Caymus 40th Anniversary 2012

[Musigny 151]

I remember the Caymus’ of old, wines of depth and complexity. This was neither. It was served blind, and I thought it was a sub $15 commercial bottling, notable for its sweetness (it tasted as if someone had added a spoonful of sugar to each glass). The host was embarrassed enough to open a back up bottle of Bordeaux.

I would not have bothered to write a note, but for the Caymus name, and the astonishing price tag.I understand this will be a seriously divisive post, but for my taste, this is to date the worst (healthy) wine I have tasted this year.

[Nicklasss]

I can't stand and drink modern Caymus Cabernet as well.

The 2008 SS, 2012 regular and 2015 regular were all undrinkable for me. And i'm sad about that.

[JimHow]

Not divisive in my mind, I’ve had 3-4 bottles over the past decade and I find them to be obnoxious sugar bombs. Yuck.

[JimHow]

I usually don’t rate a wine unless it passes a certain threshold of satisfaction, thus my 85-100 scale. Occasionally I’ll rate a wine lower because of the noteworthiness of how bad it is, and I’ve rated the Caymus at 79.

[Musigny 151]

You are generous Jim. 72 points for me.

Almost entirely between 92 and 95 on CT with a couple of 100 pointers.

[dstgolf]

Sad but funny story. A few years back a good friend of mine and I were playing our last round of golf together for the season and he wasn't looking or doing well complain of severe headaches for months worse when he leaned over to hit his ball and especially to pick his ball out of the hole. He was unsteady through the stumbling occasionally and mid way I asked if he was going to make it around ok and does he need some help. He said he'd get checked up when he returned from Florida in the Spring and would get a CT scan of his head on return that shocked me. I called my tech from the club and took him in straight from the course to his scan and to my shock he had massive bilateral chronic subdural hematoma and if he had of got on his plane to go south he would likely have coned and died in flight. He underwent surgery draining the blood from around his brain and has made full recovery. For saving his life he is eternally grateful and he kind gesture of repayment has been a magnum of Caymus every year since 2015!! What do you do or say for the annual gift that shows up at my front door with a note saying...Thanks for saving my life!! The gesture is very much appreciated but for anyone that wants to visit Ottawa we could do a vertical of Caymus!! Why Caymus!!!

[jckba]

I bought a bunch of these back in the day in both 750 and 1L formats, tried one and as it was not to my liking so I consigned the rest and came close to tripling my money. Caymu$.

[JCNorthway]

I had a few bottles of Caymus from the 1980s, but stopped buying around 1990 when I thought it was getting too expensive. I broke down and bought a bottle of the 2012 (40th anniversary) because it was on sale, and figured I'd open it with someone who liked Napa cabs. It's still in the cellar, and Mark's note does not make me want to open it.

[stefan]

I have one bottle of Caymus Cab--a 2002 Special Selection. Would this be OK to use in a beef stew?

[Musigny 151]

Trade it for a lot of good Cote de Rhone; better win stew, and you can drink it during cooking. Win win

[Winona Chief]

I don’t get why wine needs to taste like candy.

Chris Bublitz

[AKR]

I had the 1997 a summer or two ago, I think it was their special selection, and it was actually pretty solid. Perhaps this was before they went heavy on the RS.

[ericp]

When did Randy Dunn leave Caymus as winemaker? Late 80s?

[DavidG]

I thought the 1994 Caymus Special Selection was grossly overoaked, with pronounced dill and vanilla notes. That was more of a turnoff than the ripeness of the fruit, and was the end of it for Caymus and me.

[JimHow]

Nicola brought a Caymus Special Selection to the very first BWE convention in Chicago in 2001.
Or am I misremembering that, Nicola?
I remember it as swill.

[Nicklasss]

Nicola brought a Caymus Special Selection to the very first BWE convention in Chicago in 2001.
Or am I misremembering that, Nicola?
I remember it as swill.

For the Friday night dinner at Chicago 2001, i brought a bottle of the regular cuvée (not the SS) of the 1995. And it was not swill, it was very ok if i rember well. It even seems well balanced compare to the tons of Zinfandel we had that specific night.

[DavidG]

If more oak, more extraction, more ripeness, more everything is what Caymus was going for with the Special Selection back in the late ‘90s, I wouldn’t be shocked to hear that a bottle of the regular cuvée was more enjoyable.

[William P]

I totally agree.