I have tried the 2001, 2002, and 2004 Caymus Special Selection and I cellar all three. None of those wines are as good as the 1990 Caymus SS, which I've thoroughly enjoyed, but this just demonstrates that time is needed with Caymus SS. I think a ten year minimum ageing is a good rule of thumb for the Caymus Special Selection, but I let the 1990 go 15 years before opening, and it was stellar! IMO, if you want to open a Caymus early, open their regular Caymus Cabernet and let the Special Selection rest for a minimum of 10 years, unless its from a poor vintage like 2000!

quote:

Originally posted by latour67:
I have tried the 2001, 2002, and 2004 Caymus Special Selection and I cellar all three. None of those wines are as good as the 1990 Caymus SS, which I've thoroughly enjoyed, but this just demonstrates that time is needed with Caymus SS. I think a ten year minimum ageing is a good rule of thumb for the Caymus Special Selection, but I let the 1990 go 15 years before opening, and it was stellar! IMO, if you want to open a Caymus early, open their regular Caymus Cabernet and let the Special Selection rest for a minimum of 10 years, unless its from a poor vintage like 2000!

Honestly curious, latour67-
Have you tried the `01, `02 or `03 young, and had the good fortune to compare it to trying the `90 when IT was young? My direction of the question, is an attempt to compare the styles when so young, to indicate if the SS style/structure has changed. If it really is built for the long haul these days. Your opinion is valued and appreciated regarding this.

KSC02

I've tried the Caymus Special Selection for 2001, 2002, and 2004, but I skipped the 2003 vintage.

And yes, I think the quality will show best with 10+ years of cellaring; and the 1990 Caymus SS would not have been at its apogee in 1995/96. Also, I think Caymus will continue to guard & protect their Special Selection Brand, and the quality has not diminished, but rather increased in consistency. ------ However, what I don't like is----the recent price increases at Caymus! The Caymus SS sure was a far better QPR in 1990 than it is today and that's why I will not buy the 2005 Caymus SS, and that is especially true for Phelps Insignia, where the price has more than doubled from 2002 to 2005!

quote:

Originally posted by KSC02:
Honestly curious, latour67-
Have you tried the `01, `02 or `03 young, and had the good fortune to compare it to trying the `90 when IT was young? My direction of the question, is an attempt to compare the styles when so young, to indicate if the SS style/structure has changed. If it really is built for the long haul these days. Your opinion is valued and appreciated regarding this.

honestly, i think this is where palate preference comes into play...

i had the good fortune of having the 89' - 91' Special Selection between 1999-2001 and they were epic wines, perfect for my infant palate at the time... i've had recent vintages in the same window, 99' - 01' at about 8-10 years and again, for me its perfect... i recently had the 01' about 4 months ago and it was goregous, still with some more evolution to do but it definitely wasn't infanticide... i did have the 90' back in May of 05' and it was just as good as i had remembered, though very different in profile... did i enjoy it as much as i did back in 98'? i dunno, hard to say... did i enjoy it more then the 01' i had 4 months ago? probably, but not by a terribly significant margin...

I opened another 2002 Caymus Special Selection to verify that it's just too early to open a 2002 Caymus Special Selection. My findings were: it was too early to open, and it would be best to let that bottle rest; for 10 years.

Latour67....you really think the modern day toasty oak, mocha milkshake is going to improve with age? I've been very hesitant to sock modern day CA Cabs. away for future enjoyment, unless it's Montelena, Ridge, Dunn, etc. But, I could certainly be off base here with S.S....

quote:

Originally posted by dr.darkrichandbold:
modern day toasty oak, mocha milkshake is going to improve with age?

I don't know about that, but mine brings all the boys to the yard

quote:

I don't know about that, but mine brings all the boys to the yard

Uhhh???

quote:

Originally posted by dr.darkrichandbold:

quote:

I don't know about that, but mine brings all the boys to the yard

Uhhh???

DRAB: Clicky.

G-man - that was a good one. I was wondering if any of the more senior members of the board would have any idea what that reference was. I,on the other hand, almost spit out my actual milkshake on the screen!!!

quote:

Originally posted by dr.darkrichandbold:
Latour67....you really think the modern day toasty oak, mocha milkshake is going to improve with age? I've been very hesitant to sock modern day CA Cabs. away for future enjoyment, unless it's Montelena, Ridge, Dunn, etc. But, I could certainly be off base here with S.S....

Drab,

I don't think the change in style will shorten the life of a quality wine like Caymus SS. However, raising the price every year will, because my last purchase of Caymus Special Selection was the 2004 vintage.

Really, I think Caymus SS will continue to show longevity. My last great bottle was the 1990, which I opened within the last two years...It was outstanding. Again, I do expect the 2001, 2002, and 2004 Caymus SS to improve with age, but that's only a guess...I think we'll have to wait and see.

Wow...quite a video. I think I saw Board-O at the counter sipping a 1975 Petrus with one of the gangsta B's!

Glad you like it, it is a rockin' tune.

And, why was Bored-O using a straw?