Wine Chicks Guide™: Caymus

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Valentine’s Day Wines - Caymus, Meiomi and Biltmore, Be Mine!

Typically recognized as the coldest winter month, this February is bringing what the locals call spring like temps. In Florida, these temps would be closer to winter so I feel right at home. It’s also the month for Cupid to go around shooting his arrow, over priced chocolates, flowers and an array of other things that are supposed to warm your beloved’s heart. Whether you believe Valentine’s Day is a holiday made up by the greeting card and chocolate companies, a ploy by the jewelry stores or if you truly enjoy heart shaped boxes and sappy cards, you can celebrate the day in style. Who cares if it’s with a romantic love interest or a group of friends staging an all out Cupid boycott. I’ve got a few wines to help you either forget there even is an opposite sex or toast your love.

Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, Napa Valley - $68

For those of you with deep pockets, Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 will have you drooling in your glass. Classic cassis, vanilla, leather and oak aromas. Loads of fruit flavors hit the front of the palate, hints of leather wash over mid palate and the finish is pure, sensual vanilla. Some wines are all hype and the price tag can leave you in a little sticker shock. I can tell you; this wine is worth the $68 price tag. Obviously not an everyday wine but if you want toe curling wine, this is the one.

Bella Glos Pinot Noir 2009, Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County - $44

Aromas of spicy black cherry and ripe black fruits. Flavors consist of berries, plums and more spice. Finish is long and supple. We paired with an array of charcuterie with local hard cheeses and meats.

Meiomi Pinot Noir 2010 Sonoma, Monterey, Santa Barbara - $22

Aside from the Caymus this was my favorite of the three and is listed at a good price. Ripe strawberry and oak aromas. Spicy earth, leather and red fruit flavors. The soft tannins are velvet on the palate. I just want to wrap myself up in this wine and at $22 a bottle, I just may.

Looking to sample all three of the above wines and three delectable white wines (more on those in another blog). The Wagner Family of Wine Tasting Flight is a great way to experience the wines for around $40.

Chateau Bonnet Rosé 2010 - $15

This is by far the best Rosé I’ve had in some time. I used to shy away from Rosé, thinking of those sickly sweet pink wines I tasted in my youth. This 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon has aromas of fresh picked strawberries and flavors of white peach and a hit of citrus. We paired with spicy Korean Short Ribs.

Biltmore Estate Méthode Champenoise Pas de Deux–Sec - $19
I’m a bit of a sparkling wine junky. I pop open a bottle several times during the week. So when I received this sample, I didn’t wait long to dive right in. Aromas of white fruits consisting of ripe pear and crisp apple. Flavors are soft and full of floral and honey. A slight hint of yeast in the finish but not un-pleasing.

Yellow Tail Bubbles Sparkling Rosé Wine - $9

I love pink sparklers, they’re just fun and scream, drink me! A blend of Semillon, Traminer, Shiraz and Frontignac, aromas are full of strawberry and spice. Nose carries a hint of aromatic rose.Ripe cherry flavors mixed with a little hint of mango make this inexpensive sparkler, a good deal.

So if you find yourself dodging Cupid’s arrow this year or all out flinging yourself onto it, remember to raise a glass to good wine!

If you would like to send samples for my review, please contact me at kstargaard@yahoo.com.

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Monday, August 29, 2011

LibertySchool Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 2007

Today’s the day, my husband and I close on our new house set on 3 acres of wooded Georgia land, amidst the NE Georgia Mountains. We’ve been apartment dwellers since moving to Georgia 32 days ago. It’s a two bedroom, two bath but the dining room and second bedroom are jammed packed with boxes and furniture. With the majority of our belongings still in boxes, we’re surviving with the bare essentials and even some of those still have not been located. I find myself opening boxes and fingering my treasured belongings. I miss my possessions and can’t wait until I can liberate them from their cardboard prison and have all the true comforts of home around us. Of course I took extra care to ensure we had a few essentials on hand such as; wine refrigerator, wine collection, two wine glasses and one very important corkscrew. I know it’s a stretch but I felt Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 2007 tied in well with my quest for freedom for my possessions.

Aromas are full of leather and vanilla. Fruit forward plum and blackberry wash over the palate. Cassis and well balanced tannins all provide for a very well rounded wine. Priced at $9.99, you won’t mind liberating a few dollars to enjoy this wine.

Need another reason to check out Liberty School, how about that it’s family owned and operated by the Hope Family in Paso Robles, CA since 1978. You may even say this is the poor man’s Caymus. As Napa Valley vintner Chuck Wagner of Caymus Vineyards, was in search of Cabernet for his second label, Liberty School, Wagner approached Hope Farms as a fruit source. Growers over the next decade, the Hope family helped build the brand known for quality wine at an affordable price. In 1996, the Hopes established Treana Winery, providing a natural transition for Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon to join the Treana family of wines.

After we close on the house, we’ll head over with those two wine glasses, that one wine opener and a bottle of wine which will be carefully selected, where we will sit on our rocking chairs overlooking the beautiful view. This wine ties in more with our move than I realized. For months my plan was to purchase a bottle of Caymus to celebrate the move into our new house. After some deep and serious waffling, I decided that money would be better spent on a new light fixture for the kitchen, helping to bring it into the current century. While I have second thoughts on spending my money on Caymus, I have no qualms about buying more Liberty School wines.