1997 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection
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Tasting notes
(14.4% alcohol): Bright, dark red, with an almost opaque middle. Aromas of plum, mocha, milk chocolate and graphite along with a suggestion of cabbage and a slightly decadent underbrush quality. Supple, savory wine showing more texture than sweetness. Ultimately a bit diffuse and lacking in definition and grip; despite its decent energy, my bottle began to display some nutty hints of oxidation with time in the glass. Based on this bottle, I'd enjoy this wine in the next couple years.
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Celebrated vintage of a famous wine so available in incredibly short supply and at a highly inflated price. This wine, which has worn its American oak on its sleeve for many a long year, is very hard work at the moment with marked grainy tannins and a sort of mineral undertow adding further grit on the palate. You could buy it but please don't drink it for a while. (JR)
Bright ruby. Cassis, violet and lightly tarry, spicy oak. Ripe, dense and very concentrated; thick and deep. Not at all overly sweet or dominated by the wood. Has superb material and verve. Finishes very long, with thoroughly ripe tannins. The finest vintage for this wine in a long time, and one that avoids the excesses of (American) oak that have plagued so many recent vintages.
About the producer
Caymus Vineyards, based in the heart of Napa Valley, produces Cabernet Sauvignon from low-fertility valley floor and mountain sites, shaped by meticulous viticulture including dry farming, high-density planting, yield thinning, and late harvesting to achieve its signature rich, opulent style.