Caymus Red Schooner Voyage 4
$69.95 btl / $839.40 cs (case of 12 x 750ml)
The Wagner Family kept Red Schooner a secret for five years until it was perfect to release. Today’s offer is the 4th release of this stunning Mendoza Malbec made in Napa Valley using the same techniques as the wildly popular Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon.
Caymus patriarch, Chuck Wagner, needed a new challenge and wanted to make a premium Malbec, however he did not like the Malbec that was growing in Napa. He began to search for a vineyard that produces high-quality Malbec that could support the robust Caymus winemaking style that he is so famous for. Venturing 6,000 miles south to Argentina, it was in the Andes Mountains that Chuck found what he was looking for.
One may wonder, how do they get the grapes from Argentina to Napa? Chillin’ and Sailin’, literally. As Caymus puts it:
“Our goal: to ship grapes in a way that mirrored how table grapes are shipped around the world – protecting them through delicate care and chilling. Was there a lesson for us in the now commonplace ability to find high-quality fruit at the local grocery store (including grapes), sourced from thousands of miles away? There are tons of fruit being shipped on ocean freighters every day, and so we considered this project to be not so crazy after all.”
Coined a “red wine of the world” each voyage bottling will represent a risky and ambitious effort to push the boundaries of fine winemaking. Falling outside standard labeling rules, it does not include a vintage date, but is known by the voyage from which it was produced (Voyage 4 is the 2013 vintage). Offering scents of ripe plums and cherries, this wine is powerful and supple, with flavours of French oak and soft tannins.
The huge success of Voyage 1, which sold out in 5 days at the Caymus winery, created a frenzy when Voyage 2 and 3 was released. Don’t hesitate to get in on Voyage 4 before it vanishes permanently into cellars.
Price: Case of 12 at $839.40 ($69.95 per bottle)
Cooperage: 12 months in French Oak, 50% of which is new
Drink: Now or over the next 10 years
Service: Decant for 1 hour before serving at approximately 18 °C
Appellation: Fruit from Mendoza, Argentina, vinified and bottled in Rutherford, Napa, California
Grapes: 100% Malbec
Notes from Chuck Wagner: “A ‘Caymus style’ of Mendoza Malbec. Definitely an iron fist in a velvet glove. Rich fine tannin – a Mendoza dust fine texture. There is a very refined character to this wine, which is special and singular. This wine is unfined and has already thrown a bit of sediment, representing the rich and natural concentration of abundant quality. A dense, dark red, this wine opens up with the scent of ripe plums and cherries, layered with hints of dark chocolate. On the palate, it is powerful, concentrated, supple and persistent, with generous flavors of French oak that support but don’t dominate. The wine carries through to a complete finish, balanced and integrated with soft tannins that imbue it with both structure and balance.”
Accolades: 90 pts – Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
“Ripe, round, and easy on the palate, the Red Schooner Voyage 4 is a smooth-drinking red wine. Made from Malbec grown in the Andes Mountain, this wine exhibits black fruits, and candied berries. Its soft finish pairs with a party of pizzas. (Tasted: April 11, 2017, San Francisco, CA)”