My April Wine of the Month
Caymus Vineyards
Sauvignon Blanc
2005
Caymus Vineyards is pretty much synonymous with Napa Valley Cabernet. Their opulent, lavishly oaked Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon are some of the most famous Napa Valley wines made.
Many wine lovers don’t even know that Caymus makes a Sauvignon Blanc. I’m not talking about Conundrum, their very popular white blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Canelli, Viognier and Semillon. I’m talking about a wine made of 100% Sauvignon Blanc, which isn’t made by them yearly and is only available at the winery.
The Wine – Three years ago while tasting at Caymus I tried their 2002 vintage of Sauvignon Blanc and enjoyed it enough to buy a few bottles. While there in February we tasted the 2005 vintage. This vintage reminded me a lot of the ’02. Like their Cabernet Sauvignon, they use a lot of oak on this wine, which makes it different that the Sancerre I love so much, as well as the Pouilly-Fume and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc I know. And yet I still really like this wine.
The color is a pale gold. The nose is nice and aromatic, with grapefruit and lemon. Through the creaminess and vanilla from the oak, a lot of nice fruit comes through on the palate, including the grapefruit, lemon and some peach. I also tasted some slate and mushroom.
Visiting the Winery – I’ve tasted at Caymus three different times. All three experiences have been great, but the most recent time was especially enjoyable. An appointment is needed for their sit-down tasting. A wine educator, who walks you through the wines and explains the history of Caymus and explains a lot about wine and winemaking, hosts the forty-five minute experience. We were fortunate to have Katelin, who made the tasting fun and also very informative.
The Journey – The Caymus Vineyards tasting room is located in a gorgeous stone building on Conn Creek Road, not far from the main drag of Highway 29. We visited in mid-February, and the surrounding vineyards were full of flowered mustard plants. The vines may be dormant at this time, but the vineyards are still gorgeous!