TN: '94 Caymus Special Select Cabernet Sauvignon

[Van The Man]

1994 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Select; Napa Valley - $85.00

Dark, inky plum skin color. Delicious and tempting nose with deep, rich, black cherry, leather, cassis, vanilla, mint, oak and a hint of citrus at the edge. On the palate, smooth, typical, polished Caymus fruit with a bit more earthiness than Caymus Cabs I’ve had from there in the past. And while the oak level is noticeable, it didn’t knock me over like many of the Caymus SS Cabs. The tannins were ultra ripe and, as usual for the SS, ultra, ultra fine. A fairly good structure and good stuffing suggests this one should go a bit further than the average Caymus SS, maybe 10 years. Enjoyed with, of all things, a sausage, onion and black olive pizza. Yeah, that’s a bit decadent for a wine of this pedigree, but it worked none-the-less.

As hard as I tried NOT to like this wine, I just couldn’t convince myself it was a bad bottle, maybe not even a bad QPR. Yeah, $85 is high for any wine, but when it’s this polished and this well stuffed with the type of structure this one had, it’s definitely worth more than the average $40 bottle of Cal Cab. Would I buy it again? If given another shot at $85, I hate to say it, but I’d certainly consider it.

[Randy Caparoso]

Oh, Van, you're such a hedonist, and a bigger Bordeaux lover than most!

[Van The Man]

>>Oh, Van, you're such a hedonist, and a bigger Bordeaux lover than most!<<

<chuckling> I know, I know. <g>

And I must admit, as I was sipping this wine, I kept going back to our discussion a few days ago and wondering how I was going to admit that I_really_liked_this_wine. <g>