It is harder for something to be excellent when you have high expectations that it will be excellent, and I have this expectation every time I taste Caymus, yet it holds up, year after year. I’ve had the good fortune to enjoy several other vintages since, and it has never disappointed. From the first sip, that dinner was about the wine. It did not so much overwhelm my food as make it seem irrelevant. No taste of wine I’ve had since has been as profound, it was a reminder how great wine can be. When the Caymus arrived and I tasted it, I remember being blown away, not just by the taste but by the texture and body - it was a transformative moment, the first time I ever felt like I was eating wine rather than drinking it. It was 1998, and the person I was having dinner with chose the wine. You have to ride a gondola and then a sno-cat to get there, and the menu is heavy on game, like elk and Colorado buffalo. I can clearly remember the first time I ever had it: I was having dinner at the Game Creek Club, an excellent ski resort restaurant at the very top of Vail mountain, open to the public only for dinner. I do, and it is Caymus.Įnjoying wine is part taste, part emotion, and with Caymus the latter plays a role for me. But that does not mean I can’t have a favorite. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil-as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.Along the way I have learned that there is no such thing as a “best” wine, and each great bottle and varietal is suited to certain foods or occasions. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.Ĭabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon is the only wine in the world to be honored twice as Wine Spectator magazine’s “Wine of the Year” for the 19 vintages. Chuck Wagner continues to make two world-renowned Cabernet Sauvignons – Caymus Napa Valley and Caymus Special Selection. Made from grapes farmed in 8 of Napa Valley’s 16 appellations, the wine has a signature style that is dark in color, with rich fruit and ripe tannins – as approachable in youth as it is in maturity. Today, Caymus Cabernet is one of Napa Valley’s most celebrated wines. Working together for decades, Chuck Wagner and his parents established the family’s work ethic, appetite for innovation, down-to-earth sensibility, and deep appreciation of the pleasures of good food and wine enjoyed with family and friends. The Wagner family were farmers with deep roots in the Napa Valley – in 1857, Chuck Wagner’s great-great grandfather captained a wagon train to California from Bible Grove, Missouri.
In 1972, Chuck Wagner started Caymus Vineyards with his parents, Charlie and Lorna, with a humble plan and an uncharted future.
Learn about Caymus: the history of the winery and its famed Cabernet Sauvignon.
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