2012 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection has a dense blackish/purple color and creamy, sweet crème de cassis fruit, blackberries, a touch of graphite and vanilla, This exuberant, boisterous, in-your-face style of Cabernet Sauvignon is clearly a fruit bomb, so be warned. Full-bodied and opulent with stunning concentration and richness, the wine has no hard edges and is much in the Caymus style of terrific fruit intensity (most of it black and blue), voluptuous texture, and a stunning finish with plenty of glycerin, wood and spice. The alcohol on the label is listed at 14.8%, which seems about accurate. I have Caymus Special Selection in my cellar back to some of the historic wines made by Chuck Wagner’s father in the early 1970s, and while the style’s gotten more precocious and consumer-friendly, these wines, even the more latter-day styles, have a tendency to age beautifully. This can be drunk now, or cellared for 20+ years.

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection is a very pleasant, mid-weight Cabernet Sauvignon. The modern-day Caymus style of sweetness and glycerin richness is very much in evidence, but at the same time, the elements are well put together. Sweet oak, red berries, mint and cinnamon open up effortlessly in the glass. All things considered, the 2012 is very nicely done in its style.