9/18/2021 - oldwines Likes this wine:

Shane's 6th Annual Game Dinner - Game & Truffle (Chateau Lea, New Jersey): In my cellar since release. Double decanted at 2:45 pm prior to bringing to Shane’s game dinner. Distinctly bricked medium to dark garnet. Nose blows up with dried porcini mushrooms then a touch of red berry fruit and old book leather. Palate is bright and lifted with cherry, mushroom, some baking spice and a hint of pleasant VA. Some tannin remaining. Long finish. More after the meal… This wine was just wonderful with the deconstructed bison short rib ravioli we had at about 8:30pm. The wine had changed color significantly getting much darker garnet with just a little bricking. The palate has balsamic notes, plum, leather, truffle and lots of savory umami elements. This was one of my favorite pairings in the evening and there were several others who also thought it among the best.

12/22/2018 - mflesh wrote:

I almost grabbed the Mt Veeder instead. Then I almost put both back as I really wasn't sure how this bottle was going to present. Glad I ended up choosing this one. This wine does seem to be showing a little more age than I was expecting. However, the black fruit and hint of Cassis profile is still definitely there. It was softer and more elegant than I thought, yet a little brambly in the middle. For those who want a good example of a wine that is starting to integrate and switch from a younger sweeter Napa cab to one that has a little more secondary characteristics, this is a really perfect example. If tasted alongside the Veeder, this probably would show more distinct integration, although I can't say that. I completely agree with Shay's observation of it turning Savory towards the back because that's exactly what it did. Hell, now I wish I had popped them both! I do believe this wine has another five or ten years left. But has a very nice and balanced profile right now.

11/19/2019 - JohnnyBark Does not like this wine:

I’m not sure why everybody else was drinking, but this bottle was super hot on the alcohol. There was fruit, acid, blah, blah, blah (high level TN, I know) but the alcohol wasted the pleasure of this bottle, and that won’t improve. ����

12/8/2016 - CondorKhan wrote:

Pours deep garnet with orange rim.

Exuberant nose of berries and baking spices. On the palate, cherry, dark chocolate, earth, spices. Finishes with very fine tannins and a streak of salty blood. Simply delicious. A great value.

10/4/2016 - Iceman611 wrote:

To me the bottle is obviously past prime. It was drinkable but I wouldn't order it again. Too bad. I'm sure it was amazing a year or two ago.

12/30/2016 - Sundbyberg wrote:

Gently modernized, yet made with great respect for the Bordaux heritage. Great oak and some early complexity. A bit sweet. Long.
Enjoyable straight out the bottle, but improves with a very long slowox, over several days.
97-99 for now, but could potentially reach a 100.

11/19/2016 - lifebreath wrote:

Over-ripe, over-extracted, alcoholic and over-oaked! How's that for over the top?!? Admirable core flavors, but poorly integrated.

9/9/2016 - pablopilot wrote:

Whoa. When is a California Cabernet not a California Cabernet? When it's a hermitage, or better yet a very high end Shiraz... This is one of those special wines that defies rating and beggars description. A real category killer, far and away at the top end of California wines. Deep. Dark and inky. Lovingly balanced, hint of plums over blueberries, menthol, tar resin. Plenty of backbone, both tannic and acidic. Thick mouthfeel. Earthy. Very young for a 12-year old. Overall, it just makes you feel good to taste and enjoy it; and then, aloha, the heady alcohol kicks in. I've got a few bottles left to savor for the next 30 years. Hurray!

We drank from the bottle, which left a decent residue of fine and large-grained residue in our glasses. Decanting might be wise.

10/25/2015 - robertdtwo wrote:

Smoky cherry and dark fruit are coming forward just a bit since last try over 18 months ago. Tannins still lurking, but rounding just a bit. I'd better try to hold on to a couple of these to see where they go, but they're already calling out for me to drink 'em up. Delicious!

6/15/2016 - robertdtwo wrote:

I waited a year since last try but wanted to check in and see where this was. Two-hour Vinturi decant may have been too brief knowing this is an absolute youngster. Beautiful floral nose on decant but dusty tannins still a bit firm. I've been a tiny bit disappointed, as I felt this might be one of the sleepers of this difficult vintage, but more time is required to assess... An earlier post nailed it: I hope the fruit outlasts the tannins. Wait or air aggressively.

4/16/2015 - Rosengoo wrote:

This wine was drank at home without decanting. It was slightly orange in colour and a bit cloudy when poured. The nose had some cherry and medicinal smells to it. In the glass was a wine that had lots of red cherries and some vanilla tastes. It was also quite sour and had strong acidity to it. The tannins were strong but at a good level.
This wine gave no obvious signs that it was corked or spoiled but I certainly didn't enjoy it tonight.

1/15/2016 - robertdtwo Likes this wine:

Two-hour Vinturi decant. Still tannic and a bit musty with tobacco and earthy notes most prominent. I've been waiting for years for bottle age to justify this purchase, but it's just not happening. HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT and since this was my first foray into this vineyard, I think I'm bailing...no thanks! When the threshold is a hundred bucks, expectations are high. Goodbye!

11/13/2015 - JulianSkeels Likes this wine:

Decanted for 2hrs and drank over the following 2hrs. This already drinks wonderfully. I can't relate to many of the CT notes below (e.g. soaring aroma), but this has a lovely combination of density, mouthfeel and acidity to make it a pleasure to drink - but it needs food at the moment. There are tannins, but the sweetness and acidity counters them. Really opened up in the glass, then became somewhat dumb after 2hrs. I'm struggling for any specific taste/smell descriptors, but still enjoyed this enough to give it 93pts based on current drinking - mostly for the mouthfeel/balance. It will improve for sure, but it is not in the same league as the 2010 (I have not tried my 2004 or 2006s yet) and since it's great value this will continue to be one of my go-to pizza wines for the next year. I doubt I will cellar my cases for more than another 3-4yrs.

2/15/2015 - frqntflyr wrote:

NR. This bottle may have been ever so slightly corked. Literally nothing on the nose. Either this shut down hard judging by previous reviews or it was barely corked. I think the latter and if anyone has experience with this wine (it was my first bottle) thoughts would be appreciated.

7/6/2015 - tp096255 wrote:

I like it because I can drink it, but I hate it because I have been cellaring this freaking punk-a** bottle for a decade and just now realized this is the same stupid kind of bor-dough plonk I've been wasting my time on all along. How did James Suckling rate this a NINETY-EIGHT in 2006 and then change that to a 92 (NINETY-TWO!!!!!) in 2011?!? It's not even a 92 in my book. This is drinkable but it has the same ol stupid bor-dough funk in the nose, insipid ash-tray mouth muddled with some blackberries, followed by more ash tray in the mouth. Oh man, I am angry. I am so glad I stopped buying any bor-dough wines about 5 years ago. I know, not all of them SUCK, just most. Yikes. What an utter disappointment. I am going to sell off every single bottle of bor-dough in my cellar. Left-bank, Right-bank, and all the other banks. Oh, that's what it is! They are all used to going to the "bank" after I buy their wines en primeur! Well, maybe in some future century when bor-dough catches up to Napa in the making of fine wines I will entertain a purchase or two. Pretty sure I'll be dead by then.

Bye bye and good riddance bor-dough!

Sincerely,

Troy Peterson

(Epilogue: This is only a rant about RED bor-dough, not white/sweet ones. And this was no PnP willy nilly tasting, it was a full-on decant with tastings every hour for several hours and at a consistent temperature. And yes, I am still waiting to taste Petrus, any vintage!)

8/19/2015 - WineGuyFL Does not like this wine:

I bought 6 bottles of this late last year and have been watching the bifurcated reviews with interest. I had a glass of this wine at a dinner from a bottle brought by another guest to a party a few months back. That glass merited a rating of 93-95. The bottle I had tonight was syrup.....awful stuff. If the cause is my wine room, how do you explain that I opened a bottle of top cabernet a couple of nights ago, and it was terrific? That bottle has been in my wine room for years, not months. I have also had at least 3 other bottles of various reds over the past ten days from my wine room that have been up to expectations. Only one of those bottles have been in my wine room for less time that the bottle of Caymus I opened tonight. The source for my bottles is a reliable retailer from which I have purchased countless bottles without incident. I find it hard to blame their storage or shipping based on this past experience. I have had my share of wine that tired before the time forecast by the pro reviewers. I have had bad corks (in fact had one over the past couple of weeks with a French white Burgundy). I have kept a few bottles too long that were tiring when I drank them.......my fault. My experience tonight was none of the above.....what I drank was not really wine. I can conjure up a handful of explanations of how this all happened, but they all center on Caymus, storage of a large part of the production before shipment, and, possibly the transportation of a large part of the 2012 production. I do not believe the bad reviews come from people who mistreated the bottles, are bad reviewers, or just do not really like the style of cabernet associated with Caymus. I hope that Caymus is trying to understand what got off the rails here.

6/2/2012 - G_H Does not like this wine:

2009 Bordeaux arrivage tasting (Baur au Lac Hotel, Zurich): Originally rated 73 points, but as I god some agressive comments, I took away the note. I still feel that it is the wine, as I have not had a good bottle of this wine yet, but apparently, everyone else seems to diagree. I love Lynch Bages, but this one is not good in my opinion.

Original Note: This was open for a day but stored cold with the cork put on, this was not very good, irish candy, green bell peppers. We couldn't believe that this was so bad so we opened another one, which was a bit better but was only 79 points, weird...

5/17/2015 - wbbartels wrote:

Spices are overpowering especially pepper. If the spice was less it would be really good. Slight orange rim with darker ruby color

6/20/2015 - rosenst1 wrote:

Decanted for 2 hours before having with a Father's Day dinner. This was a noticeable reddish brown which was surprising. On the nose - sage, pine needles, and generally spicy note with minimal fruit overtones. Good depth on the palate with a long classic Sangiovese high acid finish. I think this needs more time but the color is concerning. Went very well with a well-aged ribeye.

2/13/2015 - georgenmil wrote:

The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle.

7/13/2013 - Rick 4 Wine wrote:

2011 seems off for Caymus. Is this a break in the formula or just a bad year?

1/26/2015 - annerk wrote:

50+5+14+18+8 What a nose! Decanted about 60 minutes, aromas were present from two feet away while decanting.
Full bodied, high alcohol, M+ tannin, beautiful ruby day bright with slight rim variation. No flaws, no signs of gas. Light sediment. Nose of ripe juicy blackberry, ripe black plum, dried roasting herbs, vanilla extract, smoke, black licorice. Palate agrees with nose and adds ripe black cherry, shale, dill, black currant jam, some baking spice. There's a lot going on here, nice complexity, well balanced. Fruit appears as western or southern exposure (northern hemisphere) mountain grapes due to ripeness. Very expressive. Balanced despite the high ABV. Outstanding wine. Drink now or age another 2-5 years.

1/29/2015 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine:

Bordeaux 2005 : Ten years on (Bordeaux Index London): Tasted next to Lynch Bages… Very Bordeaux nose. Pronounced notes of cassis and tobacco. Palate is medium plus body with tight aspect today… Tobacco and tar. Beef blood hints. I think I prefer this to Lynch Bages as it seems fresher. Bordeaux Index's Giles Cooper agreed, and – given the better pricing – a no brainer. He said that he had sold 60 cases of GPL in the last 18 hours… An excellent if relative bargain for this expensive vintage.

11/12/2014 - Alpton Does not like this wine:

It is sweet and it lacks structure.

9/6/2014 - robertdtwo wrote:

Sweet floral notes have subsided a bit, but wet leather and cherry are hanging in there just fine. I've been a tad disappointed that this hasn't lived up to my expectations given a retailer's recommendation of this as a WA95 vintage, but totally resolved tannins are revealing a bit more of the lush fruit that's here for the taking. A wonderful hybrid of old world and new.

6/27/2014 - ThistleB wrote:

A bit sweet compared to most Cabernets. Dark fruit, a hint of tobacco, and heavy vanilla on the palate. We enjoyed it, but there are way better Napa cabs out there at this price point. I likely won't buy this one again.

7/2/2014 - Rick 4 Wine wrote:

Good wine but overrated.

2/11/2014 - MC2 Wines wrote:

James Suckling/Zachy's Super Tuscany Tasting (City Winery (Varick Street in NYC)): 100% sangiovese. A bit of alcohol on the start. Fruity, ends with an almost caramel flavor that I saw/liked in some of the other wines. It almost reminded me of a sweet tea but without the overt sweetness. Had that combination of natural earthy flavors.

6/18/2012 - Joegish Likes this wine:

Excellent as always. Sadly, only one more bottle in my cellar. Nice cab blend, paired well with a fillet.

12/26/2013 - ledocq Likes this wine:

Wow, what an education. Decanted half the bottle, taking a glass as I was pouring -- great nose, terrific, deep, complex aroma that reminded me of the 2009 Lagune. Initial sips were out of this world but also weirdly disjointed - like flipping too quickly through a novel. I could catch brief sensations of deep fruit and an almost Washingtonian funk, and then the wall o tannins came in. 3 hours later, it wasn't that great, honestly. I kept getting cranberry and I wondered if it was my taste buds that were off. Then: second day. Fantastic. Just mellowed, integrated, long and lingering and exciting, not unlike Larkmead, only deeper somehow. This might be one of the best California cabernets I've had. Perhaps needless to say, I'll be waiting some time before drinking the next one.

8/19/2013 - krhaugh Likes this wine:

This might not be a huge Cab but I haven't tasted a better Cab, ever. This is like being a kid in the 70's and going to A&W Root Beer and having an ice cold A&W RB float. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!

4/21/2013 - Wine4Blood Does not like this wine:

15% ABV stated, probably 15.9%.

Super sweet fruit and oak. Went great with crab puffs dipped in plum sauce. Really not a "Napa Valley Cabernet," more like an ambiguous red that's over-ripe and over-oaked. Similar flavors to a Manhattan- cherries and bourbon. (NOT varietally correct.)

It is what it is, and lots of folks love this wine. In Asia, they mix it with Coke. Whatever, it's successful for a reason: People talk dry and drink sweet.

8/15/2009 - John Dunlap wrote:

This 750ml bottle was stored in a cool cellar since purchase and had good ullage. Drank this wine at Delfina Restaurant in San Francisco. Limited table notes include: Very nice, dark color with many years of life ahead. Noticed lots of licorice in the nose plus prunes. Tasted licorice, prune, raspberry, and a wonderful Indian spice and cumin seed component that some might equate with leather. Very appealing, given that this wine was decanted for only a short amount of time. The upfront balance and complexity, as well the nice tannins all work. Nicely put together with no harsh tannis. Lovely with an entrée of duck. I look forward to trying this wine five years from now at age 15.

(Wine Spectator June 15, 2004: "Warm and ripe red with lots of blackberry and cedar oak character. Full-bodied and very thick, yet refiend and silky. [Rated] 94 $64.00.")

Lastly, in what was otherwise pretty good service, I would like to make one suggestion to management/staff at Delfina Restaurant. Specifically, the wine that I brought to the restaurant was opened at the table, but then taken to the bar for decanting - which I thought was a bid odd. Personally, I would prefer to have the decanter brought to the table, where I could perform this task or elect to have restaurant staff decant. Yes, a small detail, but the decanting process should be very transparent if you are bringing very nice wine to the restaurant and paying for corkage.

9/23/2012 - randyjc wrote:

Dominus is the onlyNapa cab of which I know that consistently builds Old World wines reminscent of Bordeaux. The nose, lacking Bordeaux earthiness, is expressive with black fruit, leather and eqrth with only hints of its Napa roots coming in with eucalyptus or mint. The mouth feel is seductive, and givenits youth the acid and tannins are in balance. Flavors are cassis, black plum, leather and dark wet earth. A caution, though, is that i worked at getting this wine to open up. Decanted at noon, it was tight and rough. By late afternoon, it remained the same. I splashed it between two decanters eight or ten times then let it be for two more hours before dinner. Then it was a beauty. I am going to wait as this wine will, I think, develop great depth and tertiary flavors over the next ten to twenty years.

2/3/2011 - vegasoenophile wrote:

- Tasted at Wine Spectator New World Wine Experience 2010

6/11/2011 - Jochems wrote:

Since this wine was not available for tasting during my last trip (both at the winery and in town), I had to open a bottle to see what the buzz is all about. I popped and poured the first glass. This was quite open, full and rounded, but with an (IMO) over-pronounced oak tone on both the nose and the palate. Full, ultra smooth and layered, but not my kind of Brunello.......

On the second night:
Lots of blackcurrant, dark cherry toast with hints of mint and cedar. Following trough full bodied, concentrated and round with layered, silky smooth tannins, lots of ripe fruit, some balanced acidity and still some oak. Following trough to an ultra long finish that turns slightly bitter.
This is a huge wine that needs quite a bit of air to get its act together. I would never decant a Brunello, but this is such a modern variety that decanting might actually work better than the Slow-Ox approach I took.
Much better than on the first tasting. While I can appreciate some of the qualities of this wine, it is over-oaked for my palate. Still, it has some typical freshness and acidity balance to it that give it an unmistakable Tuscan character. This wine doesn't match to well with my classic Brunellophile palate. I can't see this wine being a perfect 100pts, but its an extraordinary wine in its own right.

Leave it alone for a few years, and it might even balance out the oak elements a bit more.... Drink 2014 - 2020.