Amazing how the music background blaring is prevalent in YT videos. It’s very distracting. This reviewer doesn’t need background music. He’s very good.
Great review. A friend made a big deal about this wine at a party. I found it to be terribly sweet and completely lacking in good tannin structure. It’s good to know that my taste buds weren’t betraying me.
I completely agree with this assessment. I used to buy Caymus in the early 90's for $15 a bottle and I attended a vertical tasting in the early 90's of Caymus, attended by the elder and younger Wagner, stretching back to the 70's. It was a good value and excellent wine. The wine has changed tremendously and for the worse. It really is junk today. There are so many better California Cabernets for less money. As the reviewer notes, however, the Wagners are great at marketing and have become very rich. If you make Harlan, Bond or Schrader, you are not getting rich, you're just a fanatic dedicated to make the best wine Napa Valley can produce.
Hahaha, I loved the smooth and velvety taste as you described, what I didn’t realized is the story how they marketed to people like me who wanted it to be immediately drinkable. I had a friend telling me I need to age it for a few years (I guess neither of us know the back story), and when we drank it together for the first time, we both said wow, it’s ready. Didn’t realize it was designed that way!
I have had 2 bottles of Caymus in my life, and therein is a story. In about '95, I got two bottles of '93. (years may not be exact) Mind you, at the time, it was around 20 a bottle, so not a huge investment. I opened the first, and thought it a good wine, but too young. The tannins were harsh, and it was closed on the nose. The other bottle, I was able to stash for almost 5 years. It was, by then, an amazing wine; big, but with elegance. The tannins had tamed, and the structure was solid, without harshness, the nose was so good I almost preferred sniffing to sipping, but the sipping was even better. So, now that I'm in my 70s, I refuse to purchase young, big wines to lay down, because I may not be around to enjoy them.
I think that you were very generous and diplomatic. I was very excited to taste this same bottle and was shocked by the artificial, candied taste. It reminded me of Meoimi. It reminded me of Rombauer Zinfandel. It reminded me of Durian fruit ice-cream. I couldn't finish the glass, it was that nasty. And the personal irony is that I like fruit forward, lush, plush, high octane red wines - but not the ones that taste artificial.
This is a great video. I couldn’t agree more, my first go around with Caymus was the ‘99 vintage and I remember a beautiful, sensual and incredibly perfumey wine. Now it’s become, as the host says, a dark fruit syrup that smells like dessert. It’s not a wine that I will continue chasing!
Nice review and spot on insights. I have to be honest that Caymus was my gateway wine that hooked me on to wines about a decade ago. Later I have found Austin Hope Cab have a similar effect on new drinkers as a gateway wine. But as I have learnt more about wines and understood that Caymus achieves its jamminess by adding sugars to its wine, I have moved away from that style of winemaking and don't think it worth the hype (don't even get me started on Meomi). I think it shall continue to have a similar effect on novice drinkers as it did on me and therefore ensure its place in the list of important wines from Napa. It is to wines what Disney is to movies. As we drink more, we shall outgrow the style, but will always remember this style of wines that made us fall in love with wines in the first place. P.S. - I have to point out that the background music is a little too loud and too vivacious that it often distracts from the speaker and sometimes even drowns him.
Yep, Austin Hope (and yes, they are connected to the Wagner family) is crafting wines very similar to Caymus these days. And hence part of the reason you are seeing Austin Hope all over the place. I tasted the AH cab several years ago and it was amazing! The 2019 is syrup. The Treana cab (by AH) 2019 cab is worth every penny at $22 and is a good little Caymus knock-off.
@@UpYourWineGame Agreed! haven't had the 2019 AH but I'm drinking a glass of the 2018 AH right now and just after having a glass of J Lohr Hilltop. The AH is better than hilltop... like watching a great movie on an HD tv versus Standard Definition... same vibe but AH is more clear and an overall better experience. I heard rumors the secret to that jamminess might be the addition of frozen malbec concentrate. In any event, Austin Hope is my Caymus alternative but the prices are steadily creeping into Caymus territory. Cheers!
Austin Hope is my goto for that "Caymus" vibe. Of course, I keep some Caymus in the stash but I refuse to pay $80+ for Caymus but I'll pull the trigger under $80. Personally, I'd take Austin Hope over Caymus and I agree Caymus is a very nice stand alone drinker but I'd take Austin Hope or J Lohr Hilltop. Personally... I'm more of a Rombaur fan and a Huge fan of Brown Estate Cabs (single vineyard/specific section of said vineyard)... they also have some really nice Zins... big fan of Grgich Chardonnay
i like how its one of the only wines ive tasted that does not give me this immediate pang in the back of my neck when I drink less expensive wines. Almost as if it is symptom-free or hang-over-free!! Very clean and bright
Lmaoo in the steakhouse I work at we sell it for almost 200$ and these pple buy it up like it's going out of style. I honestly think is the name that rolls of the tounge like ROLEX. Just a statement peice. And yes I own one.
I recently visited a snooty restaurant and brought a bottle of Brown estate Recluse… they took my bottle in the kitchen to decant which was odd but I assumed they wanted to know what it was and snuck a taste…. Whatever lol. They waived the corkage because I offered my waitress a glass😊
So explain why you think it wouldn't age and what have they done or added to the wine that adds the flavors you don't like? Been drinking wine 30 plus years myself and still appreciate Caymus. Drink what you like like what you drink. Cheers!
@@UpYourWineGame So now a bit concerned I have two 2007 Caymus special selection at six regular 2007 Caymus sitting in my wine fridge. Might have to pour them soon before they go off if they haven't already.
OMG. Been drinking for over 35 years. Caymus is an excellent cabernet. Had over 500 different wines from Napa and this is priced right for what you get. Maybe your bottle was bad but I know a lot of people who drink wine and they have all said Caymus is a great wine. There is NOT a $20 bottle that competes with Caymus. Please try Caymus again one day
I can dig your energy lol... I take commentary like "there are $20 bottles at Trader Joes's as tasty as Caymus" with many grains of salt. Primarily because... their aren't but I know you can get Cabs in the same style in the $30-$50 range all day. Sure! Caymus was once a $20 bottle and in the year 2000 gold was only $400/oz... But, Guess what? Caymus new releases cost $75-80 and gold is almost 2K... things change! :-) Cheers! Caymus > Austin Hope > Lohr Hiltop >>>> A few other Paso Robles Cabs
Caymus up til 2016 is still good. But beginning from 2017 they changed wine makers who switch to a market strategy as apposed to artisan wines so it became trash. A master of wine did a blind tasting and called it over priced Carlo Rossi. 🤣
@@gozer825 Caymus is still good... but there are other bottles I'd buy over newer Caymus releases. Calling it over priced Carlo Rossi says a lot more about the "Master of wine" than the Caymus.
@@alexanderk7422 u went to a caymus tasting and 2016 and before were great. 2017 was like an over priced Carlo Rossi . Overly sweet and almost watered down. I really like the Wagner family wines but caymus went down after 2016. I heard they changed winemakers after chuck passed away.
Great comments on the video. Loved it. Subscribed! Caymus is more like a sweet wine cocktail. The appeal? the marketing I think. Which people pay for. It should be about 20 bucks for sure. My tasting notes have "Cherry NyQuil" and "Hersheys Chocolate Syrup" in the descriptors. That says it all for me. And this is the 2016! the new ones, 2020, 2021, are even more extreme on the sugar and artificial flavoring (vanilla, sugar from something like mega purple, which is likely affecting the color also, etc). Won´t be buying this again at this price level.
You called it -- we got it as a gift -- from our financial advisor. A solid gift wine, but not one worth "replacing" at it's asking price. It's certainly a good wine, but probably not worth the price they put on it. Thanks for validating my thoughts!
I tasted Austin Hope last month. I thought it was value (for domestic Cabernet) but too sweet for my taste. The guy in the wine store then suggested The Auctioneer, which was a similar price and more balanced, more appealing to my palate. Mt Veeder Cabernet was also nicer and cheaper. At this price point I think that you can get much better value buying imported wines- Bodegas El Nido Clio, Mollydooker Gigglepot, and Alain Voge Cotes du Rhone Les Peyrouses come to mind.
@@alexanderk7422 If you are interested in trying something that has the medium full body and ample fruit of an Austin Hope without any of the "engineered" notes I can strongly recommend both Juan Gil 18 Meses Monastrell and Bodegas El Nido's Clio. They are about $34 and $48 depending on location and seem great value. I think the cost of real estate (an marketing too) can make it difficult to find the same quality in domestic wines between $30 and $60.
Th best days for Caymus are at least 13+ behind. I remember when I used to drink Caymus for $60. It was considered expensive at the time but their wines were huge, concentrated and they did have that signature Napa appeal (my favorite years were 2004-2007). The special selection is quite a step up from their intro wine. If you can find it, buy the 2007 and 2004 Special Selection. They are surreal!
ok i actually love how Caymus drinks , i wouldn’t drink it with food but on a nice afternoon with friends it’s perfect! but i’ve certainly never found a $20 bottle of wine that is in the same ballpark as this sommelier is claiming can be found. please give me a single example of a $20 bottle that tastes like Caymus so i can save $60 a bottle 😂
You’re in luck! Plenty of Cabernet out there for around $20 that tastes like Caymus. And it’s all to be found down in Paso, where overripe ans jammy cabs rule the roost. Start with McPrice Myers and Treana. And then try Quest (it’s a cab blend) whose ‘21 vintage is BETTER than Caymus.
I think Caymus is a great wine. One of my favorites. seems like wine snobs get off on criticizing the wine, but they end up sounding out of touch and snobby. A lot like the guy in this video and a lot of comments on this thread. I've never heard anyone say it's a bad wine (including the snobs) but RU-vid reviewers seem to want to get on the criticism bandwagon.
RU-vid must stop mandatory music in all videos...... 🤦♂️. On the wine; never tried it, although I have a bottle which I’m thinking to exchange for 2 decent Amarone’s. In my books Amarone is hard to beat. It’s usually a slam dunk every time. It’s an under rated wine, and I’m fine with that.
Thanks for a nice video about Caymus. I love the wine, especially the older vintages. note about the video: the music is a bit too loud in comparison to you speaking. That said, again thank you for an interesting video! Cheers!
any thoughts on aging it? I just had a 2014 Caymus on January 7, 2023, and the fruit forward was much more tamed and enjoyable. comments? i agree that new Caymus (is 2019/20), are too fruit forward.
I personally enjoy drinking Cali cans on the younger side. That said, I’m not convinced Caymus is going to actually improve with age. They want you to enjoy that wine young-so you can take-in all that jammy fruit. Not enough acid to those wines to age with grace. The only cabs I would consider aging are mountain fruit estate wineries that still make old-school Napa cab.
great review! totally agree with this assessment. Curious what Napa Cabs are you liking more these days? I've come across Hartwell Reserves SLD - Benoit Touquette's jam!, 2014/2015 AXR and 2016/2017 Alpha Omega Cabs by Jean Hoefliger and loved them! Paradigm is another amazing producer, loving all their wines crafted by Heidi P Barrett! Cheers!
I used to live in Napa, here are a few of my favorites. Casa Piena, Our Gang, Arcudi (works along side Heidi), Kapcsandy, Pulido Walker, Harumph, 7&8s, 4 Winds, Aperture, Fantesca (Heidi and Tony Arcudi), Peter Michael. This is just a start. Cheers! 🍷
Hey, great video ! I agree with you 💯 I had a bottle recently and I cannot say that is a bad 🍷 I kinda enjoyed it, but the price seemed to be too high, and yeah it is drinkable but not for that price... Thanks for sharing !
I don’t usually complain about these types of things, but could you please check your sound mixing? The music is way too loud and competes with your voice to the point that there are moments I can barely hear you.
I have been looking at the reviews because I plan on trying the 2020. Have you tried the 2020? And if so, did they change it or is it still similar to this review. I don’t want to waste my money if it will be a disappointment. I don’t want sweet syrup tasting/smelling cab.
Love the review, but couldn't disagree more, recently had the 2020 offering at Prime 112 in Miami and it was fantastic my date who isn't even a wine person took a sip and she said it was the best wine she had ever had and then when I told her the name her eyes lit up because of course she had always heard of Caymus but never had it. If this is the review of Caymus I would ask what are cheaper alternatives that you would suggest with the same flavor profile that can compete?
Glad you liked the review. And yes, you nailed it. Caymus is not made for wine people, hence why your girlfriend (who you said is not a wine person) was digging it. The most valuable wine brand in the U.S. is Stella Rosa. 100% sweet wines. Let that sink in. Caymus has more in common with Stella Rosa than Chateau Margaux….hence why it’s so popular; especially among non wine drinkers. Try Austin Hope at half the price and Treanna cab at a 1/3 the price of Caymus. Very similar styles. Enjoy 👍🏽
Could not agree more especially with calling it an engineered wine. It Is over oaked over ripe and just over the top. I can go on forever, but I'll stop. I just subscribed and I look forward to next video.
You’re missing out on a world of delicious wine if you think 1990 Opus hadn’t come out yet. Do yourself a favor and taste ‘85 Opus It taste like knowing there’s a heaven.
Love the explanation of the economics, and insight into when it should be consumed. Unfortunate that the music made it difficult to hear you, or focus on what you’re saying.
It’s recipe wine making - which to me is what’s wrong with wine marketing. And why I invest my Money in burgundy Piedmont and good Sangiovese from Tuscany
Caymus gets that super jammy fruit from the Malbec juice concentrate they get from Australia. They needed to start adding things like this to keep up with demand. Personally I don’t like the wine either
Do you think caymus is price gouging on that bottle? I don't know caymus specifically, but are they skimping on fruit quality or winemaking? To be honest, $80 is pricey but not unreasonable for a well established Napa Valley wine. I would be suspicious of a $10-$15 Napa valley cab.
The modern style Caymus championed started in 1997 with the huge vintage. They picked fruit, filled all the fermentation tanks, and left even more fruit hanging on the vine. They went out after, picked the overripe fruit, and blended the two together and to their surprise it was highly alcoholic, fruity, and more approachable in youth. Daily punchdowns polymerize tannins making them rounder and fall out of solution, extracts lots of color and fruit, and combine that with gobs of new french oak aging, the style was born. The problem now is called Mega Red and Mega Purple, enzymes they add to beef up and manufacture their wine. It’s god awful.
uffff have you tasted Caymus new line 1858? it's pretty much fruit juice ALL of their wines, I still enjoy them and liked them though, but damn I couldn't call them wine.
Great review! Was going to the wine shop to pick up a bottle of Caymus before I saw your video. Decided instead to get a bottle of Duckhorn 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon. Hopefully I made the right choice!
Right on! You made the right choice. Add simple syrup to Duckhorn and you’ll have Caymus. Duckhorn makes legit, if not I exciting cabernet. But mad respect for what they do. Try their 3 Palms merlot. It’s a game changer. Cheers 💪🏽
@@UpYourWineGame Just literally finished the bottle of Duckhorn 2019 and I must say it was incredible! Both me and my wife loved it! Will pick up a bottle of the 3 palms merlot you suggested tomorrow!!😊 Also, bought a bottle of Austin Hope Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon that I’m looking forward to enjoying soon…any thoughts on that particular wine?? Gracias!
Thanks for the great video. Always loved this wine but surprised you don't believe it's worth the cost. Can uou please provide names of alternate wines that are in $30 to $40 range that you believe are just as good or better? Thank you
@@bobbymaldini7653 it is a Pinot for mass distribution. Try spending $20 on a bottle of Burgundy. If you can even find it, it will be very thin and 1 dimensional. And unless your serving to afficianados, any minute layers of complexity will be missed.
The wine guy at our club was excited to be pouring a 2011 BelleGlos (BigBoy Meiomi) - said it tasted like a cab. I told him there is "Cab" for that. Yes, meiomi is indeed shit, funny thing is the first two years it was totally different and actually was recognizable as Pinot Noir. $20 burgundy? Be sure to have the 2018's.
I used to buy Caymus in the 80’s, along with Dunn, Mayacamus and others. I agree that Caymus has given way to the mass market for those willing to spend $80+. There are many in the $50 range that are a better value. Do you have any recommendations in the sub $100 category that reflect the balanced and complex style of the 80’s and 90’s?
Andrew will sorella. Robert Craig. Ridge vineyards cab blend. Left bank Bordeaux. Cab focused super Tuscans. There are a lot more out there but that’s my two cents
My colleagues and I tried the 2020 the other day. The verdict was unanimous. No tannin, no acid. Too sweet. Too much extraction. All over ripe black fruit and vanilla fudge. From personal perspective, borderline disgusting and cynical. I agree with you; if you like this style, you can buy 6-10 bottles of something else for the cost of one of these.
J Lohr Hilltop... not as good but similar jammy NOR CAL vibe from the Paso Robles region. There are others from Paso that resemble Caymus around the $50 price point (Hope).
No need to be as apologetic as you are in the vid, go ahead and trash it.My theory is that Americans like this style so much because they grew up drinking sweet Coca-Cola and even sweeter Pepsi-Cola. Very similar flavor profiles but no fizz gin the Caymus.I remember the '12 like yesterday - what did they do to this bottle was my thought? p.s. - lose the music
No no no not worth the hype, or the money. Special Selection doesn’t age as well as one might imagine, and while delicious and juicy when young, it simply can’t compete with the best from Pauillac, Margaux, or even Rioja.
Without hearing your thoughts I’ll offer mine. As someone who was a merchant, Caymus was, from the start, an overpriced mediocrity. The cab version of Meiomi or the dreadful Belle Glos.
@@UpYourWineGame I just tried Austin hope bottle of cab yesterday. The $50 bottle. I know they have a $30 bottle called Harvester. Gonna try those. I never heard of treana. I will look into that
+1 to the Austin. Their $20 NV is pretty similar, as is Justin. Daou is also a good choice in the same vein as Caymus, also in the $20 range. Harvester was also good but a little less intense than the others, but still good. Conundrum and Bonanza are also worth considering.
@@johnarevalo3450 Some employee at a liquor store told me the Harvester is too sweet, if you don't mind that, get it. I got an Austin Hope 2020 lying down, but is to gift it to my uncle. Haven't tried it yet, I got it for around half the price, $36-$38. I tried Treana (which is made by Austin Hope), fantastic, very fruity and wild with lots of oak spices, you're going to like it, beautiful label. Here in Miami you get it for around $35. Worth it.
What's with the music? Is there really a need for it?? We all have computers that can create our own background music. Hell we can put the radio on if we want, there is no need for you to supply it.