Top Shelf Tuesday ~ CAYMUS
December 09, 2008Tuesday 7:00pm until 8:30pm $30 per person (Reservations Required)
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We will start our "Top Shelf Tuesday" tasting series (Education) this coming (you guessed it) Tuesday evening, December 9, 2008, from 7:00pm until 8:30pm.
We will feature the Caymus Family of Wines, along with paired appetizers from Spice Grill Catering, but first we need to ensure that there is enough interest. The wines will be presented by our Caymus Distributor, Kimberly Akers with The Country Vintner Inc.
We can accommodate 10 tasters per bottle. This means that we would require at least 10, but we can expand it in increments of 10 to 20. We will set a limit of 30 tasters for the evening to ensure that the evening is enjoyed thoroughly by those in attendance.
The cost will be $30 per person, paid in advance. As we can accommodate 10, 20, or 30 people (maximum), please call to make your reservations as soon as possible.
See below for the list of wines along with their pairings but first a little history on CAYMUS . . .
CAYMUS History: (adapted from http://www.winereader.com/wines/Caymus.html)
"Back in the late sixties, a crusty old prune farmer-turned grape grower, named Charlie Wagner, who once sold wine as a bootlegger, was a grower of some of the best cabernet grapes in the Napa Valley. He planted twenty-six acres of cabernet on the eastern floor of the Napa Valley in the Rutherford area. Sensing the impending California wine boom and finding himself seduced by the lure of making his own Cabernet, he founded Caymus Vineyards in 1972 and built the winery next to his prime cabernet vineyard in Rutherford.
The winemaker at Caymus from 1975 through 1985 was a talented young Cabernet wizard named Randy Dunn . . . The winemaking duties at Caymus were assumed by Charles Wagner Jr., who had worked at Dunn's side for years. However, the vast improvement in the Caymus Sauvignon Blanc and the phenomenal reception of the "Conundrum" must be attributed to Jon Bolta, who directs the white side of the winemaking. Caymus has also decided to remove its name from the Conundrum and this wine is now made at a separate facility along with Mer Soleil Chardonnay, Caymus has decided to market all of its wines under separate labels rather than making Caymus Chardonnay and Caymus Pinot Noir. Which brings us to the newest venture by the Wagner family, Belle Glos, a Pinot Noir label representing some prime Pinto Noir vineyards in Santa Maria Valley and along the Sonoma Coast, made by Charles Wagner Jr.
The Menu:
Mer Soleil 2006 Silver Chardonnay $ 41.95
Paired with Sage Derby CheesePer Charlie Wagner the Winemaker . . . This second vintage follows last year's successful debut of Silver, an effort to unite the crisp mineral essence of classic Chablis style with the tropical elements found in Chardonnay of the Pacific coastline.
Using Chardonnay grown in special blocks of the Mer Soleil Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands of monterey County, we harvested the grapes when just fully ripe, their gold color hued with green, expressing clean aromas of Chardonnay fruit and firm acidity.
The grapes were pressed and fermented in both stainless steel and cement vats, with no oak contact or malolactic fermentation. We bottled the wine early in the year and capped it with a twist top to maintain its fresh fruit character and crisp citrus finish.
The result is our latest presentation of a Chardonnay we consider as sleek and cool as Silver.
Tasting notes:
Light gold color with a pale green tint. Clean, lively aromas of honeydew melon and green apple carry over to delicate tropical fruit flavors of pineapple and papaya, balanced with crisp mineral notes. The full texture lasts through a luxuriously long finish.
Mer Soleil 2006 Chardonnay $ 42.95
Paired with Double Gloucester CheesePer Charlie Wagner the Winemaker. . . With this vintage, the Mer Soleil Chardonnay label now proudly displays the Santa Lucia Highlands appellation. We are pleased to be able to specify the growing area of our fruit and all it represents in the bottle.
Our Chardonnay from the Mer Soleil Vineyard, located in this cool, dry part of Monterey County on land we began cultivating in 1988, is now at full maturity. The sea ("Mer") and sun ("Soleil") climate of this coastal appellation causes morning and evening fogs and warm, bright afternoons, a combination that helps
produce the high-quality fruit we use to make this California-style Chardonnay.
Using multiple clones of Chardonnay, the vines are trained on three different trellis systems to enhance the potential for ripening, thinning and shading. Our familiarity with the property allows us to pick the vineyard blocks at peak conditions for extracting maximum quality.
Harvest began the 12th of October with clusters showing the dark gold, almost amber color we look for, and continued through the first week of November. Individual lots received extensive aging in French oak barrels, about 40 percent new, before bottling.
Tasting notes:
Soft gold color. Richly perfumed nose, with light notes of honeysuckle, truffle and buttery oak. Full, layered flavors of tropical fruit are balanced by a bright acidity of sweet citrus, and linger though the long, creamy finish.
Belle Glos 2007 " Meiomi Sonoma Coast " Pinot Noir $ 33.95
Paired with Smoked Salmon Mousse with CaviarPer Charlie Wagner the Winemaker . . . The name Meiomi (pronounced May-OH-mee) means "coast" in the language of the native Wappo and Yuki tribes, and best symbolizes the origin of this Pinot Noir. The grapes are grown in the vast Sonoma Coast appellation, stretching along the California coast from Mendocino County down to Marin County.
The Sonoma Coast offers vastly diverse soil types, sub-climates, and elevations, allowing for grapes with wide differences in character and style. To create this blend, we work with some of the best growers within the AVA to create individual components. Together they create a wine that is well balanced, shows its Coastal roots in its flavors and is ready to drink upon release.
Each lot of Pinot Noir is crafted in a way that intensifies the character of the individual vineyards. Some offer elegant fruit and spice notes, while others show earthier characteristics. The lots were aged in French oak — about 60 percent new — for nine months, then blended to create this paradigm of coastal Pinot Noir.
Meiomi is fully mature and ready to drink. The new twist top closure helps preserve the unique characteristics of the wine, and also makes the wine convenient to enjoy.
Tasting notes:
Brilliant, dark ruby color. Vivid aromas of plum, cherry and brown sugar, with light cedar notes. The silky, full palate shows off rich pomegranate, bright red stone fruit and fine, mineral-based flavors. An elegant wine with soft, balanced acidity and a long finish.
Caymus 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $ 74.95
Paired with Beef Tenderloin Croustade with Horseradish Chive SaucePer Charlie Wagner the Winemaker . . . 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.
Mer Soleil 2004 Late $ 37.95 (375ml)
Paired with Chocolate Mousse with Orange ZestPer Charlie Wagner the Winemaker . . . We have a profound appreciation at Mer Soleil winery for fine dessert wines, so when we find Botrytis cinerea appearing in our viognier vineyard blocks we protect and nurture the deep golden berries.
Botrytis, a naturally occurring organism that allows the grapes to develop a concentrated, nectar-like sweetness, occurs only in certain harvests under moisture-filled weather conditions. And in 2004,
conditions were perfect.
In past vintages we have harvested as late as the first week of December; however, in 2004, we began to hand-pick the grapes on the 19th of November. The Brix level at harvest was 34 degrees. In the cellar, these grapes require very close attention. We press them twice to extract the maximum flavors then start a long, slow fermentation. A small portion of the grapes are fermented in new French oak barrels to enhance the spice notes, but most of the juice is kept in temperature controlled stainless steel for the long fermentation process.
Tasting notes:
Rich gold color. Beautiful, warm aromas of apricot nectar and honey are reflected in the flavors, with orange and citrus zest enriched by a balanced acidity. Good grip and viscosity in the lush texture leads to a long, mouth-filling finish.
