#100 Wine Spectator Top 100 (2007 edition - 2004 vintage)
#9 Wine Spectator Top 100 (1997 edition - 1994 vintage)
#88 Wine Spectator Top 100 (1996 edition - 1993 vintage)
#15 Wine Spectator Top 100 (1994 edition - 1991 vintage)
#24 Wine Spectator Top 100 (1990 edition - 1986 vintage)
#79 Wine Spectator Top 100 (1988 edition - 1985 vintage) ~ 1st edition
92-Points by Wilfred Wong.
Caymus has a signature style that is dark in color, with rich fruit and ripe tannins – as approachable in youth as in maturity. Since its founding in 1972, Caymus has become renowned as a consistent leader in the production of Napa Valley Cabernet. Grapes for this wine are farmed in 8 of Napa’s 16 sub-appellations, with diversification makes the best possible wine in a given year. This wine excels with aromas and flavors of sandalwood, black fruit, and oak.
 
Caymus Vineyards is a well-regarded and relatively historic wine producer based in Rutherford, in California's Napa Valley. Like most of the valley's famous producers, it specializes in top-end wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon.
Its top wine, the Caymus Vineyard Special Selection, is notable for having been the only wine to have twice topped Wine Spectator's Top 100 list. This was achieved with its 1984 and 1990 vintages.
History
The first vintage of Caymus was in 1972, although the Rutherford property, owned by the Wagner family, has been planted to grapes since the 1940s. These were sold to other producers in Napa until the 19-year-old Chuck Wagner agreed to help his parents establish a winery on their ranch.
Today, Caymus Vineyards is still family owned and operated, with various wines made by Chuck's sons Joe and Charlie, and his daughter, Jenny.
Wine portfolio
The Special Selection is Caymus's flagship wine, and is only made in years where the vintage conditions are considered good enough. A lower-tier (but still premium) Cabernet Sauvignon is produced every year, and a Zinfandel is also produced in small quantities.
Caymus Vineyard wines are unapologetically New World in style, tending toward the big, bold, fruit-driven end of the spectrum. Grapes are given a long hang-time in the vineyard, and crop thinning maximizes the amount of sunlight the grapes see during ripening.
The Wagner family is involved in a handful of other brands including Conundrum, Mer Soleil, Belle Glos, Red Schooner and Emmolo. In 2015, the family sold the Meiomi wine brand to Constellation.
Caymus-Suisun
The company unveiled a new tasting room, cellar door and winery in the Suisin Valley region in 2022. A Petite Sirah (Durif) and a Zinfandel - Petite Sirah blend, The Walking Fool, are produced under the Caymus-Suisun label.