1997 Caymus Pinot Noir-Blanc

[RAD]

My wife and I recently finished a trip to Napa / Sonoma, and I've got to tell you about a wine we love from Caymus.

When we're out there, we like to pick things up that we can't find back in NYC--NY is not a reciprocal state, so the wineries can't ship back home direct.

Anyway, we first visited Caymus back in March, and at the tasting, tried this Pinot Noir-Blanc. We bought half a case then, and it was the primary reason that we visited Caymus again this trip, as the wine is only available at the winery (OK, truth be told, I also wanted to taste the 97 cab, which, despite the June 1 release date, I still have yet to see in NYC--but that's another story).

Anyway, back to this Pinot Noir-Blanc: 14.2% alcohol, barrel fermented, from fruit that Chuck Wagner gets from down in Carneros, I think they said. Anyway, this wine--also called Oeil de Perdrix (Partridge Eye) due to its salmon/coral color (there is a picture of a partridge head with that color eye on the label)--this wine is incredible. We were told that Chuck (or perhaps Charlie, his dad) made this wine as his "house wine", his everyday drinking wine--they make 1000 cases and sell it only at the winery, for fear that retailers would plop it beside a white zin on the shelf. The folks at the winery say that it's a "picnic" wine, or better yet, a breakfast wine, but we beg to differ! It's great stuff!

We love it! Has anyone else tried it?

[This message has been edited by RAD (edited 07-15-2000).]

[winecollector]

Thanks for the heads up Rad! I'll see if I can't get one of my friends out there to pick some up for me, and bring it into town with them next trip to PA.

[winoweenie]

Hi Rad, It was Charlie who first made this wine and It was in the late 70`s when he made the 1st vintage.It is, and always has been, a really neat wine for a SW.As you mite guess I haven`t had any for several years. Winoweenie P.S. Randy Dunn was the winemaker of the first "Eye of the Partridge" but Charles was the driving force. WW Saw Charles in late May and after his stroke, his memory is going. Sad. Winoweenie

[This message has been edited by winoweenie (edited 07-15-2000).]