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2006 NV CS NOTES

Vintage and Winemaking:

Every vintage of Caymus Vineyards Cabernet naturally depends on success in the vineyard, and is always dependant on the weather. 2006 began with a New Year’s flooding that led to a late spring start, and we saw a memorable heat wave in mid-July. August through October provided nearly rain-free conditions with moderate temperatures, ultimately yielding colorful and ripe Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

Harvest began the 20th of September and went through the first week of November, beginning in St. Helena then progressing to Rutherford and Napa and finishing up on cool Atlas Peak. Sourcing from these different areas allows us to craft a wine - and capture the diversity - of what I consider Napa is all about. Intensely-flavored berries were the norm in 2006, with higher than normal tannins and color and full, uniform ripeness. The crop was lower in production than the 2005 harvest.

Our farming methods include multiple passes through the vineyard for crop reduction, de-leafing around the fruit zone to allow some sunlight to directly hit the grape clusters, and picking at uniform ripeness even if that means multiple passes within a small vineyard block.

While Caymus’ wines may age well, our focus continues toward producing Cabernets that are eminently enjoyable in youth. Techniques we’ve developed in both the vineyard and cellar allow us to express more of the wine’s amiable characteristics while minimizing bitter and/or tart astringencies. I find the wines we make these days to my liking early on, and would imagine the best time for drinking the 2006 Napa Valley bottling to be 2009 – 2012. This is my personal choice and opinion, nothing more.

Tasting Notes:

Powerful aromas of ripe blackberry and dark cherry, with notes of vanilla, cocoa and rose petal. In the mouth, the wine exudes richness and a finely-grained “cocoa” texture, with low acidity expressing breadth and richness on the palate. Flavors of chocolate, dark berry fruits and the classic cabernet cassis are supported by the texture of fine-grained tannins.

Our 2006 bottling of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is dark, opulent and supple, and clearly expresses the Caymus style.

­Chuck Wagner

Release date: July 2008
Suggested retail price: $70