flaw, not corked or brett. 2 hour Decant and nose and palate were clean. Drinking beautifully, stood up to aggressive food without a flinch. Well balanced to the last sip.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/4/2021 - EEK Likes this wine: 97 Points
Exceptional well balanced and structured, notes of blackberry and cassis, refined tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/29/2020 - NY Wino Likes this wine: 95 Points
Double decanted a magnum with first pour after 2 hours. This wine is a beauty and just entering its peak drinking window. Still at least 10++ years left to drink this wine. Big delicious fruit with solid but softening tannins and a long delicious finish. One of the better Napa cabs I have drunk in a while.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2020 - Gatekeeper wrote:
!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/1/2020 - cab blends Does not like this wine: 90 Points
NOT blind.
This was confusing. Initial nose was stinky and smelt of the cellar (not corked) which I have never had with Caymus SS before. This blew off after a few minutes.
After 30 or so minutes that improved and it returned to a more normal caymus.
Some green and black pepper on the nose.
Cinnamon and vanilla on the body.
Medium body only. Not a normal Caymus SS for me. This was a PnP so maybe decanting may have changed it and I will decant my next bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/17/2020 - pdicorpo Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was ridiculously. good! Noted dark fruit, chocolate and licorice on the nose. Consistent flavors to taste. Wonderfully smooth finish. This was. an extraordinary bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/18/2020 - candyman wrote:
Beautiful expression of the grape ! Thank you Camus. fruit is their get it while you can. Cherry licorice and more evolving in the glass . after 1.5 hr. alcohol nose smooths out
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/15/2020 - vpoms wrote: 94 Points
Deep garnet, powerful nose of tar, cooked black fruit, rich vanilla and hint of cedar and chocolate, Fully developed, mature wine. Very rich mouthfeel, that is dry and just the right combination of tannins, alcohol and body.powerfull flavors of leather, meat, with savory notes. Can definitely distinguish dark chocolate and smoke notes. Very good wine that should be consumed now. I would not hold it for more than 3-5 more years at most.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/9/2020 - WineWright Likes this wine: 96 Points
This has evolved powerfully since my previous bottles of the 2005. The nose opened like a tar-laden fist in the face Syrah, but softened smoothly by the second hour til the end. Throughout, the palate was punctuated by rich and velvety dark fruit and a huge finish. Ka-Pow!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/4/2020 - sdr Does not like this wine: 88 Points
I Guess I Just Don’t Get It (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): On the positive side, it is deep and rich. For me though it’s just too fruity and lacking structure. While objectively it’s not a bad wine, it shows just what mature Napa wine doesn’t have, namely an iota of complexity.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/18/2020 - ebert Likes this wine: 95 Points
Silky smooth cabernet with medium-deep cherry flavors and a long smooth finish. Nice, but subtle complexity with good development in the mouth. Subtle chocolate flavors and minerality add to the mouthfeel and flavors. Very elegant in structure right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/14/2019 - jsebiri wrote:
Very nice wine , not over top , fruit obvious , sweet, less grip or spine than I was expecting , enjoy no rush.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/30/2019 - Lahontan Likes this wine: 92 Points
When it comes to being silky smooth, this wine knows no equal.... But that's pretty much all you get: intensely smooth cassis, black-currant lined with lots chewy comfort inducing alcohol, this is drinkable valium... Oh so very nice, but absurdly one-dimensional. So what does one grade? The talent in eliciting a incredibly pleasurable drinking experience, or the lack of sense of terroir, the lack of complexity or balance? Depending on what you are looking for, this wine is either perfect or seriously lacking.
If it were cheaper this would be my (great) everyday wine, but make no mistake about it, this is not great, this is not a 95 wine: to say so does a disservice to the very notion of what a great wine can be. It says more about you than the wine...
Imho of course ;)
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/11/2019 - Bachus Maling Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 90 mins and drinking extremely well. Paired with some Wagu grilled beef.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/16/2019 - Vino_Veritas Likes this wine: 92 Points
PnP, drank over 1 hour. What you expect - full bodied Cali cab in the classic Caymus style with velvety cherry and vanillin. Nice every now and then but would tire of it with regular consumption. Not quite as plush at the end as in the beginning, enjoyed the ‘06 a bit more - a more harmonious wine. When drinking Caymus (regular or SS), like it best young.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/15/2019 - unrelenting wrote: 97 Points
Not typically a Caymus fan, as I prefer French & Italian, but I tasted this blind and was blown away. Literally tied for my first place w/ a 1990 Montrose. It drank like a 2000 Bordeaux -- such complexity, still somewhat young.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/21/2018 - Quiet Lion wrote: 93 Points
Well-aged intense Cabernet with tobacco nose, unfocused Cassis on the palate, peppery finish. These are overpriced compared to the innovative producers in my opinion.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/28/2018 - lebo9968@gmail.com Does not like this wine: 85 Points
i was disappointed with this wine. the high alcohol and fruit profile on this wine made me think it was more of a light port than a cab sauv. tasted over 3 days. decanted and aerated as an experiment throughout the bottle with no improvement.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/25/2018 - Rfree wrote:
Really
I just tasted against a Napa Bouncristtiani 2007
If Caymus is getting 93 then the Bouncristtiani should get 103 talk about brand inflation
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/29/2018 - rgkresek wrote: 93 Points
Great fruit. Well balanced
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/14/2018 - Bcw1989 wrote: 92 Points
Very nice bottle of wine. Tannins have really dropped off. Still full of ripe red fruits and finish is long lasting with a nice mouth feel. This is in its elegant stage. Great drinking wine right now. Deep dark look to it with very little sediment in the wine. Only downside, did not evolve much over the course of the evening. Did not drink with food either. Drink them if you have them.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/24/2018 - carman Likes this wine: 94 Points
With Stuart at Wood and Water for his birthday.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/15/2017 - NarunP Does not like this wine: 82 Points
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Deep, opaque, rather dull ruby. Compact rim.
The nose gives away milk chocolate-coated blue blueberry, some anise, cinnamon, with a slight hint of graphite and tobacco.
Structurally, this wine is soft but substantial. Silky and velvety. Lots of creamy blueberry fruit - almost like a milkshake. Ripe plum, dried fig, and some cassis. Low acid which makes this wine rather mono-dimensional. Even though declared at 15 plus abv, the heat is very well hidden. Toasted new oak, cedary wood, with some smoky backend.
Clearly this wine is well loved but it runs against what I believe is the model for a classic Napa Cab. With this much abv, low acid, and soft tannin, it will not evolve into anything else beyond its current state. Look elsewhere for more exciting alternatives. 82.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/30/2017 - Jeffrey Silver wrote: 97 Points
Wanting to see how this 2005 was progressing. Decanted for 4hrs and and it’s progressing well. Glad to have more. Smell of rose hips, coco, and fruity note. Very soft and velvety. Taste has allot of chocolate with strawberries. Also some sense of leather and carmel. This is one Napa Valley Finest and it’s got a big future ahead of it. 2002 is still the finest but 2005 is a winner.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/29/2017 - cpl100n Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very dark purple layers of fruit very long finish some tanins will drink for another 10 years Date night will finish at Del Porto 5 star in Covington Louisiana
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/25/2017 - GiWineDoc Likes this wine: 94 Points
Excellent! Ready to drink
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/7/2017 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 93 Points
Fun blind tasting of Napa Valley Cabernets, we decided to choose two from 2011 while my Dad selected two different vintages of Caymus Special Selection.
Deep and dark purplish ruby red. Layers of oak influence, toasted, vanilla, cinnamon and dark cherries. Heavy tannins (7.5/10) and full bodied. Rich palate with bramble berries, black fruits, dark cocoa and a touch herbal. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2026.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/7/2017 - cab blends wrote: 92 Points
Cinnamon and vanilla on the nose. Light greenish in the finish. Strawberry red fruit with cherry. Dark chocolate and cocoa with wood in the finish.
I think this needs more decanting - it had 3 to 4 hours.
Nose 6 Heavy 6 Fruit 6 Dryness 4 Tannins 8 Finish 7
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/30/2017 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 93 Points
Fun coravined wine to finish off the celebration tasting.
Dark and deep garnet red. A touch dirty on the nose, smoky, toasty, spiced and a little bit of sweet spices. Heavy tannins (7.5/10) and full bodied. Rich and dark palate with plums, dark and black berries. Some cinnamon and rich vanilla notes too. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2021.
Not a giant fruit bomb like the more recent vintages of Caymus Special Selection but a real treat. Definitely could of used a bit of air on the nose but delicious none the less.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/24/2017 - Wine Sparty wrote: 93 Points
Poured into a decanter for removing sediment. Drank over the next 3 hours with grilled filet mignon. Aroma is heavy dark fruit such as blackberry and blueberry. Very thick mouthfeel, with the dark fruits continuing. A decent amount of drying tannins at the end. This is in a good spot now, but may be ideal in another few years. Nice wine for people that enjoy the bigger Cali cabs.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/16/2017 - dhammer53 wrote:
Drank this in Albany. Dark color. Raisin. This is very tasty and enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/10/2017 - wurzel68 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Blaubeere, Brombeere, Zigarrenkiste, Bitterschoko, fetter, mir zu alkoholreicher, trotzdem sehr leckerer Wein mit langem Abgang, Massen an fein- bis mittelkörnigem Tannin.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/3/2016 - winebuff037 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dinner with the Tan's at Puben. Brought by Andy, lots of fruits and fleshy, delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/30/2016 - lebo9968@gmail.com wrote: 88 Points
Disappointing. Never opened up to show much of anything. Color was not as dark as expected. Actually starting to take on a little browning around the rim. The wine was consistent throughout the bottle, from initial opening, through aeration, decant and over 2+ hours of consumption. At 15.2% alcohol, the wine actually had a bit of a port-like element to it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/14/2016 - pdemaio Likes this wine: 94 Points
Big fruit and cotton candy on the nose. Complexity. Good structure. Plenty of acid and nice round tannins. Should go for a long time, but tasting great now.
PDQ94+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/28/2016 - pdemaio wrote: 95 Points
Big, sweet tasting, Napa cab. Cotton candy, read and black fruit, and plum. Long finish, with good acid.
PDQ95
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2015 - winelover1808 wrote: 94 Points
gorgeous. great balance - lots of fruit, but also not too hot and tannins were quite smooth.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/11/2015 - WineWright Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark and velvety, with excellent balance of feel and flavors. The nose was a bit stingy, but all things considered, this wine is drinking beautifully.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/8/2015 - tsue Likes this wine: 94 Points
Always enjoy the Caymus Special Selection.
This bottle was very good...In my opinion has another 5 years before it reaches its peak but is very good know!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/26/2015 - stconner Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped and poured. Drank over the following 90 minutes. The wine was drinking well right out of the gate, though I would still recommend a 60-90 minute decant as the wine tasted the best towards the end of dinner. It is very dark in color. Great nose and still plenty of fruit on the mid-palate. Very smooth wine & nice long finish. Not sure you really need to wait much longer to drink it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/8/2015 - DesertDrinker wrote: 90 Points
Really drinking well. Tannins have softened after 10 years...quite peppery, lots of dark cherry/plum fruits on the palate. Bright fruit and lether on thenose.. enjoyable now and for another decade. imhop
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/14/2015 - MadDog2020 wrote: 94 Points
Superb from the first sip. Still fantastic notes of fruit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/7/2015 - fritza Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark in color, smooth in texture, brilliant on the nose. Decanted for 2+ hours. Delicious with dark berry and chocolate, tannins non existent. Sure time will tame down the big fruit, if that's what you prefer, but I think this wine is amazing now after 10 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/2/2015 - DesertDrinker Likes this wine: 88 Points
Pretty typical Caymus, reliably good though a bit jammy..can age a while.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (3)
6/20/2015 - cabellis Likes this wine: 97 Points
I recently opened a case of the 2005 to give a bottle as a gift without tasting it myself. I decided it best to open one this weekend to experiment with and determine how best to serve to friends and guests. This is a wonderful example of Special Select. I would recommend a minimum of two hours of decanting time before sampling. After opening, I poured a small glass and found it to be very tight and tannic but wonderful aroma of chocolate and smoke. It still has plenty of rich fruit so typical of Caymus. I then poured and sampled a glass hourly and it came into its own between hour three and four. The tannins became soft and savory and the wine had a 30 second finish. This would be a great wine with a standing rib roast or tenderloin. This wine will also stand out in blind tasting with other big California cabs.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/3/2015 - jcasey555 Likes this wine: 90 Points
seemed over oaked.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/27/2015 - hammie1234 wrote: 94 Points
Exceptional
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/7/2015 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 93 Points
wow. This fruit bomb had a lot going on. Drank side by side to a 2010. Love noting the age difference.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/28/2015 - gmbdds wrote:
Tasted double blind. Interesting and unique among a group of seven bottles. Peppery and spicy with subtle fruit on the nose. Sweet fruit palate with cinnamon and spice. Finishes rich and solid. This is a big and intriguing wine, but came across a little weird tonight. I've scored twice before at 90 and 91. Blind, I said 89-90 this time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2014 - ibes44 wrote: 96 Points
Very rich, plum and chocolate nose and full flavor. A rich steak like a ribeye matches perfectly
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/25/2014 - Martin Redmond Likes this wine: 93 Points
Consistent with prior review - Garnet color with very appealing plum, cassis, blueberry, a hint of leather and sweet oak aromas. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, focused, and intense with a lush texture and well integrated oak, and soft sweet tannins. It shows plum, blackberry and a bit of vanillin spice flavors. Long finish. Beautiful now with plenty of years ahead of it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/25/2014 - jcasey555 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very smooth tannins, drinking well at this point.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/2/2014 - Martin Redmond Likes this wine: 93 Points
Garnet color with very appealing plum, cassis, blueberry, a hint of leather and sweet oak aromas. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, focused, and intense with a lush texture and well integrated oak, and soft sweet tannins. It shows plum, blackberry and a bit of vanillin spice flavors. Long finish. Beautiful now with plenty of years ahead of it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/26/2014 - RJandGB Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fabulous now and has years to run. Decanted mostly to make it easier to pour and to share 2000-2005 vertical (an amazing table with 48 glasses and 6 decanters-yes, we did have food too). Deep rich red in color. Dark fruit on the nose. Well integrated oak and tannin. Very rich, which is the Caymus special selection style-a style that I think makes them drinkable young but able to hold for many years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/14/2014 - iamandyc wrote: 92 Points
Mother's Day treat. Huge wine. Maybe too huge for me. Lots of spice, waves of layers, oak...huge. Crowd pleaser for sure but a bit overwhelming and hard to keep drinking. Follows the Caymus formula.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/13/2014 - carstenf wrote: 95 Points
It was just so good and wonderfull as I had expected ! We got it together with Pahlmeyer
Cabernet 2005 , and the Caymus was best , though it was a different wine. They were both
dark in colour and mature fruit , and the Pahlmeyer were a bit more mineral. I have more of
both wines and will prefer them now and the next 2-3 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/1/2014 - LSussman wrote:
- Garnet color. It's balanced with a medium body. Silky texture with a medium finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2013 - gmbdds wrote: 91 Points
Strong, bold and complex with earth, clove, orange peel and pepper to go along with dark fruit. Big in a sense with a lot of personality but the fruit is almost secondary.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/21/2013 - Kitebrian Likes this wine: 91 Points
Claret in color. On the nose full fruit and medium oak. A lot of aromas here, most notably wild game, with other notes of chocolate, smoke and forrest floor. In the mouth off dry and tannins definitely overwhelm the acidity. This is a classic example of a new world, "big-syrupy" wine. Medium finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/12/2013 - mwneil Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very good wine. Beautiful balance, not heavy, the wine floats in your mouth, good mouth feel, nice bouquet, classy wine, enjoyed immensely with filet of beef; drank at a Caymus tasting dinner. Would drink again except for the price.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/10/2013 - Bcw1989 wrote: 92 Points
Impressive bottle. Definite jammy feel to the. OSS. First taste was full of cherries, raspberries, mocha, and some chocolate hints. Good bottle of wine. Has many more years left to cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/3/2013 - ptelgenh Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was a fantastic bottle. Impressive depth and concentration. Ripe cherries, vanilla and forest floor. Medium tannins. Drink now but this one has lasting power.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/12/2013 - jcampano Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for only 30 minutes, this is the fifth bottle of this wine I've consumed, and it is definitely the best. Mix of spicy oak, vanilla and black fruit with an ultra-smooth ending.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/7/2013 - cdmoky wrote: 95 Points
Ripe dark fruit. Smooth tannins. Getting toward port level richness
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/14/2013 - blaine wrote: 92 Points
This one is hard for me. I'm not a fan of this particular implementation of this style...but this is an absolutely beautiful example of the pinnacle of this style of winemaking. Big, ripe, soft, alcoholic. We got wasted on this 15% plus bottle. Beautiful color, zero sign of age on this 8-year old wine. Cork in fabulous shape. Not a big nose on pop and pour. Big full and lush on the palate. Very short on acidity, and combined with the ripeness a little flabby in a special selection way. Not a particularly memorable finish. But so beautiful, my wife and I had a nice intellectual discussion about this wine. It's been a year since I had one of my special selections...the last one was stylistically the same...it is what it is...big, beautiful, chocolate, Caymus style. No hurry, and some more time might roll back the lushness...but doesn't seem to have the structure to wait that long.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/16/2013 - rdsboca wrote: 95 Points
Haven't had this wine since 2010. It has picked up weight and is much more integrated. Smooth tannins and delicious red cherry. Easy to drink and a great food wine. Well done. Shows that these wines age well and are worth the price of admission.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/31/2013 - Jeff U Likes this wine:
Very nice
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/30/2013 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for an hour. Blueberry, camphor, licorice, Oriental lilies and crushed rock. Not much oak and a fresh, silky finish that really coats your palate. Deftly concentrated and very well proportioned. There are quite a few evident layers with complete harmony. Drink now - 2022.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/30/2013 - OBrien wrote: 88 Points
Sadly we did not experience what others have been writing about. Purchased the bottle a few years ago from the winery, decided to enjoy at a nice restaurant. Opened the bottle at 5pm and had a taste, not sure how to describe - I will use a word that has been used before - funk. Was worried we got a bad bottle...Arrived at the Restaurant at 6:40 and had another taste. It just was not enjoyable....again...funk. I will be the first to say myself and my family are no where near as knowledgeable as many people on CT...hence had two people we trust at the Restaurant taste it. They both agreed it was not a defective bottle, but just not coming together, needs more time. At about 7:30 we poured and I was shocked that it went from funk to good - not SS good of course...blackberry / smoke / very soft mouth feel - the finish was weak. I hope all reading have a better experience. Cheers!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/21/2012 - kr522 wrote: 97 Points
i don't know why i feel differently about this vineyard than the "average" wine drinker on this site, but i do. i look at the scores Caymus SS gets in any particular vintage and see 93s. to me this is consistently one of the best California Cabs, and i'm not complaining because I'd rather shell out $100+ for this than see the price run to $250+ that many boutique wines now get...and frankly many don't measure up.
I brought this wine and an 07 Janasse Vieille Vignes to a big dinner, and the Caymus SS was almost unanimously the WOTN over a field that included cabs from Abreu, Paul Hobbs, and Favia as well as my Janasse. The complexity amongst layers and sweet fruit that coat every sensory zone on the tongue is just sensational.
Thank you Chuck Wagner, who just keeps churning out brilliant wines year after year
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/12/2012 - The King wrote: 93 Points
As advertised, silky smooth, fruity but balanced. The perfect birthday wine with Prime Rib!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/5/2012 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is a full-throttle, muscular Cab balanced by a smooth, velvety texture and silky tannins. Flavors of black currant, plums, espresso, chocolate, with a leathery hints, this wine truly upholds the gold standard in Napa Valley! Drink from 2012 to 2025.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/23/2012 - mflesh wrote: 91 Points
Wow - median 94 points in 126 reviews. This is a great wine no doubt. This Special Selection blend of Caymus is WITHOUT A DOUBT better than the traditional Caymus as it didn't have anything close to the amount of sweet obnoxious fruit on the front. I rated the other Caymus a 90 - this one gets a 91 and that's rather generous. Wine was decanted for about 3 hours before it was served and kept in a 63 degree wine room until served. This wine threw a bit of sediment upon decanting. Mmmmm. This should be good!! Nose was blackberry and cassis. The wine was very delicate from start to finish. Fruit was still very expressive, although not obnoxiously so. The wine was smoky on the front in collaboration with the blackberry. The mid-palate turned back to smoke and pipe tobacco with a tiny bit of merlot funk. The finish was a little blah, didn't linger much. Tannins were there, but delicate and moderate at best. The QPR is horrible on this bottle. I can list A LOT of wines I could have bought for $150 per that are in another league entirely. Threw a bit of sediment in the decanter. Honestly I'd like to see how a couple more years of age will change this wine for the better, because in 7 years it'll be time to dump it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/10/2012 - webbaker Likes this wine: 95 Points
Outstanding fruit flavors, intensity & depth. Lots of chewy tannins with wonderful balance. Drinking beautifully now, but could go with several more years in the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2012 - sumshark wrote: 89 Points
Not the same as the last bottle, a little flat on the nose and palate, not very expressive or complex.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/5/2012 - Vetluver wrote:
- Ruby color.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/28/2012 - cepageyakima wrote: 91 Points
A lot of fruit but not a lot of balance..Very poor for a california vintage as good as this! I think this is as good as it gets...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/25/2012 - The Wine Guy wrote: 93 Points
Fully integrated deep rich color, loads of fruit; cherry, currant, nice texture and full balanced feel with a nice long finish, the wine is drinking very nice and benefits from some air. Should be good for several more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/18/2012 - PPM wrote: 94 Points
- Violet color with fast forming legs and has flavours of cherry and black currant with a full body. Round texture with a long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/10/2012 - bobpsi wrote: 92 Points
1 hr decant. Big nose of black currant, blackberry, sandalwood, and tobacco leaf. Dense palate of sweet blackberry, dark cherry, vanilla bean, and pipe tobacco. Medium plus smooth mocha finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2012 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 91 Points
A silky blend of cassis and milk chocolate. The tannins are fully integrated- this really doesn't have any sharp edges. Drinking really well right now- its hard to see this developing into something better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2011 - skaliner wrote: 96 Points
Fabulous!!!!!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2011 - rjonas wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 30 minutes; poured through aerator. Dark purple color,
The wine looks Garnet colored.
The legs are Medium.
It smells like Black Pepper, and Black currant (cassis).
The body is Full.
The wine is textured Silky.
The wine finishes Medium.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/11/2011 - CabIsKing wrote: 94 Points
Very nice dark fruit, oak and floral fragrance on the nose. Very nice soft tannins, silky mouthfeel and long balanced finish. Just a super bottle of wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/12/2011 - sjdcellar wrote: 93 Points
had at Fleming's - popped and poured - very good with more bordeaux like finish than California - flowers and controlled tannin.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/7/2011 - alamoave wrote: 90 Points
Good for what it is. Hoping some years will add some nuances.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/12/2011 - dream wrote: 86 Points
I haven't had this bottling in a long time with my palate generally moving away from the Napa fruitbombs. It needed a good 2 hours to begin to open and then revealed a rich, deeply concentrated, cassis-driven cabernet with lots of intensity. Then the finish layers in with those overripe notes of bitter chocolate and jammy fruit. I can remember drinking a 6-year old bottle of the '90 version of this wine that was a thing of balance, grace and beauty. This 2005 version is simply something quite different but I get it if you love the style. I don't.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/6/2011 - petitblanc wrote: 93 Points
Very dark, almost inky, and lovely plum at the rim. Pure, bright, very ripe fruit and a refined touch of oak. Incredible silkiness on the palate. Very fine tannins and a bit of juicy acidity, with the 15.2% alcohol mostly in check but everpresent. Simple and linear, and unlikely to ever show better than it is right now, this is still a lovely wine, perhaps the finest of its style I have tasted. DKD purchased for BYOB at Grand Del Mar lounge.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/1/2011 - photoguy wrote: 87 Points
A big red for sure, pretty smooth, I can see it getting better
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/15/2011 - BRSAustinTex wrote: 90 Points
Quite good but I'll agree with other reviewers that the fruit is a bit overblown. All I kept thinking was overextraction.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/10/2011 - drgrape wrote: 94 Points
This is a very nice smooth wine, but with lots of intense flavor. Dark fruit and some earthiness. Very dark purple color and fragrant nose. There is not much oak. Decanted for only one hour.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/8/2011 - Miceri wrote: 95 Points
Dark almost black, nice deep red fruit in the nose, sweet, licorice, rounded, full-bodied, keeping elegance, very good
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/23/2011 - bmacartney wrote:
Decanted about 90 minutes. Very dark inky colour. Huge nose of blue berries. This wine holds nothing back. Its like being beaten by fruit and alcohol. Not for the faint of heart and not my style of wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/19/2011 - Stevehogantoyota wrote: 95 Points
Outstanding wine! Caymus in general is one of my favorite wines and the special selection takes it up a notch. Our family enjoyed a few bottles with a great steak dinner
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/5/2011 - km5 wrote: 94 Points
Delicious! Drank with 2007 altamura, which was initially as good but too young. 30-60 min later, CSS accelerated to another level. Less sweet than altamura, great mouth feel and medium tannins, which felt just right. Nose and front was less fruit and oak than other caymus, hefty mid, and long rich finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/29/2011 - elbosco wrote: 94 Points
Rich earthy nose. Ponderous loamy palate with sweet dark fruits. Showed best after one hour decant thinning out somewhat down the strech. Open for business.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/26/2011 - tcfishler wrote:
A gobs-y wine, with gobs of scrumptious blackberries pounded into an alcoholic paste with generous splashes of vanilla creme. This expression of Cabernet is about as unsubtle as it gets, pouring on buckets of flavors that are rather limited in number and severely limited thematically. Certainly something only a hedonist could love, or at least buy.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2011 - Veritas 53 wrote: 93 Points
Color: dark inky purple clear
Nose: sweet tannin, sweet blueberry , mint
Palate : forward fruits, sweet blueberry , eucalyptus, mint, hot, balsamic with sweet round tannins, balanced, with good length and body. Not my style but an excellent wine if you like big wines
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/16/2011 - jeffm_fla wrote: 93 Points
Interesting "garden fresh" notes of tomato and earth as well as mineral flavors and some bright fruit. A nice lingering finish, but not the rich plushness of some of the younger Caymus cabernets.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2010 - Bakeman wrote: 95 Points
Gigantic, perfect wine. This is an outstanding example of Caymus.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2010 - JohnBlueLabel wrote: 94 Points
Dark color. Beautiful nose of blueberry, cassis and just a hint of a floral component. Fantastic rich mouthfeel with blueberry and cedar transitions to a mocha component with some tartness reminiscent of pomegranate on the finish. Firm but sweet tannins. Really fabulous wine. Looking forward to trying it with the prime rib later.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2010 - envirovino wrote: 91 Points
Guess I just didn't get this one or maybe it wasn't open long enough. Rich, plummy, smooth, enojoyable but didn't sense any distinction. Not overly tannic or oaky. Quite pleasant. Finish was kind of muddied - not bad just didn't leave me craving for more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/22/2010 - rdsboca wrote: 93 Points
Had latein th evening so the note is short. Absolutely delicious. Felt like a speed date that I would want to revisit. Big black and red cali fruit. Not for the faint of heart. If you like young cabs, go for it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/27/2010 - RJandGB wrote: 94 Points
Enjoyed a magnum with bone-in ribeye and roasted veggies. Simple meal - fabulous wine. Stood the bottle all day then decanted and poured and enjoyed over 2-3 hours. Subtle and soft on the palate. Plenty of dark red fruit on the nose and mouth. It always amazes me how drinkable Caymus cabs are even when young and how long they hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/3/2010 - rdsboca wrote: 94 Points
Currants and black cherry on the nose. Some lingering vanilla. Elegant with hint of coffee. Gorgeous wine, soft and dusty.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/2/2010 - rdsboca wrote: 94 Points
Identical flavor profile to last tasting. Consistent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/28/2010 - rdsboca wrote: 94 Points
Young vibrant fruit. Great flavor profile of ripe cherries, cocoa and a hint of vanilla. Great mouthfeel
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/31/2010 - shb6798 wrote: 96 Points
fantastic
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/8/2010 - jaxpaj wrote: 93 Points
Had along with 08 Jacquelynn and you could see the difference. Traditional Caymus but seemed rather one dimensional in comparison. A bit of an unfair match but still a very worthy wine. Velvety smooth and pure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/28/2010 - sfsuzie wrote: 94 Points
Wow. Entire group loved this wine. Great big napa cab, but with the subtleties expected of the special selection. Great with steak. Decanted for 90 minutes, but 2nd glass was even better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/5/2010 - Khamen wrote:
Being new to the whole "Napa Monster" thing this is a little intimidating, probably based on the 15.2% blaring out from the label...
1 hour decant. I suppose I was expecting inky black, but deep crimson is more the stick here. Mind you those threads are screaming that alc level - this is another level of "fine legs" entirely. I almost thought the wine was going to stick to the sides of the glass and a spoon would be required.
Nose is big cab and vanilla, but more red fruit compote than black. A small forest of oak. Nice licorice tang and a little blackberry tingle, but buried and all a bit closed. Much vigorous swirling is getting some complexity - some very high quality dark Belgian chocolate? Black shoe cream. Kidskin leather. 20 mins of swirling and sniffing and now that fruit is turning dark as a pontefract cake and blackcurrant jam. Still lots of oak. Quite a sweet nose. This TN could become an essay, go grab something to drink along...
Very full-bodied. Huge whiskey-ish alcohol wallop on the attack is not entirely pleasant. Big structure but tight and closed. Aggressive and assertive with some drying and quite dusty tannins. Huge grip. I really don't see how anyone can accuse this bruiser of being "elegant"! Power, power and more power - I can almost feel the enamel peeling off my teeth. Not so much a finish as a persistent lingering presence.Where is it going? No frame of reference for these things and really no idea. Certainly needs time but how long? If a European producer such as Latour kicked out something like this I'm sure Parker would go crazy for it and Jancis would retire.
An event certainly, but an enjoyable drinking experience? Sadly not at the moment unless I'm missing the point. Inspires a certain level of awe in the same way a 400lb linebacker would. In Europe this stuff sells for £100/$160+. The letters Q, P and R deserve to be nowhere near this note. No score unless "bemusement" is quantifiable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/4/2010 - RedLoverJim wrote: 94 Points
This could really have used at least an two hours in the decanter, but it was getting late and the host is impatient so it was popped and poured. Very smooth, well balanced wine with classic Cabernet flavors. Elegant and a little austere, it was just starting to open up more towards the end, about an 45 minutes after opening. Not as tannic as I expected, there's no reason to wait on this one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/16/2010 - rwstorer wrote: 94 Points
Same note as below
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/16/2010 - PPM wrote: 94 Points
Fantastic bottle after 2 hours decanted. Lots of spices, cherry and leather taste, well balance yet powerfull. My number 1 wine or number 2.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/1/2010 - drgrape wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Smooth and balanced. Dark cherries and leather. Long finish. Just a hint of oak. Great.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2009 - txfireman wrote: 90 Points
Stout nose off the bat. I was expecting this to evolve over the next hour or so. Didn't get much. I also made the mistake of not letting the bottle sit upright for 2 hours before I popped the cork. Guess you know how much I wanted to drink that night eh? Nose @ 30 mins after decanting - cherry, licorice, cinammon and a hint of oak. Smooth to drink, extremely easy on the palate. Young tight tannins. @ 1 hr mark, butter, jammy, big gobs of fruit. Huge body yet smooth. I had a hint of lychee on my last glass. Finished peppery. Very easy to drink. I wanted more from this wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/27/2009 - ewineguy wrote: 94 Points
We enjoyed this at Le Caille in Salt Lake City with the Lebrechts and Henrys. We found out in the afternoon that Le Caille was only offering a chef’s menu that night which at first disappointed us as we have our favorite plates. This was opened right away, but we had a lot of fun with a couple of great White Burgs so it had about 45 minutes to exhale. I think this my first Spec Sel of the 2005 Caymus. I know the bench mark was the 2002 but this was an amazing wine. Inky dark dark purple and a nose that just slapped you with smoked meats, vanilla, casis, and even a pleasant smell like old Ticonderoga pencils. Once in the mouth, more meaty taste, some exotic peppery feel and real Jammy. I gotta get some for the cellar, a spectacular wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/23/2009 - rwstorer wrote: 94 Points
Popped and poured at Cowboy Star. After 30 minutes this wine develops into something really enjoyable. Dark red in color with a nose of earth and red fruits. Flavors of currant, a hint of blueberry and a bit of vanilla. Not overly jammy or alcoholic. Seven people considered this the wine of the dinner.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/12/2009 - GW3 Cellars wrote:
great structure and balance between earth and fruit. Smooth balanced finish that was long and strong. Very drinkable now with moderate tannins. Should age well.Can't wait to try another.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/15/2009 - Rob MacKay wrote: 89 Points
Tasted next to the 94 vintage and I was really hoping for a little more out of this wine. Gobs of ripe fruit with a big full bodied attack on the palate but sorta fell off a bit for me on the finish. A good wine but you can do much much better at this price point.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/21/2009 - rwstorer wrote: 95 Points
Same note as before - never disapoints.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/5/2009 - erikes wrote: 95 Points
Big expressive wine! Caymus Special does it again! Nearly flawless with a 2hr decanting. It his just the spot with my kobe beef truffled burger!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/20/2009 - sumshark wrote: 95 Points
Fabulous bottle of wine, one hour in the decanter and this was rocking. Great nose, concentrated/complex palate, great body and texture and a long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/1/2009 - GETRENNT wrote: 93 Points
35 min decant (stupid) N: med intensity, tight, muscular, dark black cherry, rich oily black leather, ripe blk currant, pine forest, spicey cedar. Palate: m+ acid, m+ grippy tann, full body, m++ finish, highly concentrated, massive, tight, raspberry liq, cassis, blk cherry, wet maduro, black soil, needs time and air, dont touch til '13. aegisepolis@hotmail.com
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/15/2009 - DrC100 wrote: 100 Points
Abolutely unbelievable smooth finish that is layered on and on
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/30/2009 - whynblog wrote: 90 Points
Very smooth for it’s age. The nose is very faint but does offer cassis and mineral notes. Nice fruit balance with plumb, spice, currant and a touch of earth. For me, it’s way overpriced but that doesn’t take away from the quality.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/28/2008 - rockenrude wrote: 92 Points
knew it would be young, but had to do it being Christmas and all. Eventually opened up after an hour or so. Balanced. Won't touch the others til next decade.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2008 - amybfromtc wrote: 96 Points
This didn't taste like a baby to me... it was fruity and wonderful, and I must get more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2008 - LOML2008 wrote: 93 Points
Excellent Cabernet. Full bodied,complex but still very young
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/2/2008 - carnyc wrote: 92 Points
BYO Dinner at Tribeca Grill (Organized by Acker Merrall): Big oak and big fruit in this very young cab; silky smooth. Delicious, but needs some time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/29/2008 - Scoobdygy wrote: 95 Points
Caymus is one of my favorites and for good reasons. This is a great bottle of wine and will be even better in a few years. I will have to add a few more bottles to the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/27/2008 - Terran23 wrote:
Glorious. Lots going on here, but at this price, there better be tons to experience. Started off sweet and spicy then evolved into super smooth dark fruit. The mouthfeel...extraordinary. Lonnngggg finish. You feel like royalty drinking this guy. So far, Caymus Special Selection has been the best I've had.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/23/2008 - cab blends wrote: 94 Points
With Ray - Very good fruity aroma - solid berries and smooth straight from the bottle. Far smoother than I expected for the 05 given its youthfulness.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/13/2008 - dy_dx wrote: 93 Points
Definitely good and easy to drink, but I got the feeling it would really benefit from decanting to get past the initial burst of alcohol and fruit. The nose was completely overwhelmed by dark fruit, with other elements only starting to creep in after an hour in the glass (I wish we had more time for it to evolve). The wine felt beautiful in the mouth, with intense ripe black currants and plum lingering on a 25-second finish. All that said, I found it too singular and over-the-top to compete with other wines that can be found at that price point.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/4/2008 - Clarkmeister wrote: 93 Points
Typical huge Cali cab nose, a little overly jammy up front, but a great finish. Once the fruit settles down and integrates better, this could be super nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/26/2008 - jjclips2 wrote: 87 Points
For whatever reason, this was decanted 2 hours by someone else, and it did not need it. Super rich and over ripe black fruits, dried plums and figs. Chocolate and cedar with vanilla, cigar box. The acidity is so frighteningly low. Ultra flabby with no desire to go back for another glass. The flavors are nice, but the overripe texture, ripe tannins, and almost sweet finish (residual sugar? probably) and the lack of acidity makes this a less quality wine than I'd like to pay for.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/19/2008 - prelypchan wrote: 95 Points
Hugely alcoholic nose right out of the bottle. Overwhelmed the fruit. Poured through a Vinturi into a decanter for two hours. Nicely tamed the hot nose, revealing cassis and mocha notes. Drank over three hours, and continued to evolve in the glass. Stunning wine; perhaps not the best vintage for this iconic bottling but I can't imagine what might be better from Napa in 2005. Definitely drunk too young, but what sweet infanticide! Will compare in 5 years to the other bottle I purchased.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/26/2008 - gmbdds wrote: 90 Points
Tasted blind with five other "random" reds. Deep, gamey aromas. Drying, dusty tannins. Over time opened to more rich fruit and complexity. Glad to get a chance to taste this but it is probably far too young.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/28/2008 - Paul Lin wrote: 92 Points
Caymus Winery (Napa Valley, CA): Although it came across a bit more closed than the regular Cab, the gravitas of this wine is quite apparent. Bordeaux-like aromas of smoke, scorched earth, and cassis. Dense palate of cassis, graphite, minerals, and toasty oak with a long, refined finish. 92-93 points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/10/2008 - greekwineaux wrote:
Teddy brought this out only because a guest was commenting on it. It followed an Ash Hollow 2004 Syrah and a Levendi Sweetwater 2004 cab, both quite good. This one was just too tight, and needed a lot of time to breathe, which we didn't give it. That bottle was poured into 10 glasses, so before I knew it, it was gone. You can tell that this has something good going on, but no rating at this time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/7/2008 - the drops of god wrote: 94 Points
Tasted at the NYC Grand tasting. One of my Favorate taste profile, kept on going back for more to drink it. Delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/3/2008 - WineForRob wrote: 94 Points
Wine Spectator Grand Tour (Las Vegas): Very fresh dark fruit aromas. Full bodied mouthfeel and soft as usual. More acidic backbone than normal and some slight earth notes. very good again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/17/2008 - michigan dogs wrote: 93 Points
had it by the glass at Iredescense for only $35/glass- a relative steal- noticed the fruit, very smooth, excellent wine- I guess the wrong wine -special selection- was delivered and they wanted to get rid of the inventory-I don't normally drink wine at this price point, but very much enjoyed the experience
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/12/2008 - EMichels wrote: 90 Points
Nice, quiet nose; Very soft; A bit of ash; Ripe; Some interest hiding inside
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/5/2008 - ScottGoodwin wrote:
Hingham Wine Merchant Tasting:
This was the only '05 in the tasting - the rest were '04. A little stinky on the nose - manure and barnyard which I find interesting. In fact, I thought it was VERY stinky on the nose. But rish, luxurious, super smooth. Perfect balance. Just a very pretty wine. Great fruit and great acidity. VERY balanced. Ranked it #1 as did many others.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/23/2008 - Renegade wrote: 93 Points
Surprisingly good for a wine with 15.2% alcohol. However they did it is rather impressive. Had this at a tasting, this wine is way too young to drink right now. On the nose dark fruits, currants, spice box some earthiness, and from the palate, tobacco, dark fruits and spices. This one just needs some time. Has the tanning and structure to go at least 15+ years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/24/2008 - atlantabrad wrote:
Christmas 2007 with Vicky. Excellent
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/19/2008 - GPujia wrote: 95 Points
What can you say? Another great offering from Caymus. I will buy/drink Caymus SS all day long! Always delivers- not matter what the vintage. Had at Ocean Club in Scottsdale w/ BP
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/19/2008 - tanglenet wrote:
Served at a tasting at the Wine Club SF. Quick notes: beautiful nose of dark, sweet fruit with a dry finish. Very Good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/11/2008 - GPujia wrote: 94 Points
Typical Caymus SS...always one of the best bottles you can consume. Great nose, complex, great finish. Can sit for a few years to smooth out the tannins. However, given that it was an 05, the tannins were very balanced. Outstanding vino!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/3/2008 - sosgoodjhu wrote: 91 Points
Definitely needs to shed some baby fat. Nose is a bit closed down with the more austere mountain fruit coming through right now. Drink the Caymus Cab while you are waiting for this. 91-93.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/3/2008 - JOsgood wrote:
Tasted at the winery - very austere at this stage of its life. Not easy to score with this wine so young. I tasted this alongside the Napa Valley Cab which was drinking much better. In the tasting room they recommended that this wine be decanted for an hour prior to consumption. In time this will be a knockout. (90-94)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2007 - sstitt wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for a little over an hour was full-bodied had a perfect silky finish with cherry, plum, and currant notes. Drank way too young but can already see the beauty in this wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2007 - Thralow wrote: 96 Points
Bought this at a small liquor store while traveling in Boston. Of course we drank it too soon. But, like in the movies, when the the ex-con who has gone straight is forced to do one last job to save the world, sometimes it is fun to be forced to do the evil thing. So, yes we drank this instead of cellaring it, but we had no choice. It was the only bottle we had. We were forced to drink the young, great Cabernet, before it reached its prime. It was still extraordinary and unique experience to taste. Please forgive us.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/29/2007 - KeithAkers wrote: 94 Points
Binny's California Night (Highland Park): super dark color on this. Almost as dark as night
nose: tons of stuff going on here. Coffee, hazelnut, cranberry, cherry, and slight hints of cola on the back end of the nose. Big and powerful fruit forward nose
taste: huge smooth attack on the mouth. Cranberry, vanilla, sour cherry, and some mocha on the finish. Big time mouth feel
overall: This is a big time wine, but not a blow away wine just yet. It's young, but oh soo smooth. Tons of polish on the wine and brings a really nice long lasting finish. Just not enough to push it into that next category, but this is some really great wine
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2007 - acctgdweeb001 wrote: 96 Points
Tasted this gem over the weekend, what a great wine. Beautiful color and fragrant nose of cedar, and black berries. Very little acidity or tannins. Wine is ready to drink now or can be held for years to come.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2007 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
WS NYWE Grand Tastings; 10/25/2007-10/26/2007 (Marriott Marquis): Wow, another winner from Caymus. Nice rich and open nit, drinking surprisingly well for it's youth and vintage character.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment