In 1971 Charles F. (Charlie) Wagner and his wife Lorna Belle Glos Wagner asked their son Charles J. (Chuck) Wagner, who had just graduated from high school, if he would be interested in joining them in starting up a winery. If Chuck declined the offer, Charlie and Lorna were planning to sell out of their ranch in Napa Valley and move to Australia. Chuck accepted his parents’ offer to launch the winery, Caymus Vineyards.
The Wagners produced their first vintage in 1972, consisting of 240 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon. Since then, Caymus has focused their efforts in the production of quality Cabernet Sauvignon. Today’s production is 65,000 cases.
Caymus Vineyards remains 100% family-owned by the Wagners. Charlie, Lorna Belle, and Chuck worked together as a remarkable team for over 30 years building Caymus Cabernet. Today, Chuck, his two sons, Charlie and Joe, and one daughter, Jenny, have joined the family team. Farming grapes remain the priority with the family farming about 350 acres of choice Napa Valley land.
The Wagners took the name Caymus from the Mexican land grant known as Rancho Caymus, given to George Yount in 1836, which encompassed what eventually became the town of Rutherford and much of the surrounding area.
Winery Notes:
Each year, we set aside the best barrels of our Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley to produce Special Selection. Distinguished by extremely fine, velvety tannins and enjoyable upon release or with aging. A wine of structure with intense concentration of supple flavors and dark fruits. Special Selection is the only wine in the world honored twice as Wine Spectator magazine’s “Wine of the Year.”
Conundrum Red is made from a blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Sourced from premier California winegrowing regions, Conundrum Red features dark red varietals including Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon. It is serious yet lighthearted, complex and approachable. With lavish fruit flavors and baking chocolate, this wine has smooth tannins that provide a distinctive, soft character. Be daring and drink slightly chilled to enhance the fruit profile and enjoy any time of year.
Stonestreet Estate Vineyards Rockfall Cabernet Sauvignon is made from Cabernet Sauvignon.
Sourced from one of our highest elevation vineyards, the 2017 Rockfall Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon features a true wildness that expresses the rugged growing site 2,000ft above the fog line. Elegant aromas of blueberries, cassis, graphite and black tea with complex undercurrents of baking spices. This wine balances power with elegance through to its savory palate with a generous structure and ample tannins. The structure of this wine allows for many years of cellar aging to continue to bring out nuanced flavors and complexity.
Review:
The Rockfall Vineyard is between 2,000 and 2,200-feet in elevation, and the wine that originates there is powerful and concentrated in style, with robust red-fruit and mineral tones. Herbal and classic, it shows elegance and integrated oak and tannin within its context of intensity and structure. Enjoy best from 2027–2037. Virginie Boone
-Wine Enthusiast 96 Points
Matthews Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley is made from 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15%Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec.
The 2021 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby in the glass with purple hues. The rich bouquet of spiced black plum and cocoa nib are balanced with aromas of fresh earth and crushed flint. Intense and opulent flavors of ripe blackberry, cedar, mocha, and black currant coat the broad and balanced palate and the ripe tannin creates a perfect frame for the lush fruit expression. Cherry cordial and cola linger on the long, quenching finish.
Review:
Precise and expressive, with handsome flavors of blackberry, bay leaf and espresso that build richness and structure toward refined tannins.
-Wine Spectator 93 Points
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley is spicy, showing off a gentle peppery tinge and dusty rose tones that give way to dried black cherries. This is wonderfully crisp and refined, with silky textures and depths of dark red fruit propelled by juicy acidity. It tapers off long and structured, yet the tannins are quite sweet. The 2021 finishes with a pleasant crunch and a lingering licorice tinge.
-Vinous 93 Points
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is based on 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Malbec. A rocking wine offering ample red and black plum-like fruit, chocolate, tobacco, and subtle violet-like aromas and flavors, I t's full-bodied and has a terrific mid-palate, velvety tannins, and a great finish.
-Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points