It’s nearing the end of its drinking window, but if properly stored it’s still delicious and very much the model of great Napa Cab. For those who enjoy a fruit bomb, this is still the bomb. Plum, black cherry, espresso, sweet spices, and a creamy smooth texture. Pair it with ribeye served rare and enjoy the synergy. PnP 65 degrees.
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Had with Thanksgiving dinner, and this didn’t disappoint. Deep rich purple color, no bricking. Lots of purple paint and rich currant on the nose. This is so soft and velvety on the palate. Lovely mouthfeel. Lots of purple berry and lather notes. Almost Syrah like with a meaty component. Finish lasts well over a minute. Great experience!
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It’s great, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not sure Caymus is punching above it’s weight class with this bad boy. Eminently drinkable and rich palate, smooth as silk at this age, but lacking some of the complexity I’ve come to expect from wines of this price. Won’t buy again, but glad I got to try it from a good vintage and aged to perfection. For $200 I expect a 95.
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Bought on release, drank over two days. Day 1: 5 hour slow ox and 30 mins in glass: Day 2: after storing half bottle in frig, 30 mins in glass
Full bodied and brooding black currants, creme de cassis. First two glasses showed higher alcohol despite long oxygenation. Also a bit of plum-prune and flabbiness present on 1st day. Second day was singing -much improved as noted above, with last glass was a solid 96. 94-95 for first 3 glasses. Reco double decant over long period - 5-6 hours IMHO.
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New Year's Eve Reds (Magnolia): Decanted 45+ minutes, two runs through a Vinturi. Dark ruby with no signs of bricking. Nose somewhat restrained but opened up in the glass to show sweet oak and caramel. Deliciously round and integrated fruit on the midpalate, featuring cassis, strawberries and blackberries. A touch more extracted than the other wines. Complex and polished finish with fine-grained tannins. Entering its prime with 8-10 years of enjoyment left.
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Big, rich, velvety and smooth. Noted a bit more pruniness than I would have expected (may have just been our bottle) but this was absolutely delightful to drink!
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1 of 6 from original 2010 purchase. Temp controlled for last 11 years. Beautiful. Very smooth. Still plenty of structure to keep cellaring. But seems to be at perfect drinking stage. Big and plenty of depth.
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A joy to drink and the perfect pairing for Easter dinner with grilled Colorado rib lamb chops. Rich and aromatic, like velvet on the tongue, with tannin smooth as silk. Drinking beautifully now and I don't see much room for improvement with further ageing. Decanted for about 3 hours, which was not really necessary, since the aromas were leaping out of the decanter as I was pouring. Plenty of sediment in the bottle, but most, if not all of it remained stuck to the bottle during the decanting process.
I previously had he opportunity to taste the regular bottling of Caymus Cab and the Special Selection Cab side by side and the difference was like night & day.
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Thieved a glass with Coravin. Thick, dark, sweet fruit, nice structure, sweet tannins. I really enjoyed now but would give another 2-3 years for tannins to soften further.
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On the one hand this wine confirmed why I prefer Bordeaux to Napa but at the same time I very much enjoyed it. It is hot, opulent, powerful and syrupy with notes of plum, mocha and chocolate. I believe it lacks structure and complexity compared to the finest wines of France and Italy but it offers a mouthful of unadulterated pleasure and thus deserves a decent score. I recall Chuck Wagner suggesting that this wine is typically at its best after 5–7 years but I would be curious as to what this would be like in 10 years time.
This wine is a power cab that, if decanted for at least 2 hours shows polish and two gears on the pallete. Garnet in color the initial taste notes are dark fruit and cassis then yields to a delightful mocha ending. The mouth feel is medium and I would say that it’ll drink well over the next five years.
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Initially very un Caymus like with a Syrah like savory meat element. After about an hour decanting the candied elements began to emerge. Thick and syrupy but nothing like the over extracted style that started to emerge after 2012. Nonetheless it’s tasty but the style has not aged well.
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Decanted two hours. Robust, intense dark fruit, tobacco, leather, anise, strong but accessible tannins. This is one of the better vintages of this overpriced but delicious Cabernet, showing well now and for the next few years.
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Lives up to its reputation with a full fruit bomb on the nose. Medium body with hints of pepper on a flinty background. Tannins overall moderate within the world of Napa cabs.
Over time the character of overripe berries faded to a pleasant stone fruit, but remained the dominant characteristic. I know some would argue it needs to age more, but it currently drinks like a refined zin blend which is pleasant in its own way.
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I am surprised on some scores as I find the wine slightly sugary and overly fruit forward. Slight nuances f structure but over all, too jammy for my liking. Easy drinking and I am sure it is crowd favorite.
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Dollops of the typical plum with clarinets of fig and just a tickle of passion fruit. This baby was the real deal, crying a little at first, but not staying up all night. A nose like Doris Day with the finish of Secretariat--big, bold, strong, and nobody within 7 lengths. Enjoy!
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Opaque purple color turning violet at the rim with a reflective edge. The nose gives off ripe stewed plums, blueberry compote and glycerin coated smoked oak. The palate is full-bodied, unmistakably new world, with a velvety texture on high octane. Ripe blueberry, dark cherry, dark chocolate, rose petals, and espresso form the core. This is classic Caymus - ripe, voluptuous and powerful. Finishes long and elevated with dusty tannins. Drink now until 2035.
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Decanted briefly. This is singing right now, among the best Caymus I've enjoyed. Plentiful dark fruit, leather, licorice, robust tannins, dried leaves, long finish. Great crowd pleaser. Great steak wine.
Everything I dislike in red wine: a blast of alcohol heat on the nose; overripe, sweet fruit; flabby, low acidity and structureless; gobs of milk chocolate. I get that this is right in the wheelhouse of some people. À chacun son goût.
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Drinking well! Sweet cherry blackberry fruit with graphite and slight vanilla coconut cola flavors. Silky tannins. Ready now for steak chops or hearty Ravi.
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The best Caymus I ever had. Decanted 2 hours an drank over the following 2 additional hours which go even better. Berry fruits, full bodied with smooth tannins, then with a long finish... I have 1 more bottle, let’s see in +5 years how this is getting on...
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Stunning. A ball-busting, soul-crushing explosión of fruta negra and tannic gloriousness. Paired (and won) against crispy duck and lamb chops, whose mint sauce paired nicely with the menthol in this juice.
This is a very fruity wine with a lot a dark fruit. It is a pleasant wine, but I was not enjoying the balance of the wine. The wine lacked a really defined acid backbone, and made the wine a little bit flabby. Still enjoyed it, but probably not my style.
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Still young with potential for a 98-100pts! Very close at opening but after two hours a enormous and opulent body arose! Dark purple color/strong nose of dark fruits and high tanins! A wine for a lifetime!!!
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Bu au resto La Maison Chez nous avec Alfredo pour son périple annuel directement de Naples! Superbe accord avec les Paupiettes de Veau. Mieux que mon autre bouteille je dirais. Super fragrant et complexe...on a ouvert la bouteille le matin, rapide passage en carafe, il y a un bon depot...remis en bouteille et laissé sans le bouchon pour le reste de la journée. Le nez est sur les fruits noirs et les épices, c'est parfumé et dense. En bouche, belle richesse mais ce qui frappe, c'est son équilibre et sa buvabilité pour un vin de cette jeunesse. Des cerises noires et du cassis avec du mocha et des épices sucrés. Les tanins sont assez fins et la finale interminable sur des relents de chocolats, tout en volupté. Excellent, grand vin il sera!
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PnP'd. Immediate notes of SS's signature violet nose with bright black currant flavors. Haven't liked a lot of the cloying 2000's SS's but this reminded me more of SS in the 80's. Quite pretty, actually.
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Decanted 2+ hours. Ready to drink. I would recommend to decant it at least 1 hour (better 2). Improved since my first bottle in 2016. Still has many years left. 93+ pts.
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Vindredi (2016 Ports + California Cabernet) (Bellevue, WA): Silky, rich and dense. Smooth as velvet. Lots of ripe red and black fruit, both sweet and slightly tart (black cherry and a little cranberry). Finishes with lots of length and super fine, integrated tannins.
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Opened and splash decanted. Was drinking superb at about 30 minutes. Fantastic wine and for me, drinking at the best point it could be.
It shed a lot of the baby fat and extraction from my earlier tasting upon release and has developed in to a incredibly well balanced wine. This should continue to age nicely, but for me, now was the ideal time.
No formal notes on the profile as I consumed this a while ago.
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- Brick color with slow forming legs. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry, raspberry, strawberry and raisin with a medium/full body. Juicy texture with a medium finish - Always a great bottle of Cab and the 2010will not disappoint.
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this is one of my current favorite napa cabs to drink. It is full bodied, full of dark fruit. great structure and long even tannins. it sounds like the typical big fruit bomb, but this offers so much more structure.
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I tried a bottle of this upon initial release and I was negatively overwhelmed by its massive, overbearing fruit, wondering if my buying 18 bottles was a huge mistake. I then tried a second bottle last week with friends and it was outstanding with everything coming into a greater level of balance. We had this along side a 2010 Hewitt, and the Caymus was the clear favorite. As good as it was last week, I plan to hold off for a few more years as I think it needs time to mature, become more balanced and elegant.
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Robe rubis très foncé. Vin d’une belle complexité, proche d’un vieux vin avec des arômes de prune, raisin sec, olive noire, mure et cassis. Nez très présent. Décanté 2h. Long en bouche et bonne astringence. À revisiter dans 3-5 ans.
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Wine is banging. Great on pop-n-pour and prob going to better with a few hours decanting. Lovely black fruit liqueur and glycerin. Nose to finish it is just pure pleasure, which is what we are going for tonight. Good on its own but will prob be even better with special meats and cheeses from Italy.
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- Garnet color with medium forming legs. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry and raspberry with a medium/full body. Juicy texture with a medium finish - Always great juice.
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Decanted for one hour. Ready to drink and absolutely signing. Over the top Caymus style that actually has the structure and complexity to be something special. Cherry syrup, cassis liqueur, blueberry pie, vanilla bean, graphite... Has plenty of years left and in a great spot now.
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In the 4 years since purchasing 2 bottles of Camus SS many boutique wines have caught my fancy and hundreds of bottles have been enjoyed. I am happy that as much as I might enjoy whatever from Howell Mountain for it's virtue I can still greatly enjoy the richness/softness/sweetness of this wonderful wine.
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Decanted 2,5 hours. This bottle was better than the last one 1+ year ago. More complex and in balance not "just" a friut bomb like the last bottle. I will wait again at least a year before i open the next bottle. 93 pts.
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Tight, full-bodied black cherry fruit, excellent structure, seems more Cabernet dominant, lacks expansiveness and sweetness characteristic of Caymus Special Selection wines
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I have to concur with CSimm's evaluation of this wine. Removed from a 56 degree passive cellar and let slow ox for 2 hours. Not really much excitement on the nose with dark macerated cherry and a touch of menthol. Quite sweet on the initial attack with candied cherry, blackberry syrup, over the top sucrosity,and little to no complexity. A muddled mid palate and abrupt finish. Have 1 bottle remaing that I will probably gift to someone.
I may have enjoyed this as a novice wine consumer, but this is no longer suitable for my taste profile. Will not be repurchasing any Caymus / SS in the future. If your going to drop this type of coin on premier Napa Cabernet, I think one would be better served with offerings from Favia or Realm IMHO.
Dark purple with a lovely nose of cassis. A very concentrated wine, with blueberries, kirsch, and anise. What I noticed was the wonderful balance. 60 second finish. Pluses and minuses, but I would say the balance makes this a really nice wine.
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PnP was practically undrinkable. Sweet, candied black cherry Jolly Rancher and chocolate chunk notes. Completely cloying and syrupy tasting.
An hour of air in the glass eased the sweetness quite a bit, but it also collapsed any semblance of a frame. Acid was low and all I was getting was muddled, overly ripe red and black "fruit" flavors.
...Not pleased.
The remainder of the bottle was re-corked and put back in the cellar at 54 degrees. I'll be following this for the next day or so before I unleash judgment...
I had this thing at 94-95 last year. Not sure what the heck I was smoking that day...?!?! (It was August, so maybe I had a hankering for a snow cone or something).
UPDATE DAY 2: The sweetness has subsided considerably. The fruit is something I can only describe as "walking dead" on the palate. There is fruit present, but not much verve. What energy it does display exists in the form of alcohol and faint notes of cedar. I will admittedly say that this is a million times better today than it was yesterday. However, it still comes across as disjointed. Cork back in and stored again at 54 degrees in preparation for a day 3 evaluation. Fairly pessimistic on how that'll go...
UPDATE DAY 3: The sweetness is back a bit. The fruit continues to subside. The tannins are soft at this point. Coming off a little heavy and even more unfocused. Acts like it has depth, but really just displays ripe, dark muddled fruit flavors now. No more traction here.
UPDATE DAY 4: Alcohol and sloppy dark fruit. It isn't tannic or hot by any means; just a dull sourness, with a messy, boozy display on the back end. The fruit and texture is like stuffing a bunch of reduced prunes and molasses in your mouth.
In sum, the second day was clearly the best this wine showed, which unfortunately still wasn't that compelling of a showing overall.
Home with Ken & Ellen Crouse, Ted & Sylvia and Tony Lafferty; I made VN lamb chops wine unreal; Plus we tasted the Yama whiskey and JW blue Tony brought.
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Wow- this is currently a very candied, ripe fruit dominated wine. We were taken aback by this dominant fruit profile. Would suspect it is going through a phase where the fruit will calm done and tertiary flavors will come forward. Let's hope.
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Decanted and served. Restrained nose that opened up a bit after two hours, yielding a lovely berry meadow. On the palate overwhelming alcohol overshadowing any balance or subtlety. This didn't change much over three hours. Possibly a slightly cooked bottle or in a dumb phase; other vintages I've had are usually very smooth and focused.
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Decanted 3 hours and ready for New Years Eve dinner.
Daaark, thick and viscous with dark cherry and blackberry flavors. Aromas of sandalwood and spice though light on the oak here. Integrating beautifully with silky smooth, ripe tannins and decent acidity. A perfect match for beef Wellington.
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3 Years since my last bottle and this wine is much better! Mostly black fruit with cassis, a touch of blueberry liquor, chocolate, and some spice. Long finish. Excellent balance. Last sip was the best telling me this still has some upside potential. Still not as good as the '08 SS to me. But really starting to come into its own.
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One of the best faces of California wine. Very well integrated with distinct layers and dark fruit as well as hints of chocolate. Wonderful finish. Nose lacked distinction and here is where it lost a point or 2.
Opened at family dinner at Cut 34 in Florida. A comment from a non wine critic family member was "this is the smoothest wine I have ever tasted." I in large part I agree. Mouthfeel is great!
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ouff que c`est beau ce vin là…pas donné, mais plus que du bonbon et l`occasion s`y prête, pour mes 51 chandelles. Un nez qui saute sur verre. Tout en velour et en fruit, un vin dense et riche ou rien n`accroche, loooooong et délicieux. This wine literally sang out of the glass, velvety muscles one said, quite complex and immensely long…a great wine.
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Decanted for 3 hours. Not as extracted or overripe as the newer versions (especially the regular bottling). Still viscous with chewy tannin. Palate of chocolate cherry, cassis liqueur, blueberry, and some minerality. So rich and mouthcoating. Has 10 years plus to reach full maturity.
Classic Caymus SS...rich, racy, fruit forward with blackberry and plum. Pronounced dark chocolate and mocha notes along with some spice in the finish. Perfectly balanced. Absolutely delicious for drinking alone or with a juicy steak.
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Big Napa Cab!! Sweet ripe fruit, crowd pleasing wine. Not what I want everyday but with a great piece of grilled mid rare steak it was delicious. From magnum.
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PnP with accessible and immediately gratifying notes of blackberry, black cherry, black and red current, dark chocolate, and vanilla bean. A kiss of spice on the back end framed the core flavors nicely. There was also a nice lift from a red fruit component (a mix between black/red raspberry and red currant) that provided added complexity and an overall elevated flavor profile.
After two-three hours in the decanter at 54 degrees, the flavors deepened a bit more, enveloping the palate with more of the signature dark chocolate, vanilla bean, and baking spice that I readily seem to associate with Caymus SS wines. As others have noted, I do not get the distracting sweetness in the 2010 (which is a great thing), as often this brand can come off over-extracted, ultimately deadening the palate with the cloying feeling of residual sweetness muddling the flavors. Not the case here.
This is probably my favorite vintage of the Caymus SS. The 2008 had a nice singed eucalyptus note that I thought was the only thing I was missing in the 2010. Otherwise, the 2010 SS is ready to drink now. Air didn't change it too much, but offered a little more broadening of the depth of flavor overall.
94-95 points for me. A certain crowd pleaser kind of wine. Not sure if time in bottle will necessarily help this; it seems to be performing just fine at the moment.
The wine has low acidity. The wine finishes medium. The wine looks purple colored. The legs are slow. There is light sediment in the bottle. The wine has smooth texture. Good but didn't feel it rated a 94.
Decanted 2 hours. Maybe not long enough. Deep almost black color and intense fruit. Good wine but i think it will improve with more age (more complexity). I will wait at least 1-2 years before i try the next bottle 92-93 pts.
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I really like the 2010. I am starting to find the 2012 a little to sweet for me. I think the 2010 is less sweet and syrupy but still loads and loads of flavors. I liked it better than the last the 2012 Caymus ss I had. see previous notes
Huge Napa fruit bomb. Very dark purple, gobs of fruit, but not overly jammy and very silky. I personally like a good fruit bomb -- this could be a bit more elegant, sure, and I feel like it's not as refined as other vintages of Caymus Special that I've had, but all things considered this is still a delicious crowd pleasing wine. I certainly understand why some wine folks who prefer a classic style don't like it though... even for Napa this is quite forward.
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HUGE fruit bomb. Decanted 3 1/2 hours through a Venturi before 1st glass and drank over 2 days. Not sure there's enough in this to decant for too long, but I'll give it a couple years before my last bottle.
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Pnp and drank over 6 hours. Very focused and concentrated ripen blue fruit nose dominates without overt chocolate like regular caymus cab. The opening is more restrained and elegant but still very powerful. It's more like a sexy woman, and regular cab is more like charming teenager. On the palate, refined texture with bones of cab showed this wine can be approached either early or couple of decades. The full body and complex flavors (cassis/ plum/ blueberry/ smoky/ licorice) reminded me vintage ports! What a great definition of Napa Cab. Additionally, matured tannin and licorice makes a minute lasting possible. This is so good even side by side drank with 2012 Bevan Cellars EE.
Incredible concentration, intensity and fruit, but without any elegance or sophistication. I don't like to denegrate other tasters notes, but this is simply an overblown fruit-bomb. Massively rich and ripe with all the complexity of a Luden's cherry cough drop. The tasters who scored this in the mid-90's+ apparently have very little appreciation of anything other than massive fruit. Winemaker should be hanged in effigy ... or worse.
Notes were similar to previous tasting notes. This time we decanted this wine over night and it was pure silk. If you are going to drink a 2010 decant for a few hours put back in the bottle, cork it , and back to cold storage. It was the best the 2010 has ever showed. The 2012 Caymus SS was much better even though the 2010 was really really good.
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Fruit, Chocolate, and dark cherry explosion. We did not decant. Drank at Whole foods Naples. Wonderful dark color, with Vanilla and chocolate covered cherry nose. Very smooth and seamless. Excellent wine for the price. This was better than the 2011. I believe the 2012 will be the show stopper in a few years.
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incredible art here. I give this a 91.8....but this will continue to go up in score as it ages. This long lasting wine showed depth, with some complexity, and fruit forward. I only wish I had more bottles.
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Opened for an hour then decanted for two. Served with veal chops. This wine never disappoints. It is truly big and a fruit bomb, but also more than that. It is complex with a nose of chocolate and dark fruit. The palate has sweet fruit almost blueberryesque, but dark blackberry fruit and plum with a hint of bitter chocolate on the finish. The finish lingers velvety with smooth tannins. Still has years!
Oh my. Dark garnet in the glass, this wine had a brooding delicious nose of black cherry, chocolate and stewed prunes.
Tasting confirmed this is one of the great California cabs of the past 20+ years. If you love fresh fruit, this is for you. It will hang in for several more years but why wait?
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Dusty dark chocolate, dark berries, dark everything. It has mellowed down just a bit, but still the prime time for this wine is 2-3 years away. The wine is fantastic and fun, highly recomended.
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We drank this amongst several other wines. At the point we opened it, I had palate fatigue so am not scoring it. The wine was nice but definitely not worth the price. It followed a 2010 Ridge Geyserville which everyone agreed was better. GOOD.
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Served with Thanksgiving dinner finishing the bottle later around the fireplace. Make no mistake this is a very enjoyable wine---my guests loved it. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, dominated the nose and palate with polished dark fruit that glided across the tongue. A rich mouth filling wine that was ready to go and easy to enjoy. All components were balanced with a medium finish. So why only 93 points? This is the perfect wine for those individuals who have not tasted a wide range of reds. For all the delicious fruit that is presented it does so n a singular manner. Complexity so far in this wines development has not presented itself. This wine is not for those that love sitting around discussing a wines nuances while noticing changes as the wine gains breathing time. Would I buy this wine again? Yes if I could get it for around $100 as it is a crowd pleaser for those wine drinkers who have not tasted many wines other than those found in a grocery store.
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WOW! Very impressive. I'm not sure what berry I was smelling and tasting but it was full and flavorful. One of the best California Cabs I have ever had.
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Riedel Vitis Cabernet glasses. Beautiful Nose. Maple syrup on the Nose. Drinking with a pizza. 45 minute Decant. Wednesday night. 92 Points. The OKC Kid
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Multiple tastings with consistent notes. Typical Caymus fruit bomb, but needs some cellar time to even out. Strong fruit & ester flavors, typical for the brand.
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2010 Caymus Special Selection Cabernet. Blackberry on the Nose. 3 Hour Decant. Drinking with my little Brother on a Sunday afternoon. Riedel Vitis Cabernet glasses. Pretty good wine. 91 Points. The OKC Kid
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Loved this wine, beautiful super concentrated fruit with a second layer of minerality. I ran this through a Vinturi decanter and let it sit for an additional 3 hours. I would suggest additional airtime or more aging because it got better with each additional glass.
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This wine was popped and poured at the end of a very long work day..........WOW. Completely caught me by surprise. I am not a Caymus fan, but wines like this really get me thinking....until I partake of things like the 2012. This wine poured a dark inky purple into the glass. The nose was concentrated with black fruit and blueberry. Had a very "Howell Mountainesque" type of nose. The entry was all dark fruit, glycerine, super thick, dense, with a hint of floral perfume, smoke and new shoe leather. The mid-palate was where things started to develop a smokier tint, with black fruits dominating. The finish was moderately tannic, but tannin wasn't too harsh. This wine still has a lot of integrating to do, and wow.......this thing will be able to age for years. I honestly wasn't sure if this one was ready to go yet. Out of the bottle it was still ready to go...just showing the youthful side. All in all I was very pleased, and I'm trying to find as much of this as I can as we speak! Drink 2014-2028.
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Oily, dark nose with a hint of barnyard. In the group that this was tasted the Caymus came off as a bit too sweet and cloying. Drinkable but not my favorite on this night and I usually love Caymus.
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Very dark color. Decanted for 30 minutes. Sweet dark plum and dark fruit aroma. A hint of dark chocolate aroma. This is a smooth wine with a velvety mouth feel. The taste is quite nice with dark plum and dark cherry. Very long finish. Nice wine.
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Second tasting with consistent notes. Deep fruit flavors, but not overtly jammy. Nice aromatics. Really a wonderful wine from one of my favorite producers. I will be buying more.
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Decanted for about 30 minutes and consumed over next two hours. Nose of dark berries and slight herbal notes. Initial palate was slightly hot, but mellowed over the next hour to complex layers of cherry to berries to dark plum, simply delicious with a almost velvet texture. This will only better with age but I'm glad I tried one now.
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Absolutely wonderful. Mouth-coating, concentrated, very long finish (45 seconds to 1 minute). Day two was very different but equally as excellent--the fruit came out and seemed to sing on the tongue.
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still somewhat closed after 8 hrs, put it in the blender for 30 seconds, let sit for another hour, incredible difference. This wine represents everything the legend of Rutherford entails, Dusty, floral, smoke/graphite. Thanks to Coravin, I can now enjoy one glass at a time and not have to wait 15 years for the peak.
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This review is for big Napa cab lovers. Read all the reviews and decided to open a bottle. Opened before work (big fruit) and decanted for 9 hours...got home and had opened somewhat, but still not giving much. After aggressive decanter swirling on & off for a couple more hours while cooking and, oh my, it started to come alive. Sweet meadow flowers, ripe plums, black cherries, blueberries, black raspberries with crème anglaise. Some coffee, white chocolate (early on) and dark chocolate (later) as well. Wonderful layers and complexity with a juicy rich round tannin finish (entire palate) that lasts for over 5 minutes with residual anise followed by drying tannins as the acid subsides. The tannins are huge and cloaked in the rich fruit of the wine. This wine is still very young with some alcohol on the nose and finish (not at all bothersome), but will subside with time as the wine comes together. A delicious wine with a long life ahead. If you open it now, to truly taste the wine, you'll need to patiently work for it. One of my new favorites along with Hewitt to add to Hall (Kathryn Hall, Bergfeld, Jack's Masterpiece) both of which also have incredible richness & tannins but don't end with the same drying tannins.
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Amazing wine!! I didn't let it decant long enough though.. Needs at least an hour or two before you really get into it. Very nicely rounded with nice fruit and firm tannins. Should get better with age.. Can't wait to try another!
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Agree with reviews here. We decanted for 8 hours for a special dinner. Had with steak and lobster. Wow! Triple yum!! Smmmoooooth with a lovely bouquet and long finish. Chocolate blueberry raspberry spice pie Fan-frickin-tastic !!
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Dark chocolate and coconut. Extremely elegant but with a lot of punch. This wine will only get better and I am guessing here that in 5 years the wine will be 96 points for me and hence one of my top 10 of all-time. The wine is fantastic, it just needs time to integrate better
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36th Birthday Bash (Residence of Tony and Paulette Kelley): Tasted along with the 2007 Caymus SS and found that the 2010 had a much darker color and more approachable nose than the 2007. Great nose with dark berries and tobacco that hit all those anticipated Rutherford notes in an elegant manner. Smooth as silk with dark cherry, cassis and opulent chocolate notes. It was more approachable than the 2007 but yet remained in the pocket for longer holding on to its structure. I have to grab another bottle of this baby and hold it for 10-15 years.
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Great wine, even this young. Big fruit, vanilla, hints of tobacco. Let it decant for about 4 hours before we started drinking it, and it continued to improve. A little bit of heat, which I expect will dissipate with age. Very long finish. Can't wait to try this again in 5 years, though it will be a challenge not to break into it again before then.
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Hennepin Lake Charity Tasting Event: Tasting pour. You immediately know you have a wine with style and grace. The nose is lovely with crème de cassis, mulberry, boysenberry, mocha, spice. The palate is where this excites though, medium-full to full body, velvety texture, elegance and power. balanced, pure cassis and berry fruits, long finish. Would love to sit down with this for an evening. 94(+)pts.
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Much too young to be drinking now. Will score higher in 5 or 10 years. Decided to try it young as an experiment due to notes I'd read. No doubt this is a big concentrated beauty but the tannins need time and there is a burn on the throat that detracts from the finish.
After two hours in decanter the initial nose was dominated by oak (which is surprising since Caymus tends to use a lighter touch in that regard), smoke and a barnyard aroma that gives it a Euro feel. Four hours in and those elements give way to the big fruit Caymus is known for, with sweet vanilla, hay, buttered toast, and cocoa.
Great expressive nose, huge taste, but the sharpness never went away. With time this will only get better.
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At Gary's Grand tasting. Had been open for about an hour, drank after the 11 Caymus.
Dark purple color. Certainly a notch up from the Caymus - same profile, more pronounced vanilla and oak, blueberry and tobacco. Rich mouthfeel, long finish. Is it worth 2x the regular Caymus?
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Wow! So young and yet so incredibly drinkable right now! Smooth as silk. One of the best cabs I have enjoyed in a long time! Can't imagine how this could improve but given track record of Caymus Special Selection, I know it will. Scary good!
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Excellent. But not Outstanding. Great mouthfeel. Just did not have that "wow" factor. Still a little young. Will wait couple of years at least before revisiting. Upside potential.
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Decanted for two hours. Almost black and garnet in colour. An exotic and voluptuous nose of tobacco, blueberry, sultana, hickory and currant paste. This is thick, rich and massive, also stays very poised and focused. The front palate is almost unctuous and the finish is longer than any paragraph by Proust. A different animal than the impressive '08, still it has the Caymus character and the palate is just seamless and perfect. Fine tannins that are lightly chewy. Drink 2015 - 2030.
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rouge violet foncé. Nez de cerises noires sucrées et de violettes. En bouche , texture soyeuse, gros fruit et très plaisant. Les tannins sont présents en finale mais le fruits revient pour y rester. Vin de grande classe . Coup de coeur. 96+
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This has a dark garnet - almost black in color turning purple at the rim. The nose is on high octane, and you'd really have to get past that initial alcohol whiff before you get to the dense but attractive flavors of dark berries, mocha, and tobacco. The palate displays an equally rich character with a creamy, velvety feel on the dark cherry, coffee, chocolate, cassis, and vanilla flavors. The vibrant acidity and structure of the 2010 is somewhat unusual, and one that I have not encountered since th 2004 vintage. The intensity is maintained all throughout, and finishes fruity, which masks the underlying tannin on a sweet note. Just incredible after a 2-hour decant, but would be ideal for drinking from 2015 to 2025.
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Inky purple. Blackberry and caramel oak. Very bright, sparkling from acid and alcohol on the palate. Caramel oak on the palate, too. Hot finish. Give it points for other-worldly level of intensity. Leave it alone for a decade.
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Super ripe sweet plum on the nose. Mouthcoating texture in typical Caymus style. Finish has nice floral nuances and finishes in vanilla and more plum. Good, not great. The 2009 vintage in my opinion blew this away.
-- Consumed at at cellar temp: 60°-65° F. Friends don't let friends drink red wine at room temp!
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This is an outstanding wine and continues to be one of my favorites from CA. It has beautiful fruit and near perfect tannins. It's a big wine, but still polished and elegant. The finish is silky and pure.
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Beau violet qui tache le verre. Nez de vanille et de cerise noire. En bouche il est balancé, soyeux et caresse le palais avec des fruits noirs, bleuets,cassis, cola... divin. Très longue finale. La cuvée Napa Valley est un très bon vin pour les amateurs du genre, mais le Special Selection est dans une classe à part. Un de mes coups de coeur. Le score augmentera certainement dans 2 à 3 ans. 95+
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Dark and Inky...Chocolate covered cherries, blueberries, hint of vanilla and cassis on the nose...white pepper, blueberries, cassis and a little bit of earth on the palate. Nice medium length finish with barely a hint of bittersweet chocolate...Needs some more bottle time...give it another 2 years...
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dark, ruby in color. blackberry, blueberry, oak, pepper on the nose. salt, oak, blackberry, sweet chocolate, blueberry on the palate. good acid, good tannins in a lingering finish.
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Pop and pour, then tasted over a 24 hour period. Wonderful fruit flavors, not quite as over the top as regular caymus. Some spicy flavors present, hints of maybe anise & cinnamon? On day 2, dusty tannins were revealed. Really outstanding, one of my favorite wines. Ready to drink today.
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Caymus Special Selection remains one of the top producers of the supple side of the style range in Napa. The wine is polished, soft and elegant. But it's not light. It's packed with spicy black and red berries, vanilla, smoke, caramel and blackberries and ends with a long, pure, silky finish.
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4/14/2024 - xboomer Likes this wine: 95 Points
Rich, powerful and full body. Delicious
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3/21/2024 - Lion's Share Likes this wine: 94 Points
It’s nearing the end of its drinking window, but if properly stored it’s still delicious and very much the model of great Napa Cab. For those who enjoy a fruit bomb, this is still the bomb. Plum, black cherry, espresso, sweet spices, and a creamy smooth texture. Pair it with ribeye served rare and enjoy the synergy. PnP 65 degrees.
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1/16/2024 - shellylowen Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tastes a little old, plums, berries, great soft mouthfeel.
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1/10/2024 - wren460 Likes this wine: 94 Points
This are the good years were Caymus was much better than now. No purple power, no heat, amazing juice.
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11/23/2023 - mpricher wrote: 94 Points
Had with Thanksgiving dinner, and this didn’t disappoint. Deep rich purple color, no bricking. Lots of purple paint and rich currant on the nose. This is so soft and velvety on the palate. Lovely mouthfeel. Lots of purple berry and lather notes. Almost Syrah like with a meaty component. Finish lasts well over a minute. Great experience!
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8/7/2023 - Mezz Likes this wine: 92 Points
It’s great, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not sure Caymus is punching above it’s weight class with this bad boy. Eminently drinkable and rich palate, smooth as silk at this age, but lacking some of the complexity I’ve come to expect from wines of this price. Won’t buy again, but glad I got to try it from a good vintage and aged to perfection. For $200 I expect a 95.
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5/14/2023 - Finewine 16 Likes this wine: 100 Points
Mother’s Day 2023
Excellent wine
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4/7/2023 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted briefly. Showing very well, a cross between classic Napa Cabernet and the more intense profile of a cult Cab. Consistent with previous note.
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12/18/2022 - Elkcims Likes this wine: 96 Points
Bought on release, drank over two days.
Day 1: 5 hour slow ox and 30 mins in glass:
Day 2: after storing half bottle in frig, 30 mins in glass
Full bodied and brooding black currants, creme de cassis. First two glasses showed higher alcohol despite long oxygenation. Also a bit of plum-prune and flabbiness present on 1st day. Second day was singing -much improved as noted above, with last glass was a solid 96. 94-95 for first 3 glasses. Reco double decant over long period - 5-6 hours IMHO.
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12/7/2022 - chuckfr wrote: 95 Points
Wonderful wine. Decanted at a restaurant and enjoyed over 90 mins. Probably at its peak.
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10/7/2022 - Gary1961 wrote:
Wine Spectator 96
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2/14/2022 - mpw1999 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Silky tannins, perfectly balanced. Excellent paired with wagyu.
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2/13/2022 - om42 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Super jammy when opened but after a couple hours of decanting , it seriously rocked. Perfect balance and development.
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1/22/2022 - AZEngineer wrote: 97 Points
All four of us loved this.
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12/31/2021 - Magnolian Likes this wine: 94 Points
New Year's Eve Reds (Magnolia): Decanted 45+ minutes, two runs through a Vinturi. Dark ruby with no signs of bricking. Nose somewhat restrained but opened up in the glass to show sweet oak and caramel. Deliciously round and integrated fruit on the midpalate, featuring cassis, strawberries and blackberries. A touch more extracted than the other wines. Complex and polished finish with fine-grained tannins. Entering its prime with 8-10 years of enjoyment left.
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9/6/2021 - gth865a Likes this wine: 96 Points
Big, rich, velvety and smooth. Noted a bit more pruniness than I would have expected (may have just been our bottle) but this was absolutely delightful to drink!
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6/18/2021 - Lantanawine Likes this wine: 98 Points
1 of 6 from original 2010 purchase. Temp controlled for last 11 years. Beautiful. Very smooth. Still plenty of structure to keep cellaring. But seems to be at perfect drinking stage. Big and plenty of depth.
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4/4/2021 - Eantnay Likes this wine: 96 Points
A joy to drink and the perfect pairing for Easter dinner with grilled Colorado rib lamb chops. Rich and aromatic, like velvet on the tongue, with tannin smooth as silk. Drinking beautifully now and I don't see much room for improvement with further ageing. Decanted for about 3 hours, which was not really necessary, since the aromas were leaping out of the decanter as I was pouring. Plenty of sediment in the bottle, but most, if not all of it remained stuck to the bottle during the decanting process.
I previously had he opportunity to taste the regular bottling of Caymus Cab and the Special Selection Cab side by side and the difference was like night & day.
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1/31/2021 - AAJR Likes this wine: 93 Points
Typical Caymus SS
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1/11/2021 - PJT Likes this wine: 94 Points
Thieved a glass with Coravin. Thick, dark, sweet fruit, nice structure, sweet tannins. I really enjoyed now but would give another 2-3 years for tannins to soften further.
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1/8/2021 - phynes wrote: 93 Points
On the one hand this wine confirmed why I prefer Bordeaux to Napa but at the same time I very much enjoyed it. It is hot, opulent, powerful and syrupy with notes of plum, mocha and chocolate. I believe it lacks structure and complexity compared to the finest wines of France and Italy but it offers a mouthful of unadulterated pleasure and thus deserves a decent score. I recall Chuck Wagner suggesting that this wine is typically at its best after 5–7 years but I would be curious as to what this would be like in 10 years time.
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1/1/2021 - jschnabel wrote: 93 Points
This wine is a power cab that, if decanted for at least 2 hours shows polish and two gears on the pallete. Garnet in color the initial taste notes are dark fruit and cassis then yields to a delightful mocha ending. The mouth feel is medium and I would say that it’ll drink well over the next five years.
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11/27/2020 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 90 Points
Initially very un Caymus like with a Syrah like savory meat element. After about an hour decanting the candied elements began to emerge. Thick and syrupy but nothing like the over extracted style that started to emerge after 2012. Nonetheless it’s tasty but the style has not aged well.
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10/31/2020 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted two hours. Robust, intense dark fruit, tobacco, leather, anise, strong but accessible tannins. This is one of the better vintages of this overpriced but delicious Cabernet, showing well now and for the next few years.
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10/31/2020 - webbaker Likes this wine: 96 Points
These older Caymus SS wines are drinking well right now, most of the overt jamminess has dropped away. More aromatics show through.
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10/25/2020 - dbv827 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lives up to its reputation with a full fruit bomb on the nose. Medium body with hints of pepper on a flinty background. Tannins overall moderate within the world of Napa cabs.
Over time the character of overripe berries faded to a pleasant stone fruit, but remained the dominant characteristic. I know some would argue it needs to age more, but it currently drinks like a refined zin blend which is pleasant in its own way.
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9/13/2020 - chuckos77 wrote: 90 Points
I am surprised on some scores as I find the wine slightly sugary and overly fruit forward. Slight nuances f structure but over all, too jammy for my liking. Easy drinking and I am sure it is crowd favorite.
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8/2/2020 - Dave Mac Likes this wine: 97 Points
Dollops of the typical plum with clarinets of fig and just a tickle of passion fruit. This baby was the real deal, crying a little at first, but not staying up all night. A nose like Doris Day with the finish of Secretariat--big, bold, strong, and nobody within 7 lengths. Enjoy!
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7/27/2020 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 wrote: 95 Points
Opaque purple color turning violet at the rim with a reflective edge. The nose gives off ripe stewed plums, blueberry compote and glycerin coated smoked oak. The palate is full-bodied, unmistakably new world, with a velvety texture on high octane. Ripe blueberry, dark cherry, dark chocolate, rose petals, and espresso form the core. This is classic Caymus - ripe, voluptuous and powerful. Finishes long and elevated with dusty tannins. Drink now until 2035.
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7/4/2020 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted briefly. This is singing right now, among the best Caymus I've enjoyed. Plentiful dark fruit, leather, licorice, robust tannins, dried leaves, long finish. Great crowd pleaser. Great steak wine.
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6/27/2020 - Wino from Michigan wrote: 93 Points
Drinking excellent - love it - amazing
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6/23/2020 - sunnylea57 Does not like this wine:
Everything I dislike in red wine: a blast of alcohol heat on the nose; overripe, sweet fruit; flabby, low acidity and structureless; gobs of milk chocolate. I get that this is right in the wheelhouse of some people. À chacun son goût.
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3/15/2020 - AAJR Likes this wine: 94 Points
PnP’d - was in the mood for a big fruit forward wine & this didn’t disappoint.
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3/14/2020 - Levinsb wrote: 93 Points
Drinking well! Sweet cherry blackberry fruit with graphite and slight vanilla coconut cola flavors. Silky tannins. Ready now for steak chops or hearty Ravi.
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1/7/2020 - jsebiri wrote:
Very tasty, rich, opulent. Not much spine/backbone, these wines used to have much more going on in the '90s if that makes sense.
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12/31/2019 - HorstPeak Likes this wine: 95 Points
The best Caymus I ever had. Decanted 2 hours an drank over the following 2 additional hours which go even better. Berry fruits, full bodied with smooth tannins, then with a long finish... I have 1 more bottle, let’s see in +5 years how this is getting on...
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12/24/2019 - SteveJHL1 wrote: flawed
From WINE BID auction - 3rd bad bottle
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12/21/2019 - brasstab Likes this wine: 98 Points
Stunning. A ball-busting, soul-crushing explosión of fruta negra and tannic gloriousness. Paired (and won) against crispy duck and lamb chops, whose mint sauce paired nicely with the menthol in this juice.
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11/28/2019 - Mraico wrote: 98 Points
full bodied. Typical cab as expected
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11/16/2019 - LiteItOnFire wrote: 90 Points
Expected more used to enjoy these but no longer my palate presence.
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11/3/2019 - jcasey555 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fantastic. Drinking really well. Deep dark fruit and well integrated tannins!!
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10/17/2019 - christianminer Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is a very fruity wine with a lot a dark fruit. It is a pleasant wine, but I was not enjoying the balance of the wine. The wine lacked a really defined acid backbone, and made the wine a little bit flabby. Still enjoyed it, but probably not my style.
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9/7/2019 - JeffNy1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
A good wine but not great. Cherry coke as expected. Good fruit and the wine is well structured.
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8/17/2019 - DAguayo wrote: 95 Points
Still young with potential for a 98-100pts! Very close at opening but after two hours a enormous and opulent body arose! Dark purple color/strong nose of dark fruits and high tanins! A wine for a lifetime!!!
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8/4/2019 - Stevethebeav Likes this wine: 94 Points
Solid wine and very enjoyable. Why was I expecting more? Didn’t match up to 12 Fairchild G3.
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7/3/2019 - maxima wrote: 96 Points
Bu au resto La Maison Chez nous avec Alfredo
pour son périple annuel directement de Naples!
Superbe accord avec les Paupiettes de Veau.
Mieux que mon autre bouteille je dirais.
Super fragrant et complexe...on a ouvert la bouteille le matin,
rapide passage en carafe, il y a un bon depot...remis en bouteille et laissé
sans le bouchon pour le reste de la journée.
Le nez est sur les fruits noirs et les épices, c'est parfumé
et dense.
En bouche, belle richesse mais ce qui frappe, c'est son équilibre et
sa buvabilité pour un vin de cette jeunesse.
Des cerises noires et du cassis avec du mocha et
des épices sucrés. Les tanins sont assez fins et
la finale interminable sur des relents
de chocolats, tout en volupté.
Excellent, grand vin il sera!
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7/3/2019 - webbaker Likes this wine: 95 Points
Multiple tastings with consistent notes. Given some cellar time to let the fruit recede a little, this is an outstanding wine.
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3/23/2019 - SurLie Likes this wine: 97 Points
So smooth and big
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2/28/2019 - Neecies Likes this wine:
PnP'd. Immediate notes of SS's signature violet nose with bright black currant flavors. Haven't liked a lot of the cloying 2000's SS's but this reminded me more of SS in the 80's. Quite pretty, actually.
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2/2/2019 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
Good, not great. A gift from my company several years ago. Very oaky.
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2/1/2019 - Romol Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 2+ hours. Ready to drink. I would recommend to decant it at least 1 hour (better 2). Improved since my first bottle in 2016. Still has many years left. 93+ pts.
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1/11/2019 - dpolivy wrote:
Vindredi (2016 Ports + California Cabernet) (Bellevue, WA): Silky, rich and dense. Smooth as velvet. Lots of ripe red and black fruit, both sweet and slightly tart (black cherry and a little cranberry). Finishes with lots of length and super fine, integrated tannins.
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12/31/2018 - jtbeattie11@gmail.com Likes this wine: 94 Points
A little muted on the nose but the balance of this wine is exceptional.
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11/26/2018 - Hi.its.Don.4.Wine wrote: 93 Points
Great wine. Has smoothed out nicely and should continue to do so.
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10/23/2018 - JLuch1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened and splash decanted. Was drinking superb at about 30 minutes. Fantastic wine and for me, drinking at the best point it could be.
It shed a lot of the baby fat and extraction from my earlier tasting upon release and has developed in to a incredibly well balanced wine. This should continue to age nicely, but for me, now was the ideal time.
No formal notes on the profile as I consumed this a while ago.
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10/2/2018 - Marc S wrote: 94 Points
- Brick color with slow forming legs. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry, raspberry, strawberry and raisin with a medium/full body. Juicy texture with a medium finish - Always a great bottle of Cab and the 2010will not disappoint.
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8/6/2018 - michigan dogs Likes this wine: 93 Points
very smooth, good cab flavors, fell a little flat at the end of the tasting. Not a bottle I would buy, in fact am selling my other 2 bottles.
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7/28/2018 - sjdoc Likes this wine: 98 Points
this is one of my current favorite napa cabs to drink. It is full bodied, full of dark fruit. great structure and long even tannins. it sounds like the typical big fruit bomb, but this offers so much more structure.
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5/1/2018 - yowser Likes this wine: 95 Points
I tried a bottle of this upon initial release and I was negatively overwhelmed by its massive, overbearing fruit, wondering if my buying 18 bottles was a huge mistake. I then tried a second bottle last week with friends and it was outstanding with everything coming into a greater level of balance. We had this along side a 2010 Hewitt, and the Caymus was the clear favorite. As good as it was last week, I plan to hold off for a few more years as I think it needs time to mature, become more balanced and elegant.
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4/1/2018 - jcasey555 wrote: 89 Points
Nose seemed muted and flavor less intense on this bottle.
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2/5/2018 - flussier Likes this wine: 94 Points
Robe rubis très foncé. Vin d’une belle complexité, proche d’un vieux vin avec des arômes de prune, raisin sec, olive noire, mure et cassis. Nez très présent. Décanté 2h. Long en bouche et bonne astringence. À revisiter dans 3-5 ans.
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12/8/2017 - tp096255 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wine is banging. Great on pop-n-pour and prob going to better with a few hours decanting. Lovely black fruit liqueur and glycerin. Nose to finish it is just pure pleasure, which is what we are going for tonight. Good on its own but will prob be even better with special meats and cheeses from Italy.
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10/29/2017 - Marc S wrote: 94 Points
- Garnet color with medium forming legs. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry and raspberry with a medium/full body. Juicy texture with a medium finish - Always great juice.
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10/29/2017 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 96 Points
Decanted for one hour. Ready to drink and absolutely signing. Over the top Caymus style that actually has the structure and complexity to be something special. Cherry syrup, cassis liqueur, blueberry pie, vanilla bean, graphite... Has plenty of years left and in a great spot now.
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10/19/2017 - Hazevedo Likes this wine: 95 Points
Extraordinay wine
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9/30/2017 - RedRedMoreRed Likes this wine: 89 Points
Inky purple in the glass. Decanted for an hour. Big fruit from front to back.
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9/1/2017 - cucycling Likes this wine: 94 Points
In the 4 years since purchasing 2 bottles of Camus SS many boutique wines have caught my fancy and hundreds of bottles have been enjoyed. I am happy that as much as I might enjoy whatever from Howell Mountain for it's virtue I can still greatly enjoy the richness/softness/sweetness of this wonderful wine.
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9/1/2017 - Romol Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 2,5 hours. This bottle was better than the last one 1+ year ago. More complex and in balance not "just" a friut bomb like the last bottle. I will wait again at least a year before i open the next bottle. 93 pts.
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7/30/2017 - Amerique wrote: 92 Points
Tight, full-bodied black cherry fruit, excellent structure, seems more Cabernet dominant, lacks expansiveness and sweetness characteristic of Caymus Special Selection wines
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6/16/2017 - 1nono Likes this wine: 94 Points
If you like fruit, you will love this. A fruit bomb!
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5/27/2017 - drdan8 Does not like this wine: 85 Points
I have to concur with CSimm's evaluation of this wine. Removed from a 56 degree passive cellar and let slow ox for 2 hours. Not really much excitement on the nose with dark macerated cherry and a touch of menthol. Quite sweet on the initial attack with candied cherry, blackberry syrup, over the top sucrosity,and little to no complexity. A muddled mid palate and abrupt finish. Have 1 bottle remaing that I will probably gift to someone.
I may have enjoyed this as a novice wine consumer, but this is no longer suitable for my taste profile. Will not be repurchasing any Caymus / SS in the future. If your going to drop this type of coin on premier Napa Cabernet, I think one would be better served with offerings from Favia or Realm IMHO.
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5/20/2017 - nm10 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark purple with a lovely nose of cassis. A very concentrated wine, with blueberries, kirsch, and anise. What I noticed was the wonderful balance. 60 second finish. Pluses and minuses, but I would say the balance makes this a really nice wine.
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5/14/2017 - csimm wrote: 84 Points
PnP was practically undrinkable. Sweet, candied black cherry Jolly Rancher and chocolate chunk notes. Completely cloying and syrupy tasting.
An hour of air in the glass eased the sweetness quite a bit, but it also collapsed any semblance of a frame. Acid was low and all I was getting was muddled, overly ripe red and black "fruit" flavors.
...Not pleased.
The remainder of the bottle was re-corked and put back in the cellar at 54 degrees. I'll be following this for the next day or so before I unleash judgment...
I had this thing at 94-95 last year. Not sure what the heck I was smoking that day...?!?! (It was August, so maybe I had a hankering for a snow cone or something).
UPDATE DAY 2: The sweetness has subsided considerably. The fruit is something I can only describe as "walking dead" on the palate. There is fruit present, but not much verve. What energy it does display exists in the form of alcohol and faint notes of cedar. I will admittedly say that this is a million times better today than it was yesterday. However, it still comes across as disjointed. Cork back in and stored again at 54 degrees in preparation for a day 3 evaluation. Fairly pessimistic on how that'll go...
UPDATE DAY 3: The sweetness is back a bit. The fruit continues to subside. The tannins are soft at this point. Coming off a little heavy and even more unfocused. Acts like it has depth, but really just displays ripe, dark muddled fruit flavors now. No more traction here.
UPDATE DAY 4: Alcohol and sloppy dark fruit. It isn't tannic or hot by any means; just a dull sourness, with a messy, boozy display on the back end. The fruit and texture is like stuffing a bunch of reduced prunes and molasses in your mouth.
In sum, the second day was clearly the best this wine showed, which unfortunately still wasn't that compelling of a showing overall.
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5/5/2017 - cpl100n Likes this wine: 92 Points
I found this wine closed very high tanins which is not caymus I will leave the rest of mine for 2 years
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4/22/2017 - mtkutzman@gmail.com wrote: 96 Points
Home with Ken & Ellen Crouse, Ted & Sylvia and Tony Lafferty; I made VN lamb chops wine unreal; Plus we tasted the Yama whiskey and JW blue Tony brought.
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3/26/2017 - CarguyGM wrote:
Fantastic wine , young but smooth great nose , blueberries a little saddle , my guest loved it !
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3/20/2017 - ledwards wrote: 89 Points
Wow- this is currently a very candied, ripe fruit dominated wine. We were taken aback by this dominant fruit profile. Would suspect it is going through a phase where the fruit will calm done and tertiary flavors will come forward. Let's hope.
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2/15/2017 - Quiet Lion wrote: 91 Points
Decanted and served. Restrained nose that opened up a bit after two hours, yielding a lovely berry meadow. On the palate overwhelming alcohol overshadowing any balance or subtlety. This didn't change much over three hours. Possibly a slightly cooked bottle or in a dumb phase; other vintages I've had are usually very smooth and focused.
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1/4/2017 - Mech-E Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted 3 hours and ready for New Years Eve dinner.
Daaark, thick and viscous with dark cherry and blackberry flavors. Aromas of sandalwood and spice though light on the oak here. Integrating beautifully with silky smooth, ripe tannins and decent acidity. A perfect match for beef Wellington.
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12/11/2016 - TastesGoodToMe Likes this wine: 94 Points
3 Years since my last bottle and this wine is much better! Mostly black fruit with cassis, a touch of blueberry liquor, chocolate, and some spice. Long finish. Excellent balance. Last sip was the best telling me this still has some upside potential. Still not as good as the '08 SS to me. But really starting to come into its own.
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11/27/2016 - spineguy Likes this wine: 93 Points
One of the best faces of California wine. Very well integrated with distinct layers and dark fruit as well as hints of chocolate. Wonderful finish. Nose lacked distinction and here is where it lost a point or 2.
Opened at family dinner at Cut 34 in Florida. A comment from a non wine critic family member was "this is the smoothest wine I have ever tasted." I in large part I agree. Mouthfeel is great!
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11/25/2016 - maxima wrote: 95 Points
ouff que c`est beau ce vin là…pas donné, mais plus que du bonbon et l`occasion s`y prête, pour mes 51 chandelles.
Un nez qui saute sur verre.
Tout en velour et en fruit, un vin dense et riche ou rien n`accroche, loooooong et délicieux.
This wine literally sang out of the glass, velvety muscles one said, quite complex and immensely long…a great wine.
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11/19/2016 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for 3 hours. Not as extracted or overripe as the newer versions (especially the regular bottling). Still viscous with chewy tannin. Palate of chocolate cherry, cassis liqueur, blueberry, and some minerality. So rich and mouthcoating. Has 10 years plus to reach full maturity.
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11/18/2016 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 95 Points
Classic Caymus SS...rich, racy, fruit forward with blackberry and plum. Pronounced dark chocolate and mocha notes along with some spice in the finish. Perfectly balanced. Absolutely delicious for drinking alone or with a juicy steak.
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10/22/2016 - jcasey555 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank well after 1.5 hours and aerated decant. Deep dark fruit, solid structure, nose and finish.
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9/18/2016 - brentb Likes this wine: 95 Points
Delicious with grilled New York strips and great friends.
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9/11/2016 - risaacs Likes this wine:
Big Napa Cab!! Sweet ripe fruit, crowd pleasing wine. Not what I want everyday but with a great piece of grilled mid rare steak it was delicious. From magnum.
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8/11/2016 - csimm wrote: 95 Points
PnP with accessible and immediately gratifying notes of blackberry, black cherry, black and red current, dark chocolate, and vanilla bean. A kiss of spice on the back end framed the core flavors nicely. There was also a nice lift from a red fruit component (a mix between black/red raspberry and red currant) that provided added complexity and an overall elevated flavor profile.
After two-three hours in the decanter at 54 degrees, the flavors deepened a bit more, enveloping the palate with more of the signature dark chocolate, vanilla bean, and baking spice that I readily seem to associate with Caymus SS wines. As others have noted, I do not get the distracting sweetness in the 2010 (which is a great thing), as often this brand can come off over-extracted, ultimately deadening the palate with the cloying feeling of residual sweetness muddling the flavors. Not the case here.
This is probably my favorite vintage of the Caymus SS. The 2008 had a nice singed eucalyptus note that I thought was the only thing I was missing in the 2010. Otherwise, the 2010 SS is ready to drink now. Air didn't change it too much, but offered a little more broadening of the depth of flavor overall.
94-95 points for me. A certain crowd pleaser kind of wine. Not sure if time in bottle will necessarily help this; it seems to be performing just fine at the moment.
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7/24/2016 - Rossdhu House wrote: 89 Points
The wine has low acidity. The wine finishes medium. The wine looks purple colored. The legs are slow. There is light sediment in the bottle. The wine has smooth texture. Good but didn't feel it rated a 94.
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5/19/2016 - Romol Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Maybe not long enough. Deep almost black color and intense fruit. Good wine but i think it will improve with more age (more complexity). I will wait at least 1-2 years before i try the next bottle 92-93 pts.
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4/25/2016 - floridawinedrkr Likes this wine: 96 Points
I really like the 2010. I am starting to find the 2012 a little to sweet for me. I think the 2010 is less sweet and syrupy but still loads and loads of flavors. I liked it better than the last the 2012 Caymus ss I had. see previous notes
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4/16/2016 - Rcramesh Likes this wine: 94 Points
Smooth delicious wine.
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4/8/2016 - Geaux Tigers Likes this wine: 96 Points
2 hrs decant. Not a Caymus fan, because not my style, but this was excellent. Maybe I am a fan!
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4/7/2016 - jeffm_fla Likes this wine: 94 Points
Last bottle. Such a great wine - powerful fruit, classic Caymus flavor profile. When you want this style of wine, there is nothing better!
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4/5/2016 - Sunocoblue Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drank with Ribye and it was amazing.. I wish I would have waited a year though... still getting better!! Never fails
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3/30/2016 - jmorgand Likes this wine: 95 Points
Definitely needs a good decant. Stunning after a little air.
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3/26/2016 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 95 Points
Huge Napa fruit bomb. Very dark purple, gobs of fruit, but not overly jammy and very silky. I personally like a good fruit bomb -- this could be a bit more elegant, sure, and I feel like it's not as refined as other vintages of Caymus Special that I've had, but all things considered this is still a delicious crowd pleasing wine. I certainly understand why some wine folks who prefer a classic style don't like it though... even for Napa this is quite forward.
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2/6/2016 - wineduggery wrote: 92 Points
Big and jammy with a nice spice/pepper note.
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12/25/2015 - khunchris Likes this wine: 90 Points
Notes to follow
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12/6/2015 - Hawtdawg wrote: 92 Points
HUGE fruit bomb. Decanted 3 1/2 hours through a Venturi before 1st glass and drank over 2 days. Not sure there's enough in this to decant for too long, but I'll give it a couple years before my last bottle.
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9/4/2015 - RyanWu wrote: 94 Points
Pnp and drank over 6 hours. Very focused and concentrated ripen blue fruit nose dominates without overt chocolate like regular caymus cab. The opening is more restrained and elegant but still very powerful. It's more like a sexy woman, and regular cab is more like charming teenager. On the palate, refined texture with bones of cab showed this wine can be approached either early or couple of decades. The full body and complex flavors (cassis/ plum/ blueberry/ smoky/ licorice) reminded me vintage ports! What a great definition of Napa Cab. Additionally, matured tannin and licorice makes a minute lasting possible. This is so good even side by side drank with 2012 Bevan Cellars EE.
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9/4/2015 - rickspicks wrote: 80 Points
Incredible concentration, intensity and fruit, but without any elegance or sophistication. I don't like to denegrate other tasters notes, but this is simply an overblown fruit-bomb. Massively rich and ripe with all the complexity of a Luden's cherry cough drop. The tasters who scored this in the mid-90's+ apparently have very little appreciation of anything other than massive fruit. Winemaker should be hanged in effigy ... or worse.
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8/27/2015 - gabird wrote: 94 Points
Wonderful. All I can say.
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8/15/2015 - S_stas wrote: 93 Points
Less ripe and more in balance than the 2011. Typical Caymus SS.
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7/31/2015 - maitredgreg2 wrote:
No Score, because I like Caymus, but this was dull with no fruit structure, just a lot of sweet extracted tannins. 87pts
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7/11/2015 - Marcosolow wrote: 94 Points
- A Medium finish.
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5/29/2015 - hebatty Likes this wine: 92 Points
it was intense
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5/2/2015 - floridawinedrkr Likes this wine: 95 Points
Notes were similar to previous tasting notes. This time we decanted this wine over night and it was pure silk. If you are going to drink a 2010 decant for a few hours put back in the bottle, cork it , and back to cold storage. It was the best the 2010 has ever showed. The 2012 Caymus SS was much better even though the 2010 was really really good.
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4/26/2015 - floridawinedrkr Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fruit, Chocolate, and dark cherry explosion. We did not decant. Drank at Whole foods Naples. Wonderful dark color, with Vanilla and chocolate covered cherry nose. Very smooth and seamless. Excellent wine for the price. This was better than the 2011. I believe the 2012 will be the show stopper in a few years.
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4/7/2015 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 92 Points
incredible art here. I give this a 91.8....but this will continue to go up in score as it ages. This long lasting wine showed depth, with some complexity, and fruit forward. I only wish I had more bottles.
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3/27/2015 - fritza wrote: 94 Points
Opened for an hour then decanted for two. Served with veal chops.
This wine never disappoints. It is truly big and a fruit bomb, but also more than that. It is complex with a nose of chocolate and dark fruit. The palate has sweet fruit almost blueberryesque, but dark blackberry fruit and plum with a hint of bitter chocolate on the finish. The finish lingers velvety with smooth tannins. Still has years!
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2/28/2015 - AAJR Likes this wine: 93 Points
No formal notes - a great night of wine tasting with friends
1. 2006 Fairchild Sigaro - 96 points
2. 2007 Fairchild Sigaro - 95 points
3. 2007 Casanova di Neri Brunello - 93 points
4. 2010 Caymus Special Selection - 93 points
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1/30/2015 - dharrison93 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Oh my. Dark garnet in the glass, this wine had a brooding delicious nose of black cherry, chocolate and stewed prunes.
Tasting confirmed this is one of the great California cabs of the past 20+ years.
If you love fresh fruit, this is for you. It will hang in for several more years but why wait?
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1/4/2015 - wren460 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dusty dark chocolate, dark berries, dark everything. It has mellowed down just a bit, but still the prime time for this wine is 2-3 years away. The wine is fantastic and fun, highly recomended.
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11/30/2014 - BigTex22 Likes this wine:
We drank this amongst several other wines. At the point we opened it, I had palate fatigue so am not scoring it. The wine was nice but definitely not worth the price. It followed a 2010 Ridge Geyserville which everyone agreed was better. GOOD.
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11/28/2014 - vintage1949 wrote: 93 Points
Served with Thanksgiving dinner finishing the bottle later around the fireplace. Make no mistake this is a very enjoyable wine---my guests loved it. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, dominated the nose and palate with polished dark fruit that glided across the tongue. A rich mouth filling wine that was ready to go and easy to enjoy. All components were balanced with a medium finish. So why only 93 points? This is the perfect wine for those individuals who have not tasted a wide range of reds. For all the delicious fruit that is presented it does so n a singular manner. Complexity so far in this wines development has not presented itself. This wine is not for those that love sitting around discussing a wines nuances while noticing changes as the wine gains breathing time. Would I buy this wine again? Yes if I could get it for around $100 as it is a crowd pleaser for those wine drinkers who have not tasted many wines other than those found in a grocery store.
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11/27/2014 - xboomer wrote: 97 Points
WOW! Very impressive. I'm not sure what berry I was smelling and tasting but it was full and flavorful.
One of the best California Cabs I have ever had.
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11/16/2014 - mpmullic wrote:
Second bottle from my six bottle purchase. Corked. Bummer. My wife and I opened to celebrate the birth of our twin daughters.
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10/8/2014 - johnh1001 wrote: 93 Points
From magnum. Same flavor profile as the 2009, but a bit shorter with a bite on the finish.
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9/24/2014 - The OKC Kid Likes this wine: 92 Points
Riedel Vitis Cabernet glasses. Beautiful Nose. Maple syrup on the Nose. Drinking with a pizza. 45 minute Decant. Wednesday night. 92 Points. The OKC Kid
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9/2/2014 - webbaker Likes this wine: 95 Points
Multiple tastings with consistent notes. Typical Caymus fruit bomb, but needs some cellar time to even out. Strong fruit & ester flavors, typical for the brand.
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8/24/2014 - The OKC Kid Likes this wine: 91 Points
2010 Caymus Special Selection Cabernet. Blackberry on the Nose. 3 Hour Decant. Drinking with my little Brother on a Sunday afternoon. Riedel Vitis Cabernet glasses. Pretty good wine. 91 Points. The OKC Kid
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8/16/2014 - traderspartan wrote: 96 Points
Loved this wine, beautiful super concentrated fruit with a second layer of minerality. I ran this through a Vinturi decanter and let it sit for an additional 3 hours. I would suggest additional airtime or more aging because it got better with each additional glass.
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7/19/2014 - mflesh Likes this wine: 96 Points
This wine was popped and poured at the end of a very long work day..........WOW. Completely caught me by surprise. I am not a Caymus fan, but wines like this really get me thinking....until I partake of things like the 2012. This wine poured a dark inky purple into the glass. The nose was concentrated with black fruit and blueberry. Had a very "Howell Mountainesque" type of nose. The entry was all dark fruit, glycerine, super thick, dense, with a hint of floral perfume, smoke and new shoe leather. The mid-palate was where things started to develop a smokier tint, with black fruits dominating. The finish was moderately tannic, but tannin wasn't too harsh. This wine still has a lot of integrating to do, and wow.......this thing will be able to age for years. I honestly wasn't sure if this one was ready to go yet. Out of the bottle it was still ready to go...just showing the youthful side. All in all I was very pleased, and I'm trying to find as much of this as I can as we speak! Drink 2014-2028.
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7/3/2014 - Scorpion Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine is on right now. Silky and gentle and with all the fruit you would expect from Caymus.
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6/26/2014 - soyhead wrote:
Better than the last bottle
Ripping fruit. California style. Wow
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6/26/2014 - soyhead wrote:
Nose - Brett
Mouth - juicy blackberry dark cherry, big wine.
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6/18/2014 - RayT Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank at WaterMarc. Dark purple in color, great Caymus fruit but still young. Will wait another 2 years to drink my next bottle. Great potential.
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5/16/2014 - chitownmb Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice, bold cab
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5/15/2014 - Uglypinga Likes this wine:
Oily, dark nose with a hint of barnyard. In the group that this was tasted the Caymus came off as a bit too sweet and cloying. Drinkable but not my favorite on this night and I usually love Caymus.
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5/11/2014 - RobertB321 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Very dark color. Decanted for 30 minutes. Sweet dark plum and dark fruit aroma. A hint of dark chocolate aroma. This is a smooth wine with a velvety mouth feel. The taste is quite nice with dark plum and dark cherry. Very long finish. Nice wine.
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5/3/2014 - startedwithasmile Likes this wine: 97 Points
Excellent bottle shared at John Howe, extremely smooth finish
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4/27/2014 - webbaker Likes this wine: 97 Points
Second tasting with consistent notes. Deep fruit flavors, but not overtly jammy. Nice aromatics. Really a wonderful wine from one of my favorite producers. I will be buying more.
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4/4/2014 - artist777 wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for about 30 minutes and consumed over next two hours. Nose of dark berries and slight herbal notes. Initial palate was slightly hot, but mellowed over the next hour to complex layers of cherry to berries to dark plum, simply delicious with a almost velvet texture. This will only better with age but I'm glad I tried one now.
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3/26/2014 - JDani Likes this wine: 96 Points
Absolutely wonderful. Mouth-coating, concentrated, very long finish (45 seconds to 1 minute). Day two was very different but equally as excellent--the fruit came out and seemed to sing on the tongue.
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2/27/2014 - gtm Likes this wine: 98 Points
still somewhat closed after 8 hrs, put it in the blender for 30 seconds, let sit for another hour, incredible difference. This wine represents everything the legend of Rutherford entails, Dusty, floral, smoke/graphite. Thanks to Coravin, I can now enjoy one glass at a time and not have to wait 15 years for the peak.
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2/26/2014 - Gator96 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Big Great wine!
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2/22/2014 - AAJR Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 5 hours - prior to blind tasting. Tasted with 2009 FF Winston Hill, 2000 Seavey & 2008 Hall. # 2 Wine behind FF Winston Hill
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1/23/2014 - PourMeSomeMore Likes this wine: 95 Points
This review is for big Napa cab lovers. Read all the reviews and decided to open a bottle. Opened before work (big fruit) and decanted for 9 hours...got home and had opened somewhat, but still not giving much. After aggressive decanter swirling on & off for a couple more hours while cooking and, oh my, it started to come alive. Sweet meadow flowers, ripe plums, black cherries, blueberries, black raspberries with crème anglaise. Some coffee, white chocolate (early on) and dark chocolate (later) as well. Wonderful layers and complexity with a juicy rich round tannin finish (entire palate) that lasts for over 5 minutes with residual anise followed by drying tannins as the acid subsides. The tannins are huge and cloaked in the rich fruit of the wine. This wine is still very young with some alcohol on the nose and finish (not at all bothersome), but will subside with time as the wine comes together. A delicious wine with a long life ahead. If you open it now, to truly taste the wine, you'll need to patiently work for it. One of my new favorites along with Hewitt to add to Hall (Kathryn Hall, Bergfeld, Jack's Masterpiece) both of which also have incredible richness & tannins but don't end with the same drying tannins.
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1/13/2014 - Sunocoblue Likes this wine: 95 Points
Amazing wine!! I didn't let it decant long enough though.. Needs at least an hour or two before you really get into it. Very nicely rounded with nice fruit and firm tannins. Should get better with age.. Can't wait to try another!
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12/31/2013 - JJB1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great compliment to 2008 Continuum
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12/21/2013 - Martnmac wrote: 94 Points
Agree with reviews here. We decanted for 8 hours for a special dinner. Had with steak and lobster. Wow! Triple yum!! Smmmoooooth with a lovely bouquet and long finish. Chocolate blueberry raspberry spice pie Fan-frickin-tastic !!
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12/20/2013 - wren460 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark chocolate and coconut. Extremely elegant but with a lot of punch. This wine will only get better and I am guessing here that in 5 years the wine will be 96 points for me and hence one of my top 10 of all-time. The wine is fantastic, it just needs time to integrate better
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12/13/2013 - JenXH Likes this wine: 96 Points
Delicious. Damn near perfect Cab.
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11/23/2013 - pauljr1121 Likes this wine: 96 Points
36th Birthday Bash (Residence of Tony and Paulette Kelley): Tasted along with the 2007 Caymus SS and found that the 2010 had a much darker color and more approachable nose than the 2007. Great nose with dark berries and tobacco that hit all those anticipated Rutherford notes in an elegant manner. Smooth as silk with dark cherry, cassis and opulent chocolate notes. It was more approachable than the 2007 but yet remained in the pocket for longer holding on to its structure. I have to grab another bottle of this baby and hold it for 10-15 years.
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11/3/2013 - mpmullic Likes this wine:
Great wine, even this young. Big fruit, vanilla, hints of tobacco. Let it decant for about 4 hours before we started drinking it, and it continued to improve. A little bit of heat, which I expect will dissipate with age. Very long finish. Can't wait to try this again in 5 years, though it will be a challenge not to break into it again before then.
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11/1/2013 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 94 Points
Hennepin Lake's Annual Tasting (Tons of Napa Cabs); 10/30/2013-11/2/2013: Outstanding wine with depth and complexity. Dark fruits, coffee, minerals and oak. Should round out over the next five years. LONG finish! My favorite Caymus wine to date.
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10/30/2013 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Hennepin Lake Charity Tasting Event: Tasting pour. You immediately know you have a wine with style and grace. The nose is lovely with crème de cassis, mulberry, boysenberry, mocha, spice. The palate is where this excites though, medium-full to full body, velvety texture, elegance and power. balanced, pure cassis and berry fruits, long finish. Would love to sit down with this for an evening. 94(+)pts.
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10/30/2013 - yofog wrote:
Certainly an improvement in concentration over the regular bottling, but just as clumsy and definitely overripe.
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10/27/2013 - millerarner wrote: 93 Points
Much too young to be drinking now. Will score higher in 5 or 10 years. Decided to try it young as an experiment due to notes I'd read. No doubt this is a big concentrated beauty but the tannins need time and there is a burn on the throat that detracts from the finish.
After two hours in decanter the initial nose was dominated by oak (which is surprising since Caymus tends to use a lighter touch in that regard), smoke and a barnyard aroma that gives it a Euro feel. Four hours in and those elements give way to the big fruit Caymus is known for, with sweet vanilla, hay, buttered toast, and cocoa.
Great expressive nose, huge taste, but the sharpness never went away. With time this will only get better.
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10/9/2013 - Kwb77429 wrote: 95 Points
Unbelievable for such a young wine. Very big and a great napa cab.
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10/3/2013 - walkerjfw wrote: 92 Points
At Gary's Grand tasting. Had been open for about an hour, drank after the 11 Caymus.
Dark purple color. Certainly a notch up from the Caymus - same profile, more pronounced vanilla and oak, blueberry and tobacco. Rich mouthfeel, long finish. Is it worth 2x the regular Caymus?
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9/21/2013 - Buckwheet wrote: 96 Points
Wow! So young and yet so incredibly drinkable right now! Smooth as silk. One of the best cabs I have enjoyed in a long time! Can't imagine how this could improve but given track record of Caymus Special Selection, I know it will. Scary good!
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9/8/2013 - TastesGoodToMe Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent. But not Outstanding. Great mouthfeel. Just did not have that "wow" factor. Still a little young. Will wait couple of years at least before revisiting. Upside potential.
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8/31/2013 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 97 Points
Decanted for two hours. Almost black and garnet in colour. An exotic and voluptuous nose of tobacco, blueberry, sultana, hickory and currant paste. This is thick, rich and massive, also stays very poised and focused. The front palate is almost unctuous and the finish is longer than any paragraph by Proust. A different animal than the impressive '08, still it has the Caymus character and the palate is just seamless and perfect. Fine tannins that are lightly chewy. Drink 2015 - 2030.
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8/26/2013 - 20/20 wrote: 94 Points
Really excellent. Young - imagine it will get even better.
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7/20/2013 - dedalover Likes this wine: 96 Points
rouge violet foncé. Nez de cerises noires sucrées et de violettes. En bouche , texture soyeuse, gros fruit et très plaisant. Les tannins sont présents en finale mais le fruits revient pour y rester. Vin de grande classe . Coup de coeur. 96+
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7/5/2013 - JJB1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Unbelievably good! Great character.
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6/27/2013 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 Likes this wine: 96 Points
This has a dark garnet - almost black in color turning purple at the rim. The nose is on high octane, and you'd really have to get past that initial alcohol whiff before you get to the dense but attractive flavors of dark berries, mocha, and tobacco. The palate displays an equally rich character with a creamy, velvety feel on the dark cherry, coffee, chocolate, cassis, and vanilla flavors. The vibrant acidity and structure of the 2010 is somewhat unusual, and one that I have not encountered since th 2004 vintage. The intensity is maintained all throughout, and finishes fruity, which masks the underlying tannin on a sweet note. Just incredible after a 2-hour decant, but would be ideal for drinking from 2015 to 2025.
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6/3/2013 - RMundell Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted 4 hrs. I expected more.
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5/11/2013 - Jwd12 wrote: 96 Points
Deep dark purple w great legs. Nose was big and fruity. Blackberry and cherry on palette with long finish.8
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5/10/2013 - KVM wrote: 90 Points
Inky purple. Blackberry and caramel oak. Very bright, sparkling from acid and alcohol on the palate. Caramel oak on the palate, too. Hot finish. Give it points for other-worldly level of intensity. Leave it alone for a decade.
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5/6/2013 - Gestalted Likes this wine: 92 Points
Super ripe sweet plum on the nose. Mouthcoating texture in typical Caymus style. Finish has nice floral nuances and finishes in vanilla and more plum. Good, not great. The 2009 vintage in my opinion blew this away.
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Consumed at at cellar temp: 60°-65° F. Friends don't let friends drink red wine at room temp!
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5/4/2013 - rrmcnees wrote: 95 Points
Huge wine. Nose: cherry, eucalyptus, cedar, tar. Mouth: layers of dark fruit, herbs and baking spices, oak and earth. Delicious now.
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4/25/2013 - jbechdol wrote:
Had to try it. It was delightful. Great fruit.
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4/6/2013 - bignbold Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is an outstanding wine and continues to be one of my favorites from CA. It has beautiful fruit and near perfect tannins. It's a big wine, but still polished and elegant. The finish is silky and pure.
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3/25/2013 - dedalover Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beau violet qui tache le verre. Nez de vanille et de cerise noire. En bouche il est balancé, soyeux et caresse le palais avec des fruits noirs, bleuets,cassis, cola... divin. Très longue finale. La cuvée Napa Valley est un très bon vin pour les amateurs du genre, mais le Special Selection est dans une classe à part. Un de mes coups de coeur. Le score augmentera certainement dans 2 à 3 ans. 95+
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3/22/2013 - Kringer wrote: 95 Points
Never disappoints. Always excellent.
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3/17/2013 - PPM Likes this wine: 95 Points
stays one of my favorite wine. The 2010 is no exception.
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3/6/2013 - beezer6 wrote: 94 Points
Binny's Reserve Cellar Tasting (Binny's South Loop - Chicago, IL): Big fruit. Ripe and voluptuous. Rich and even meaty. Of course, this is young.
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2/16/2013 - km5 wrote:
Really good
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1/19/2013 - J.Ellison wrote: 92 Points
Dark and Inky...Chocolate covered cherries, blueberries, hint of vanilla and cassis on the nose...white pepper, blueberries, cassis and a little bit of earth on the palate. Nice medium length finish with barely a hint of bittersweet chocolate...Needs some more bottle time...give it another 2 years...
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12/7/2012 - Vino Monkeys wrote: 92 Points
Very good. Maybe a little young? A good Caymus special.
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12/1/2012 - affordableCollector Likes this wine: 90 Points
dark, ruby in color. blackberry, blueberry, oak, pepper on the nose. salt, oak, blackberry, sweet chocolate, blueberry on the palate. good acid, good tannins in a lingering finish.
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10/31/2012 - webbaker Likes this wine: 95 Points
Pop and pour, then tasted over a 24 hour period. Wonderful fruit flavors, not quite as over the top as regular caymus. Some spicy flavors present, hints of maybe anise & cinnamon? On day 2, dusty tannins were revealed. Really outstanding, one of my favorite wines. Ready to drink today.
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10/17/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Caymus Special Selection remains one of the top producers of the supple side of the style range in Napa. The wine is polished, soft and elegant. But it's not light. It's packed with spicy black and red berries, vanilla, smoke, caramel and blackberries and ends with a long, pure, silky finish.
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