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.”
I feel this wine expresses the greatness of California and its hidden pockets where Cabernet can excel. The cold Pacific Ocean running the entire length of the state presents maritime influences – and with each small distance eastward the climate warms. Stony soils, south facing slopes and moderately warm conditions are the keys to producing dark, rich and good tasting Cabernet.
A small release from Caymus Vineyards, this wine is a California-appellation Cabernet Sauvignon – supple, dark and rich, bearing the signature hallmarks of Caymus. It is sourced from sites throughout the state which feature climatic conditions, soils and topography that are ideally suited to Cabernet. This project stems from excitement over California's diverse vineyard land, often in lesser-known areas, with the potential to produce exceptional Cabernet.
Caymus has a signature style that is dark in color, with rich fruit and ripe, velvety tannins – as approachable in youth as in maturity. We farm Cabernet grapes in eight of Napa’s 16 sub-appellations, with diversification enabling us to make the best possible wine in a given year. This Cabernet offers layered, lush aromas and flavors, including cocoa, cassis and ripe dark berries.
Caymus Suisan Grand Durif is made from 100 percent Caymus Suisan Grand Durif.
Only 30 minutes from Napa, Suisun Valley (which became an AVA in 1982) is still largely undiscovered. With its warm days and cool nights, this pastoral region reminds us of Napa Valley in the 1960s. Known for delicious stone fruits and walnuts, it is also gaining recognition for exceptional wine. Durif is synonymous with Petite Sirah, the widely grown grape in the region – we added “Grand” to the name for its grand style. With harmonious tannins, this wine is opulent, luxuriously soft and totally enjoyable.
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.”
Cazaux Gigondas Cuvee Prestige is made from 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 20% Mourvèdre.
A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre produced from the oldest vines of the estate and only in the years of highest grape quality. Aromas of prune, chocolate, spices, fruit brandy and plum. Rounded tannins and a long finish.
Red meats aged, venison
Review:
"Not yet bottled, the 2019 Gigondas Cuvée Prestige checks in as 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 20% Mourvèdre, all from the older vines of the estate and vinified and aged in barrel. There are a tiny 700 cases produced. A terrific nose of red and black fruits, Provençal garrigue, and subtle spicy oak is followed by remarkable purity of fruit, silky tannins, and a great finish. it has a touch of modern character which is going to integrate with 2-3 years of bottle age, and it will have 10-15 years or more of prime drinking.."
- Jeb Dunnuck (January 2022), 91-93+ pts
DAOU Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Petit Verdot.
The 2021 DAOU Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is emblematic of Paso Robles as a world-class region for Bordeaux-style wines. Intense purple-red hues foreshadow deep aromas of black fruit, pomegranate, tobacco, mocha, and bay leaf. Trailing notes of clove, nutmeg, and vanilla emerge as the wine opens up in the glass. Opulent textures expand across the palate with flavors of red fruit, blueberry, and chocolate-covered raspberry. The overall experience is fresh and rich, concluding with velvety tannins and impressive length.
Review:
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is blended with 23% Petit Verdot, made entirely with free-run juice, and it will be matured for 16 months in 50% new French oak. Opaque ruby, it offers pure aromas of cassis, violet, grilled meats, desert sage and bell pepper. The full-bodied palate is powdery, energetic and detailed with a long, layered finish.
-Wine Advocate 94-96 Points
An Earth Mother, with velvet-lined blackberry, Bay leaf, graphite, and roasted coffee bean. Chalky tannins grip the teeth, with a dusty grip. From its backbone and vibrant acidity, to its notes of dried violets on the finish, we bow to its elegant nature.
- The Somm Journal, Apr/May 2025 97 Points
Precise, brilliant and engaging, a three-dimensional wine that shows itself in all its splendor. Notes of black cherries, mixed plums, mixed flowers and bergamot describe the secondary scene. Lemon peel and ginger the secondary one. Full body, perfectly extracted tannins and a vertical finish of infinite presence. Better from 2029.
-WineCritics.com 97 Points
Based on 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Château Lascombes pulls from 40% of the total production and was aged 18 months mostly in barrels (60% new) with a small portion in foudre. This inky hued beauty boasts a rich, concentrated, full-bodied, well-oaked style as well as pure cassis and darker berry fruits, some graphite, scorched earth, and licorice nuances, terrific overall balance, and a great finish.
-Jeb Dunnuck 96+ Points