Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 1500ml

Wine Advocate #192 Dec 2010
The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection is the first example of this cuvee to include Merlot (about 14%) in the blend. The Merlot component has given the wine a cocoa/chocolate nuance to its black currant, licorice-infused fruit. The tannins are velvety soft and the wine is beautifully textured and full-bodied. It is ideal for drinking now and over the next 15 years.

Caymus Vineyards produces two Cabernets Sauvignons a Napa Valley and the venerable Special Selection. Both Cabernet bottlings have aromas and flavors which can only be achieved through hang time technique which chances the loss of crop if early winter sets in. Leaving the fruit to hang on the vine unusually long develops suppleness, increases color, and matures the tannins of the grapes. The wines are abundant in textural tannins yet soft as velvet. Crop thinning, allowing measured sunlight to reach the vine's fruit zone, and waiting for increased ripeness are all part of our viticultural practices. Caymus Cabernets offer a wide array of aromas and flavors including cocoa, cassis and vanilla.
Caymus Special Selection is the flagship wine of the Wagner family and is comprised of the very best barrels of the vintage. Caymus Napa Valley is more representative of a standard Cabernet of Napa Valley, as it is a bit less precocious than the Special Selection, but still delivers big. Caymus prides itself on producing wines that are as approachable in youth as well at maturity. Both the Napa Valley and Special Selection Cabernets are produced under the winemaking hand of Chuck Wagner.

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